"My piggy business, well, there's a lot there, but to simplify it. In the wise words of Ricky Bobby, I like to make him go fast."
Ricky Bobby, the fictional NASCAR driver from the movie Talladega Nights, never specified a species. David Rosaire, a Sarasota native and self-described swine master, is the man behind Rosaire's Royal Racers. He has been putting pigs on racetracks since his father founded the company in 1987. Nearly four decades later, David is preparing to take the reins - - while the pigs take the track.
"I'm at a pretty interesting point in my life where I'm kind of going through a transitional phase," Rosaire said. "My dad is getting ready to retire, and then me, who’s getting ready to step up and kind of take over the business and keep his name going and what he's built."
Multiple generations of families return to the Sarasota County Fair year-after-year for the races. Apparently, once you've watched a pig race, the Ferris wheel loses some of its appeal.
The porcine operation has grown considerably since its early days.
"When we started out, it was just a small track and an umbrella," Rosaire said. "Back then we'd get like maybe 15 people in the audience. But now almost every show, we're packing at least somewhere in the hundreds. It's a real blessing."
The pigs come from a family farm in Myakka City -- but are they loving every second of the spotlight, or quietly plotting their escape? Rosaire doesn't hesitate.
"The pigs 100% love what they do," Rosaire said. "I couldn't make them do it if they didn't want to."
Spoken like a true swine master. To keep those pigs happy and fast -- the animals travel in insulated, climate-controlled trailers equipped with mist systems and fans that run throughout the day. But Rosaire says the real secret weapon isn't the amenities. It's the bribe.
"We actually use a cream-filled cookie, because they like that sweet stuff," he said. "They absolutely love it, because they know that race time is cookie time. And I'm right there with them -- because if I got a cookie, I'd probably run pretty fast, too."
The races, each under a minute long, were on full display at the Sarasota County Fair on March 18. The operation runs at 25 fairs a year up and down the East Coast, from Florida to Vermont. For Rosaire, the miles and the fairs and the years are all worth it for one thing -- the crowd.
"The thing that really drives me to keep going what my dad started is I want the passion of the audience to stay," he said. "It would be really a shame for me to let that die out. That's probably my biggest push to keep going -- and my favorite part."
The pigs, for their part, are just in it for the cookies.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
