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I was wrestling with whether or not I was actually going to devote a whole post to the “sport” of horse racing. Yet again, a horse with the Triple Crown opportunity doesn’t get it done. And I’m actually thrilled Big Brown did his best Memphis State impression and epically failed. Thanks to the 38-1 odds on “favorite” Da’ Tara for destroying Triple Crown hopes yet again.
I actually got a good chuckle by ABC’s post-race frantic frenzy of trying to see why Big Brown finished last (I’m pretty sure he was last). It took them five minutes to get to the winner. I think horse racing is a joke and it’s no sport. It’s more of a way of betting and gambling. People, these are horses. I couldn’t get over the constant human references to Big Brown with all the hoopla before the start of the race. I even heard him compared to…Kobe Bryant. Seriously? These are ANIMALS.
Granted, the story with the trainer Rick Dutrow – who came across like a complete arrogant assclown in his pre-race interview and of course declined comment due to his pissy mood at his horse’s failure – and his daughter was compelling and Big Brown’s jockey Kent Desormeaux’s youngest son is deaf and becoming blind. Reason to root for Big Brown certainly. But I was more rooting against horse racing, because it’s way overblown. Here’s a theory for why he failed: he’s a horse, he has no idea of the pressure, the history, what’s at stake and he doesn’t know what his losing does – how much money it costs people betting, how many people are upset that he lost, so on and so forth.
Essentially to me, horse racing is a less violent form of the same thing of gamecocks and dog fighting – animals being put through potentially fatal situations (see Eight Belles) for people’s enjoyment. People in India (or maybe Africa) gamble on cobra-mongoose fights (at least they do in Casino Royale). Bottom line and main point of these entire post is I just don’t see how people can give a crap about horse racing. I know, I know, people say the same thing about the SEC fans and their devotion – how can they care that much – but horse racing and football are two different topics of discussion. And now horse racing can go away for another 11 months.
