abigail414's diaryland diary
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The Derby
One of these years, I�m going to the Kentucky Derby. Just to smell and see and feel the country�s most famous horse race. Every year I think I may go the next year, but then find myself surprised that it is the upcoming weekend.
I confess that I love horse races. Makes sense since I love horses, but not sense if I think about what it takes to race. Many horses �break down� on the track � meaning their bones/ligaments just can�t handle the pounding. Others bleed into their lungs and are given a diuretic so they can still breathe. Overall it is living on the edge for a brief year or two for a horse. But, oh, horses are made to run like the wind and it just takes my breath away.
And, I love to see those horses who seem to want it - to run, to win, to prove themselves. You can almost gauge this by watching them walk to the starting gate and see how they react. Some horses take it as a business, which it is. Some are pretty keyed up and waste precious energy. And some just want to beat those other motherfuckers.
I especially love the closers. The ones with the ability for distance, who linger in the middle of the pack and then start running in the last quarter like everyone else is standing still. They go along as if in middle gear and then say �what are all these horses doing in front of me?!� As a late bloomer, I feel a little like a closer, who muddled along until my 40�s and then said it was time to make something of myself.
The pacesetters are exciting, but can be a little sad. They are the ones who come out with a fierce spurt, stay in front and lead the pack, and then slowly drift out of the running as their energy flags. I know they have their role, and have the possibility of winning, but sometimes they just look like the prom king and queen whose life was downhill thereafter.
Regardless, to me, those last few seconds of a horse race are the best entertainment ever. The Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the Triple Crown, is 6 pm EDT, on NBC, Saturday May 3rd.
8:03 p.m. - 2008-05-02
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