Keeping 'On Track'

The August issue is off to the printer and should be in your mailboxes next week. Today I finished the newest edition of “On Track,” the Hoof Beats online newsletter. It’ll come out Friday afternoon, and you’ve got to check it out.

Each month I ask those who worked so hard on these stories to share the “behind the scenes” moments they experienced. It’s also great to hear from the voices that don’t get heard in Hoof Beats. A regular contributor is photographer Mark Hall, who has a journalism degree from The Ohio State University, but found out his talent is best suited holding a camera, not a pen. Turns out he’s a great writer.

Sometimes I just include the personal stuff that could not be included in the story, either due to space issues or editorial reasons. For example, the piece titled “Spend Money to Make Money” by freelance writer Ralph Sucee was initially at the beginning of the story he sent in, but we just didn’t have enough space to run it. Ralph is one of the finest writers in harness racing, so I hated to lose such a great insight into his writing process—that’s why I knew it would be perfect for this month’s newsletter.

I also try to get an update on the horse featured in the horse profile or Equine Clinic. These stories may have been written 60 days or more before you see them, so much may have changed in the horse’s career in that time. This time we got some bad news, as writer Cait Barnett found out that trotting sensation Mya Tri is not currently racing due to knee problems. You may remember this filly won 21 straight starts in Indiana in 2007-2008.

To make sure you get this month’s newsletter, be sure to sign up here:

http://news.ustrotting.com/usta_newsletters.cfm

Cheers,

T.J.