Running for the roses

Yesterday in the US, May Day celebrations included the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby, perhaps the most famous of the three thoroughbred racing classics that comprise the US Triple Crown.  In spite of a very "sloppy" track resulting from rains in the area for the past few days, all 20 horses started and finished the race.  Most fortunately of all, there were no injuries.  The winner was Super Saver, followed by a fast-closing Ice Box, with Paddy O'Prado in third place.

The official race video of the Kentucky Derby, also known as the "Run for the Roses" because a blanket of 554 red roses is draped over the withers of the winning horse, can be found here.  More detailed coverage, with commenting and pertinent backstories, can be found in the ESPN video and story here.  One backstory tells how the race was trainer Todd Pletcher's first win ever at the Derby, after having saddled 24 runners for the race during the past ten years.  A more amazing story is that of Cajun jockey Calvin Borel who has managed to win three of the past four Kentucky Derby races.

Now begins the inevitable speculation as to whether Super Saver will be able to win all three of the Triple Crown races, something that has not happened for 32 years.  Many horses have won two out of three in the interim.  But since the legendary match-ups of Affirmed and Alydar in 1978 when Affirmed finished first in all three Triple Crown races and Alydar finished second - a major feat in itself - no horse has managed to achieve that accomplishment.

In all, only eleven horses have won the US Triple Crown.  After Citation won in 1948, there was a similar dearth of Triple Crown winners.  But that lasted only 25 years in comparison, until the great Secretariat won in 1973.  That feat was followed almost immediately in 1974 by the also-great Seattle Slew.

In the fall of 2007, HWMBO and I travelled to Kentucky horse country to visit friends.  While there, we visited Claiborne Farm and saw Secretariat's last resting place.

Because the fabled Keeneland Yearling Sale was being held nearby while we were visiting, our friends kindly escorted us around the sales center.  Among other things, we got to see the yearlings before they were paraded into the auction ring.  Given the lighting and movement, the spectacle made for some moments worthy of Degas. 

We were literally flabbergasted at some of the sale prices.  Purchasing a thoroughbred at Keeneland is not for the faint-hearted, nor is it for the majority of us who must watch our budgets carefully.

I love the horses much more than I love the sport, with its too-often sordid underbelly.   But it is still always a thrill to be part of an audience for a few breathtaking moments when all are pulling as one for these beautiful steeds to run like the wind  - as they were born to.