Horse Racing

While I was growing up, my grandparents were involved in racing thoroughbred horses.  They only raced in local races, never leaving the western states.  They had horses that were well-known locally, some of which won prestigious races.  But racing was never their whole life; it was a hobby, something they enjoyed, and they loved their horses.  The horse most locals remember (the over 50 crowd)  was also one of the sweetest.  There is a picture of he and I standing together (I was holding the lead rein) when I was about a year old.  

I watched the Belmont Stakes today, hoping that Big Brown would pull it off and be the first Triple Crown Winner in 30 years.  It was not to be--again.  The announcers kept talking about how something must be wrong with him; he must be hurt.  It's almost as though they forgot that horses aren't machines; they are living creatures.  Some days they feel better than other days.  They have personalities, moods, and opinions.  Big Brown's trainer may come out with reasons why he didn't run the way he could.  Those reasons may or may not be accurate, Big Brown is the only one who really knows.  It's too bad that today was the day he didn't feel up to par, but that's horse racing.