You know I am a big fan of horse racing. Unfortunately, not all of my friends and family understand the game as well as I do. Yesterday I was having a casual conversation with a friend about a 3 year old gelding running at Penn National. Another friend chimed in and asked "what's the name of that horse?" Before we could answer, we were hit with the question: "Is he running in the Preakness?" (unlike the rest of the world where people are familiar with the Kentucky Derby, here in Baltimore the only horse race that matters is Preakness). If you are reading this, you know that a 14k maiden race at Penn National is not a derby prep race. I told my friend that I doubt it highly that this horse will be running on the 3rd Saturday in May. It frustrates me that people look at horse racing as just the triple crown. If you are a baseball fan, you enjoy a double or triple A game, right? Why can't people understand that I like the Wednesday card at Laurel or Penn National. Many people that call themselves fans of horseracing look down on any race that is not run on a weekend with the word "stakes".
So today my friends, I salute the blue collar horses, jockeys, and trainers running on "lesser" cards all across this country.
whether it is a $3,500 claimer at Charles Town or an $80,000 allowance at Santa Anita, a win is a win. Try telling the guy in the winner circle picture that it is "no big deal!"
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6 comments:
Baloo...as always you are on point.
People need to embrace the entire sport, not just the big game. Keep up the great postings!
superstars must start somewhere. enjoy the game at every level.
Great point. Most of the horses whose careers I've most enjoyed following have been claimers/allowance winners at tracks like Suffolk Downs. They -- and their jockeys and trainers -- are stars too.
hey i just found your blog, sorry i guess i'm the slow one of the group. anyways, would you like to join the Thoroughbred bloggers alliance? Shoot me an email if you want
patrickjpatten@yahoo.com
Patrick - As huge fans of the Thoroughbred bloggers alliance, we would be honored to be added.
Thanks!
It is frustrating that so many folks don't appreciate the offerings from "lesser" tracks, but sadly that seems to happen with other sports, too. For example, I find minor league baseball a lot more fun than the big leagues, but since there's scant media coverage, these games aren't on the radar for most folks, including so-called baseball fans.
By the way, you might be interested in
the Thoroughbred Times story about the five horses who won 9 races last year. Unsung heroes, all.
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