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A Passion For Racing Defines a Prolific Writer
A Passion For Racing Defines a Prolific Writer
By Bill Cauley
Ted Black never owned, trained or rode a Thoroughbred race horse. Yet his knowledge and chronicling of the sport spans decades.
Black, 61, is the long-time racing writer for The Spirit of Jefferson, a weekly newspaper in Charles Town, West Virginia. He said he was always fascinated by horse racing, both on the Thoroughbred and harness-racing level, at a very young age. Oddly enough, he started writing about racing on a whim.
Black often hung out with friends at the racetrack at Bowie, where he still lives, as well as the nearby Laurel Race Course. He enjoyed watching the horses train, race, and developed friendships with some of the owners, trainers and jockeys.
That “whim” would define Black’s career.
His first racing article appeared 38 years ago in the Bowie Blade newspaper. “I had asked around some local publications if they would like someone to write about horse racing,” Black said. “Finally, my first story appeared on June 15, 1987.”
Black currently covers sports for Southern Maryland Newspapers. Most of his work involves local high schools and colleges in the area, but his first love is writing about the horse racing industry.
While Black’s primary work is at Southern Maryland Newspapers, the epicenter of his racing writing is the racetrack at Hollywood Casino and Charles Town Races.
His first article for the Spirit of Jefferson appeared on April 5, 1990.
“I had to mail in my articles about a week ahead of time so they would make the paper’s deadline,” Black recalled. “I made sure I got my stuff in the mail early.”
Before turning to writing sports, Black, like most kids out of college, tried his hand at other jobs.
After high school, Black attended Prince George’s Community College in Largo. He started out as a tutor at the college, but eventually moved on, landing a job with NASA in Greenbelt, updating their phone directories. But it wasn’t exactly the career he envisioned.
Black worked at a few other odd jobs, all the while sharpening his writing skills on horse racing in the region. He looked through the help-wanted ads, making phone calls around the region, searching for publications that might consider accepting some of his work.
Once the Bowie Blade came along, Black knew he had found his dream job. Eventually, he ended up at Southern Maryland Newspapers. He also writes for numerous horse racing publications and has visited such courses as Pimlico in Baltimore, as well as Belmont Park and Aqueduct in New York.
“I still haven’t gotten to Churchill Downs yet,” Black said. “That’s one place I would like to go to.”
Black travels often to the Charles Town track, where’s he’s a well-known figure, with his trademark hat, sitting on a table in the back row of the grandstands with his computer.
In April, the track honored Black for 35 years of covering racing for the Spirit. A group of track officials, several horse owners, trainers and jockeys honored him with his own race. The “Congratulations Ted Black Race” went off without a hitch. After the race, he was presented with numerous plaques and awards by track officials.
“I really don’t know what all the fuss was about,” Black said. “They didn’t have to go through all of this.”
But long-time trainer Jeff Runco said there was no question he deserved the accolades.
“Ted has simply done a great job of reporting horse racing here in Charles Town,” he said. “He’s done a lot to bring recognition to the horse racing industry here in West Virginia.”
Over the last 35 years, Black said he’s written thousands of horse racing stories, not just for the Spirit, but many horse racing publications across the region. He writes about many different sports, but there’s little doubt horse racing reporting is his first love.
Mary Sell, vice-president of the West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association said it best.
“He just has a passion for what he does.” she said.
