Racing's Miss America

You know you're having a good run when Ray Kerrison of the the NY Post calls you "racing's Miss America" and you've got a photo spread in the August issue of Vogue and Entertainment Weekly is blogging about you.

This morning there were a few colts with bruised egos thanks to an incredible filly. As Joe Drape pointed out, she didn't so much compete with the boys as allow them on the track with her. (His full piece is here.) I've watched the race replays a few more times and am still a bit in awe of the move she made coming into the stretch. After running the entire race three wide, it was as if she just decided she'd given the rest of the field enough of her time and was going to move on. She was toying with them like a cat toys with a mouse before he goes in for the kill. Her jockey Calvin Borel said he gave her a few taps to keep her attention, it seems she liked the crowd who was vigorously cheering her on. As Barry Fitzgerald's character says in The Quiet Man (after seeing the broken bed in the John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara's room and leaping to the wrong conclusion)...Homeric.

Rachel has her choice of future dance cards, or race cards, as the case may be. Her condition and how she feels in the coming days will of course dictate what's next, but it's looking more and more like The Woodward on September 5 at Saratoga. Even though the race is typically for older males, it has been won by no less than three-year old like Easy Goer and Holy Bull. Four-year-old Curlin won it last year. When you've been much the best in meetings with your own age group, you have to start casting the net a little wider for competition. I'm solidly in the Woodward camp, it would seem to be the most likely scenario. But Jess Jackson likes to surprise us, so stay tuned.

As if her Haskell victory wasn't enough, the win completed a splendid trifecta for trainer Steve Asmussen. He won the $750,000 West Virginia Derby on Saturday with 23-1 longshot Soul Warrior and the $500,000 Jim Dandy at Saratoga with Kensei (also co-owned by Jess Jackson and Stonestreet Stables and the likely entrant into The Travers if Rachel is pointed toward The Woodward.) Kensei is quite talented in his own right and seems a more likely fit for a Travers entry. Time will tell, but it's awfully good fun to speculate!

A fun Rachel & Calvin photo gallery from yesterday's Haskell triumph on Bloodhorse.com is HERE, and Entertainment Weekly writer Michael Slezak's full post is HERE.

Cathy the stable cat in Steve Asmussen's barn loves Rachel, too. Adorable.

All The Pretty Horses

Since I'm still in the midst of sorting out what's next, I thought I'd follow Merlin's advice to Wart (Arthur, in T.H. White's amazing The Once and Future King): when you are sad, learn something. And while I wouldn't say I'm exactly sad, I certainly am a bit rudderless, so learning can't be a bad thing.

As a life long horse lover (and animal lover in general) the whole issue of horse slaughter is one that is fairly new to me and utterly heartbreaking. The past two Triple Crown seasons I was glued to NYT reporter Joe Drape's blog, The Rail. He had a few guest bloggers and all of them were insightful or interesting and they each shed new light on different angles of the horse industry. One of the best was Alex Brown who writes and operates Alex Brown Racing in addition to galloping horses for Steve Asmussen at Woodbine in Canada. In addition to his coverage of Barbaro and his brothers, Nicanor and Lentenor, Mr. Brown is one of the most well-spoken and passionate advocates for horses and against horse slaughter.

I love all aspects of equestrian sport, from racing, to steeplechasing and eventing, but now as I am learning more about the industry--and yes, it seems it is an industry--that is horse slaughter, it is beyond disturbing. That we humans treat these regal creatures with so little respect is shameful. We love the sheer beauty of watching them run and compete, and seeing them give their all, but what happens after their career is done? It's not so much different from rescuing greyhounds after their racing days are over, but after reading a few of Mr. Brown's pieces it is difficult to imagine ever being at a racetrack without wondering what is to become of the gelding who came in last, or the filly who just never found her stride.

I'm off to read more of Mr. Brown's work, there are great links on his website (click on Alex Brown above) to some of the guest commentaries he's written and more about what we can all do. Take a few minutes and look around and see if you aren't moved to write a few letters in support of anti-slaughter legislation or to assist with retraining racehorses to be dressage or jumping horses.

Surely it seems naive to worry so much about horses when people don't treat each other very well in many cases. But how we treat animals, says a good deal about us as humans, too. I know that I won't be able to plead ignorance on this issue any longer, and hopefully, the more of people who are made aware by Mr. Brown's efforts, the more will want to take action. I'm late to this party, but I hope I can make up for lost time.

For all the beauty, grace, and strength that horses share with us, seeing that they live out their lives comfortably and happily--whether they are a Triple Crown winner or a colt who never won a race--seems a small effort on our part.