Their hooves hit the track with lightning speed. Their eyes always stay on the prize.
These thoroughbreds jostle for position, pushing each other to get on the inside rail.
But they need no jockeys to direct them. They don't need a mechanical rabbit to lead them around.
No, these fierce competitors race because the sweet taste of victory involves a cookie at the end.
They're pigs after all. The fine swine of the Hambone Express travel across the country thrilling crowds at fairs and carnivals with their racing.
This week, their travels bring them to the Westmoreland Fair, where they and "swinemaster" Steve Boger put on three to four shows every evening. The races will continue through the end of the fair on Saturday.
Boger's Hampshire piglets run four races a show around a fenced-in oval track covered in wood chips. He travels with 16 piglets, so each only runs one race per show.
"They're Olympig athletes," Boger, 53, said with a grin. "We keep them in top form because we don't want anyone to pull a hamstring."
The puns -- and chuckles from the crowds -- extend throughout the 15-minute shows.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/westmoreland/s_523404.html
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