In an unexpected turn of events, The Red Mile racetrack reported that over the opening Grand Circuit weekend, everyone had their shirts on for the entire live racing meet.  Just over a year ago The Red Mile unveiled their new renovations and were excited to experience the start of their live racing finale the Grand Circuit with all of their new features, most importantly the installation of a record audience of zero shirtless patrons.

We spoke to Terry Washburn the public relations director over at The Red Mile, about the record setting weekend, “Understandably, many folks may be saying ‘Hey aren’t shirtless people a good thing?’ Sure that may be true at a gentlemen’s club or some sort of Camelot re-enactment type establishment, but this is the Grand Circuit of harness racing. It’s a pretty big deal for those of us that are super into watching fat guys ride in some sort of buggy behind a horse that is only allowed to run at a slower speed than normal of which we call a trot.  It’s like Olympic speed walking  for horses, that is if Olympic speed walking requires you to to walk somewhat briskly while pulling a man with a moustache in a cart behind you.”

Many would agree that the last thing anyone wants is to see those guys with their shirts off, the overweight “athletes” should be wearing the appropriate attire for such a prestigious affair. However, Washburn explained that it wasn’t the pseudo-jockeys that have been the shirtless issue, historically speaking, “No, no not the old guys on the track, but the old guys around the betting windows, that’s who we were worried about keeping their shirts on. Many of them love to take their shirts off, either in anger from a result from a ‘race’, or it just gets ‘too hot’, or many just show up with no shirt at all. Before the renovations these folks were what we called “regulars” but now they’re not here as often so it’s been almost like being at Keeneland over here.”
Washburn explained that “Some of them show up with no shirt on, and some show up with no shirt and leave with a shirt, we still haven’t figured out how that happens.”  Adding, “Even Matthew McConauhey stopped by on Friday with our shipment of Wild Turkey, and even he had a shirt on, I mean sometimes every star aligns ya know?” He is hopeful that this behavior will continue, “Fingers crossed, next week we can have the same success rate with shoes.”