My Second Favorite Summer Sport - Racin'....(Horses that is)

In an effort to not have the most depressing new blog of the year, I would like to spend sometime discussing the sport of kings (and Queens) -  thoroughbred horse racing!   While that might not make everyone reading this jump out of their seat with excitement, this is a sport that a lot of people should rediscover or give a chance to.  

For me, horse-racing is all about the power of the thoroughbred race horse.  This animal has an innate desire to run and is built and bred to do just that.  An extremely fragile, high strung, muscular machine that just wants to finish ahead of the horse next to it. 

Although most races last just two minutes each race is an emotional roller coaster.  The long ceremonial lead in to the race from the barn to the paddock to the track.  Then the tension as horses are loaded into the gate one by one.  The burst of excitement as the bell signals the opening of the gates at the start of the race.  Then a combination of race strategy and the jockey's struggle to control a huge beast pulling on the bit while navigating a traffic jam of horseflesh.  Finally, down the stretch they come an all out sprint to the finish line with the outcome often determined by a nose!   WHEW!! 

Of course, the ability to bet on the outcome of the race gives every fan a stake in the outcome.  Yes we all know you can bet about anything sports related in Vegas, but as far as live sporting events, horse racing is a gambler's delight.   Additionally, it is a venue for some of the most scientific minds to exercise their brains in an attempt to make some real money.  If you spend some time studying the racing form, the odds of you making money are so much better than any casino game in Vegas, its a joke!!  What makes the casino bet so bad is the fact that the odds on the casino game are fixed. You can never have the advantage.  The same is not true in racing. In horse racing, the odds are not fixed. You are betting against the public. 

 The overall race experience is the best part of horseracing.  Go to Keeneland Racetrack in Lexington, KY for the Bluegrass Stakes in April for the best of everything horseracing.  Classy fans, the best horses, beautiful racetrack, beautiful women, celebs.  

What other sport can you down and see the athletes before each event, talk to the jockeys, get a drink, win some money and then do it all over again every half-hour?  Basically, give it a try if you haven't because this sport has something to offer everyone and it is an American sports tradition that needs your support.  In honor of the upcoming Belmont Stakes, I'll leave you with Secretariat.  'nuff said!

Memorial Day Musings

I've spent the day watching several movies and specials about wars, veterans and memorial day.  Very moving.  I want to thank all of my friends and others who served our country in some capacity.   Certainly it was an important life experience and one that I regret that I don't have.

One of the questions that I think of when I read about wars is the effect on the soldiers and servicemen for the rest of their lives.   There is no doubt that military service teaches many lessons and builds a persons character in ways that I can not understand.  What I wonder is what is must have been like for veterans of wars to have some of the most exciting, memorable and profound experiences of their entire lives before the age of 30.  For many veterans, this is a fact that they must learn to deal with after the war.   For WWII veterans especially, there was  a sense for many returning veterans that they would never do anything as important in their lives as they did during the war.  They could not escape their halcyon days.   Civilians and many of my generation who spent their formative years in peacetime, this is a foreign concept.  I grew up with the general belief that one grows up, goes to college, maybe gets married that the best years are yet to come.

I hope that any veterans that may feel this way know that, while their service was extremely important to our country and a debt that can never properly be paid back, their best years are yet to come and their contributions to society are only going to be multiplied because of their service to our country.  Looking at the accomplishments of the "greatest generation", it is easy to see that they achieved much after the wars.  I'll leave you with a link to one of my friends blogs who, every Memorial Day, posts about a special place in Belgium where he spends time every year.  Please check it out.