Ham-dicap Racing

Andrew Glazer

FAIRGROUNDS -- They lined up at the starting gate and waited for

the pistol to pop. Race fans leaned forward, holding their tickets,

cheering.

“And they’re off,” the announcer called.

Right out of the gate, they were snout and snout. Fans cheered more,

calling out the names of their favorite pigs.

“Go Hammy Sowsa!” yelled one young race fan in the back of the

bleachers who flailed his arms, urging the 35-pound porker as it kicked

up sawdust on the 130-foot track.

The fan cursed quietly when the 8-week-old, named after another star

athlete, finished next to last.

The roughly 100 spectators who gathered for one of four daily pig

races at the Orange County Fair were extremely engaged. But then again,

pig racing is serious business. Those who pick the winning pig, a

one-in-eight chance, walk away with a pound of bacon, courtesy of a local

supermarket chain.

“We make stars out of these pigs for a few months,” said Bart Noll,

race announcer, pig owner and trainer. He and his spiky-haired

13-year-old son, Chad, spend much of the year buying pigs near their

ranch outside Springfield, Ore., and exercising them for the summer race

season.

“We like runts,” Noll said. “We can race them longer.”

When pigs grow larger than 45 pounds -- generally after three months

on the road -- they can no longer jump the six-inch hurdles and make

their way around the track.

The Nolls sell the pigs back to farmers once their racing careers

expire. On their way to retirement, senior swine can grow to as large as

1,000 pounds.

Teaching the pigs to run the course is easier than one might think.

After about two weeks, piglets are racing along the track.

“The secret is you reward them with food,” said Chad, who also sells

pig racing T-shirts, beanbag pigs, bucket hats, baseball hats,

sweatshirts and embroidered knitted golf shirts. He also promotes the

pigs’ own Web site, o7 https://www.pigrace.comf7 .

“You give them food at the starting gate and at the finish.”

The pigs’ food of choice: animal crackers.

“Very appropriate, I guess,” Noll said. “On second thought, maybe we

should find ‘people crackers.’ ”