"If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error."
-John Kenneth Galbraith
My recent thoughts swarm around greatness.
Peppers Pride just won her 18th consecutive race and remains undefeated. Run Away and Hide has retired to stud, undefeated after three starts. There is a joke in there somewhere but I just can't put my finger on it...Wait...nope, lost it.
Is Peppers Pride great? I don't know. On the numbers, she would be hard pressed to win an open N2x; but here's the thing, you can't put a number on desire. The only way to glimpse that ineffable quality is to test it in the crucible, provided by a worthy competitor.
Affirmed had Alydar. Blackhawks have the f@$%!#* Red Wings. G.I. Joe has Cobra. Each one has their nemesis; Affirmed faced Alydar ten times.
In this day, one would be hard pressed to find a horse whose career spans that number.
Noise is distracting and it is meant to be. Who is the Horse of the Year? What does that even mean anymore?
Since when did testing your mettle against an honest competitor lead down the path of diminishing returns? Federer lost nothing to Nadal at Wimbledon. In fact, it was one of the most amazing displays of tennis I have ever seen.
This game, nay, this sport, needs help. It needs money, exposure and stewardship but ultimately it needs rivalries. It needs horses to run against the best and prove themselves on the track, not in the breeding shed. It needs Easy Goer and Sunday Silence. Alysheba and Ferdinand. Henrythenavigator and Raven's Pass.
We need them too.
10 November 2008
A horse for all seasons
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The Bid
Greatest horse ever to look through a bridle
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7 comments:
Pepper's Pride's class isn't in that she's the fastest thing in the world, but that she shows up and runs to the best of her ability every single time. And that's not the flashiest quality, but how many horses honest-to-god show up every time they run?
What I always say about my horse, who is very consistent and level-headed, but is also very toed-in, with bench knees, and a very long back, is that "he's not the fanciest thing in the world, but he's as good as they come."
So Pepper's Pride may not be the fastest thing in the world ... but as far as showing up, she's as good as they come.
I have exactly one word about Run Away and Hide: who?
And I thought the whole Vindication thing was silly...
Kerry-My point exactly.
Superfecta-What Vindication thing?
Vindication was retired to stud after his 2-year-old campaign (obviously because of an 'injury') - just died earlier this year at 8.
So much for longevity...
Well, pffft...DUH.
Of course I knew that. You don't have to hit me over the head with a hammer.
You certainly don't have to do it six or seven times. Sheesh.
Agreed. Your list of what the sport needs is spot on. What it doesn't need are the Biancones -trainers banned from racing in other countries, but welcomed back in the dirty usa.
100% agree. Let the horses run longer. How can you create a star for fans to follow when the racing life spans two seasons and a handful of races.
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