It’s race day at Cal Expo racetrack in Sacramento—not thoroughbred, but harness racing. Keith Willey’s adrenaline was pumping, as it always does when he’s watching one of his horses race in the one-mile competition.

"I feel a little high, a little excited, even though I’m not driving tonight, as I sometimes do," Willey said.

Harness racing, long popular on the East Coast is gaining fans here in California. A gate mounted on the back of a car allows the horses to start at speed and on stride. I had the thrill of being in the car. Once it crosses the starting line the car accelerates out of the way and the horses are off. The sport can be dangerous.

"There’s a real close proximity between one horse and another and the jock and the race bikes that the drivers sit in. If a horse takes a bad step it could cause interference," said Alan Horowitz, general manager of Capitol Racing Association, which sponsors the races.

They say that harness racing is a true American sport with its roots going back to Colonial times. Even today, those that are involved are average people, including many families. "Thoroughbred racing may be the sport of kings, but this is the sport of the common man and we have mom and pop operations, husbands and wives who train and race their own horses," Horowitz said.

Willey, a retired colonel is one of them. He breeds and trains harness horses on his farm south of Sacramento. The horses are called standard-breds because they train to a certain standard, beginning when they’re about a year old.

"We start with jogging a lot of miles after we teach them to pull a cart. They’re put through their paces six days a week," Willey said.

Willey let me try my hand at driving one of the harness bikes around the track at his farm. What an exhilarating experience! You can see why early Americans enjoyed squaring off in impromptu races along city streets, later making this a popular attraction at many county fairs. And today, a growing sport. Just ask winning driver Rick Kuebler.

"I like the smiles on the owners’ faces. Fortunately this is a horse I own so the smile is on my face," Kuebler said.