It's SeaMaggot in a Photo Finish
It’s that time of the year. Time for “Snakes on a Plane” and “How to Eat Fried Worms.”
How about “SeaMaggot?
OK, it’s not the sport of Kings, but it seems to be catching on in London. Far from Churchill Downs, far from any equestrian tracks, sits a London pub that has launched a successful series of maggot races.
Your first question is likely to be where does the pub find maggot-sized jockeys to bring each creepy-crawly across the pencil-length track to the finish line?
This is where it gets creative. Fans who gather at the pub actually assign invisible jockeys on each contestant, marveling at the style of each competitor, its composition and each maggot’s ability to buzz to the finish line. The finish line is a stick that must be crossed by the winning maggot. The track can get diverse as well, sometimes including tiny waterfalls, parsley bunches and other obstructions.
Yes, it’s true that maggots have little horse sense, and sometimes they do not follow the beaten path. The excitement comes in the wagering for each entry, as each winning bug wins a collective cash prize for its assigned charity.
Sensing an infective sport, X10 has put its corporate mantra behind the competition, offering to televise each race internationally through the use of four of its Ninja robotic cameras. The cameras are capable of catching close-up of each insect as it makes its way through a forest of twigs and other obstructions along the path. “You can’t imagine the amusement we experience when a little maggot falls off its path and drops its imaginary jockey to the ground,” says Basil Catgut, who has been following the sport for nearly a decade.
SeaMaggot, meanwhile continues on his immortal combat in the Winner’s Circle, as he follows in the footsteps of his equine inspiration, SeaBiscuit. Considering that the life expectancy of an average maggot is less than nine months, SeaMaggot has led a full and productive life.
The entry of X10 into sponsorship will likely widen the interest in the sport across the world, said Rachel Smythe, a reporter for As the Maggots Crawl, the insect equivalent of the Racing Form. X10 is currently perfecting a version of its video sender to put the finished maggot race pictures in proper focus.