Skip to main content

A Chance in a Lifetime in a Lifetime of Chance


One of the things that I love most about horse racing is that it demands risk.  It helps to have ice water in your veins from time to time.  Anything I want to say about the 134th Kentucky Derby I need to say now.  No one will care after the race.  Only what the participants say at 6:00 pm (Est)on Saturday May 3, 2008 will be worth listening to.  It will take that special combination of speed and stamina to prevail, as well as plenty of luck.  Some folks think the luck factor is the most important of all.  
     When the race is run my first concern will be that all 19 runners make it home safely.  The variables of running at Churchill Downs on Derby Day are amplified.  Jockey Paul Niccolo once told me that turning for home in the Derby is like entering a sound tunnel.  His horse was 50-1 but it took weeks to wipe the smile off his face.  "It was great just to be there," he reminisced.
This year's Derby like most is wide open.  Of course there will be a favorite, one horse will get lots of late money, one might drop out before the gates open 48 hours from now, and one horse will no doubt make a huge move in the final eighth of a mile.  
     The pundits are already spewing wildly.  I marvel at how easily some dismiss Big Brown.  When Rick Dutrow, his trainer calmly chose post position 20 (granted he had to pick 16th) it was such a "not to worry" smile he flashed.  He thinks he has another Spectacular Bid.  If the undefeated colt wins from out there, we'll know.  Some of us think we already do.
Look for Colonel John to run his race too.  Not all horses take to Churchill's "cuppy" surface; he does.
Finally, don't forget the Kentucky Oaks.  Tomorrow's filly race is offered in a daily double with the Derby.  I think it's one of the best bets in horse racing.  With the filly Eight Belles running in the Derby, the Oaks is wide open too.  I don't think this filly belongs in the Derby.  I certainly have nothing against running a filly in the Derby, it has to be the right one.  When I see Big Brown, I'll think of Winning Colors.  She, like he, was the right one.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Writing on the Wall

       The first time I saw graffiti that was memorable was in a middle school bathroom.  As 6th graders I often walked home with friends by the middle school we'd soon be attending.  A stop by the boys bathroom near the boys gym placed me face to face with a piece of graffiti that immediately madame and my friends laugh uncontrollably.  On the wall above the urinals, was penned a short poem that read"                     This is a Teepee to take a pee pee,                         Not a wigwam to beat your tom tom      14 year-old humor at it's best.  The laughter my friends and I experienced was cathartic.  Being bottom of the barrel Freshmen could have dire consequences in the boys bathroom.  Those unpleasantries would come later, but for the moment, we were ecstatic and proceeded to read all the g...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Quality of Optimism

 I've returned to The Book of Qualities, by J Ruth Gentler once again to meet the needs of one of the senior students in my little Writing From Memory class I'm currently teaching in my local community center.  This little volume personifies various concepts and personality traits.  The particular student "in need" seems to be fixated on writing about her past relationships.  Apparently, there were many.   I'm OK with that.  I only hope that she picks a few qualities that are as revealing about herself as those that might describe her Ex's.  There is much to be learned by writing about a quality.  The aforementioned book seems to have survived well over the years.  I first encountered it and its author way back in the late 1970s.  I took a journal writing workshop from her.  Then, a few years later, her book came out and I introduced these writing exercises to my students.  11th grade Juniors seemed to do the best with it. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Non-Reader

"The man hasn't read a book in years." I keep hearing that about the current occupant of the White House.  Maybe that's as it should be because recent studies say that claim goes for over half the population of this country.  Scary but true.  It's obvious that the President doesn't know the history of this country.  Examples abound. Even for those who can forgive him for inventing the African country of Nambia (he referred to that the other day) the fact that he knows very little about American History doesn't seem sway his followers.  Either they know nothing too or they simply don't care.  Probably both.  Yet, the notion of ignoring history and repeating mistakes looms large all the while. A former colleague of mine, who taught Language Arts for a lifetime used to have a large banner in her classroom. When kids came into this learning environment they saw a sign which read, "Unless We Read, We Live But One Tiny Life." I'd love to hea...
1 comment
Read more