Cart Talk with J.K.

There  is a feature on the American Racing Program that occasionally airs with Jonathon Kichen interviewing a race track personality while he drives a golf cart through the backstretch. My guess this is a riff on the comedic routine of Talking in Cars that Jerry Seinfeld initiated.

Jonathon's guests have generally been well-known (to those who follow the sport) trainers, Todd Pletcher, Shug (Claude) McGaughey, Steve Asmussen...It's a short, light segment, with softball questions and no controversial questions about the direction of the sport, or doping. 

Over the weekend Jonathon interviewed Brian Lynch, a 57-year-old transplanted thoroughbred trainer from Brisbane, Australia who has had success at the top levels of the game. He's Keeneland based, but like a lot of Kentucky trainers, comes to Saratoga when Kentucky racing closes for the summer.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather hear an Australian accent than a British accent. And I like British accents. The Australians are more down to earth, with no artifice in their voice, no pear-shaped vowels or plummy tones. A British accent lets them get away with a lot. And an Australian accent can own the world. It's what made Paul Hogan so endearing to the American public decades ago.

So imagine J.K. Longhair (@UTbighair) driving the cart with his interviewee sitting beside him. A Creole man next to an Aussie; the professional handicapper and the professional thoroughbred trainer, each well aware of their respective worlds and pursuits.

Some short biographical background comes from Brian; born in Brisbane, started riding in rodeos and bronco bustin', came to the United States for a better level of rodeo riding, became a horse trainer. 

Jonathon wants the lowdown on an apparent story that Brian once went into the stall and "boxed" one of this thoroughbreds. Was that true? I know people box kangaroos.

"Yes, [horse's name] was in his stall on his hind legs and he and we had a bit of a go at each other. I had a chance at a good left hook, but didn't want to take it, we needed the horse to run."

"I had done a bit of boxing in my day. I was known as the Candle Kid: One blow and I was out."

And there we have it. The self-effacing Aussie riding in a golf cart discussing his athletic past with Jonathon. Saratoga is not always about the horses.

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