The heart of the matter
by Trey Nosrac
Xavier and I were taking an unexpected road trip to Walterboro, SC. His grandfather died, and we were going to the funeral. We passed a green Welcome to South Carolina sign, and Xavier steered his Tundra off I-95. He tapped the button to slide open the moonroof and headed south down the two-lane blacktop.
“My pawpaw died two weeks short of his 98th birthday. We thought for sure he’d make triple digits. The guy lived one hell of a life — wars, hippies, family, flitting from place to place. My aunt Nellie always called him a loose cannon. Somebody should’ve written it all down.”
I nodded, “Every life is worth writing down.”
“The last time I talked to him was Christmas, maybe three or four years ago. He said he was glad he lived when he did because the last 10 years this country’s been ‘losing depth.’”
“Losing depth,” I said. “Interesting phrase. Hard to argue against it.”
He glanced over. “So, what’s this trip about for you? A scouting mission for your imaginary racetrack? The radical one without gambling?”
“No,” I said. “Just riding and thinking out the window. I’ve always liked this state.”
Xavier slid the moonroof shut to make it easier to hear each other.
“Do you really think anyone’s going to run with any of those crazy plans?”
“I’d say it’s 99-1 against.”
“Not enough wacky people like you?”
“There does seem to be a shortage of madcap dreamers and doers in the trotting and pacing world. Horse racing is viewed through the lens of handle, purses, slot subsidies, and chicanery. We’re long past tweaking the image. Racing people keep their heads down, hang on, and hope nothing else goes south.”
“That’s human nature.”
“Sure. But for how long? Why not go south, literally and figuratively? Try a reboot, that places the horse front and center. Keep the history and accessibility. Lose a lot of the baggage. Create an oasis from the warp-speed world. Make it fresh. Removing gambling changes the whole vibe. I don’t see why we can’t race for money without wagering.”
He smiled. “Paint me a mind picture.”
“Okay, what city is the funeral in?”
“Walterboro.”
“Okay. Imagine a new harness racing complex nearby, first-class all the way, big, and beautiful. As you approach, there’s a sign: Welcome to Walterboro, Home of the Leland Trotting Society. A few miles down, visitors turn under a large white arch. A wooden signpost stands just inside the entrance, arrows pointing left and right:”
• Administration
• Racing oval
• Museum
• Hotel
• RV Park
• Tour buses
• Blacksmith
• Restaurant
• Hiking path
• Stables
• Paddocks
“Visitors see spacious, beautiful barns they can walk through, a small museum with photographs of local horsemen, and equipment from decades past. They compare old sulkies with modern ones. There are black and white photos of big crowds in wooden grandstands and film clips of archived races. There are public paddocks where fans can safely observe horses, learn how much care goes into the care and training of a racehorse.”
Waving my hands now, I continued, “There are walking paths around the property. Gazebos overlooking the track. A restaurant serving Sunday brunch. Maybe a farmers’ market in the infield on summer Saturdays or a Sunday church service in the hotel auditorium. Fridays and Saturdays will have racing.
“Retirees watch beautiful trotters from the shade. A trainer explains why he gave his filly an extra week off because ‘she felt a little flat.’ The narrative shifts from money to stewardship, from betting to belonging, and visitors old and new get a new vibe.”
“Trey, c’mon, get real, this all sounds a little Pollyannaish.”
“It may sound that way,” I said, “but underneath it is serious business. There are real advantages in benevolence. Animal sports face scrutiny, so it’s smart to lean into transparency and horse welfare. A facility that has high care standards, invites public observation, and offers retirement pathways for the horses isn’t naïve. It’s smart.
“Education, youth horsemanship programs, and agricultural scholarships could be part of the program. We position the sport as forward-looking. At The Leland Trotting Society, there are no debates over doping horses or cheating scandals. The focus is on the trotting horses, the historic sport, agriculture, and community.”
Xavier shook his head. “All this benevolence makes you sound like the Music Man rolling into River City.”
“Benevolence isn’t weakness,” I said. “And happy people in the fresh air is good.”
We drove the rest of the way in silence, pine trees blurring past the windshield. Somewhere between I-95 and Walterboro, I thought about his pawpaw’s phrase.
Maybe the heart of the matter is depth. It isn’t wagering and gambling. Maybe, just maybe — the way forward for this sport is to build something with enough depth that people want to belong to it, not just bet on.
