Thursday Thoughts with Jason Beem for Jan. 16, 2025

A good Thursday morning to you all! Tuesday marked the nine-year anniversary of my daily horse racing podcast. We started on January 14, 2016 and Mary Rampellini was our first guest. I still remember taping the show in the den at my mom’s old house, my big Blue Yeti microphone on the desk literally picking up every noise that the room or I would make. I think we had a Todd Pletcher song parody in that first episode as well. 

I remember shortly after I started the show, literally a month or two in, we did a song parody that a couple jockeys took great exception to and the Jockeys Guild sent us a cease and desist letter. I just assumed that meant I was going to get fired even though the song was really mild in terms of busting their chops. But my bosses stood by me and having my back meant a lot. 

As of today, we’ve done 2,305 episodes of the podcast between its time as the BetAmerica Radio Network and the Jason Beem Horse Racing Podcast. I believe I did 950 or so under the BARN name, so we’re way part a thousand editions of the TwinSpires show. Which is nuts to think about. We’ve had several million total downloads of the show from every state and a ton of countries. New York and California are the states with the most downloads, but it’s very close all time, with New York having a slight edge. Florida, Kentucky, and New Jersey round out the top five and it’s not surprising the states with the highest listenership are the ones with live horse racing. Alaska comes in last place with 1,013 downloads over the last nine years! C’mon guys! And I know Inside the Pylons would be upset if I didn’t mention that his two first episodes with me back in 2018 remain our number 1 and 2 shows of all time. I’ve heard from countless people who say they go back and listen to those episodes regularly. 

One thing I’ve learned from doing the show is how generous people in horse racing are with their time. Of those 2,305 episodes of the show, over half of them have featured interviews with racing personalities, handicappers, trainers, jockeys, gamblers, vets, etc. So more than 1,000 interviews and in those nine years, I can count on one hand the number of times people said they couldn’t or wouldn’t do an interview. Almost everyone lent me their time and effort to join me and that always means a lot, because I know that many of these guests are very busy and being pulled in a lot of directions. I also know there’s a fair bit of racing radio and podcast shows, so I’m sure they get sick of the requests at a certain point. So to everyone who’s ever come on the show, a big thank you for your generosity with your time. 

But the best part of doing the podcast has been getting to communicate with the listeners, whether it be through the “airwaves” or in person. When I started doing the show in 2016 I was still very much in the throes of my struggles with anxiety. Leaving my house wasn’t something I did much of, but doing the show and talking with people on social media became a connection for me. As the show grew and I started to work on getting out more, I was regularly greeted at tracks by people who said they listened or enjoyed an episode. To this day it’s always so flattering when someone takes the initiative to introduce themselves to me at the races and tell me they enjoy the show. So to anyone who’s listened to one episode or 2,305 of them, thank you so much.  

Nothing in life is certain and I’ve always treated the show as though it could go away at any time. Honestly, I treat most things in my life that way as I think it helps me to appreciate what I have now and the current moment instead of always looking ahead. BetAmerica and TwinSpires have supported me so much throughout these nine years. I’ve always felt appreciated and never once felt like I didn’t have full creative control, including when I’m critical of the industry or some of its participants. I’ve always felt like I know where the line is, but they’ve always trusted me to set that on my own. Which as someone who finds real reward from being creative, means a lot. So big thank you to Adam and the folks at TwinSpires for their support. 

Ok this is turning into a big thank you tour, but gratitude is honestly what comes to mind when I think about getting to do something I truly enjoy for nine years. Doing this show has made me a better person, it’s made me connect with people, and brought me a lot of joy.  

So again, thank you.