Who is the Face of Racing?

Tweet Some of us were having some fun in the twitterverse yesterday, mentioning all of the crazy fans that are recognizable, whether they support/represent a team or a biblical reference (see Rock n Rollen - the John 3:16 guy). We went through a bunch of them, Fireman Ed, Barrel Man, Big Dawg and Freddy Sez to name a few.

So it got me to thinking, who is the face of racing? Unfortunately, there really isn't one unless you count the local OTB'er who smokes like a chimney and spends his afternoon beating his side with a racing form asking his horse to get home. Not very recognizable, I know. So who else? Who is representing racing to the mainstream? What names are the most recognizable? Do we need an recognizable ambassador to makes us more meaningful in the mainstream, or am I just grasping straws here? Look at the folks we have in the forefront (on television). Hank Goldberg? The TVG analysts? Jimmy the Hat?

I guess it begs the question - will horse racing ever become relevant again? We've had some great news over the past 24 hours and we're on the cusp of a historic Horse of The Year announcement tomorrow night at the Beverly Hills Wilshire. But I guarantee you'll probably never heard of the MC at the Awards Ceremony and Billy Crystal won't be doing any stand up.
Maybe we don't need to be relevant, but if we did return to the mainstream, the money and advertising dollars should follow. We actually have some momentum with some extended careers for the first time in a while. Am I all wet here? Who's the guy or gal who should be the face of racing and giving the elevator speech?