Despite my good intentions to write about the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, I didn't get a chance to share my views. So now that the chapter has closed on the Triple Crown, I'd like to share a few thoughts on the season.
1. Calvin Borel is a rail-riding, Churchill Downs freak. I will never, ever neglect to put a horse he's on in my picks. For the second year in a row, my bad.
2. Twenty horses in the Derby is too much. And 50% shouldn't have competed in the world class race: they just didn't have the class to be there. If owners and trainers aren't taking the initiative to know they can't win, then someone has to change the rules.
3. As usual, the Derby Party was a success. Whenever there is good food, mint juleps and a chance to win a prize, I can con anyone into watching my favorite race in the world.
4. Finally, Bob Baffert got it. Gomez was not lucky for Lookin At Lucky. (Baffert, see #1.)
5. Never get excited about Calvin Borel's claim of Triple Crown glory. It's nice he thinks he'll get it, and he might someday. But the Preakness is the time to consider how good the horse is.
6. The Preakness is all about redemption and affirmation.
7. Alright, we know. The Derby and Preakness winners weren't at the Belmont. Instead of focusing on the negative, let's focus on the third jewel of the TC with positivity. Sheesh!
8. Please put all the races on ONE channel. ABC sucked this year. NBC does a way better job of making the TC shine. (And please, NBC, should you take all three races again, hire Bill Nack. Love his poetic sound bytes!)
9. Penny Chenery (Secretariat) is still a firecracker.
10. If you make a big stink that no one will come to the Belmont, a crowd of New Yorkers will be there to prove you wrong. Handle was down, but there was no shortage of cheering for the winner.
11. Why did the song change for the Belmont? And when is there going to be a decent act singing the song? It was so bad, ABC cut it out of the broadcast.
12. New York hates Gov. Paterson. No more was that evident than when the only time a person heard boos, it was at the trophy presentation.
13. The Mig will be missed.
14. Horse racing has great history and great stories.
15. The longer the drought, the more in awe I am of the 11 TC winners.
16. Every time someone mentions changing the crown, I am heatedly against it. It's hard for a reason. I'd rather have 11 TC winners, then a few more with an asterisk by the name.
And to sum up this year: sometimes, the good guys win. And in all three races, it was people and horses who you couldn't help but root for.
Congrats to Winstar Farm's Super Saver (Derby) and Drosselmeyer (Belmont), and Mike Pegram's Lookin at Lucky (Preakness). Congrats to jockeys Calvin Borel, Martin Garcia and Mike Smith. And congrats to Todd Pletcher, Bill Mott and Bob Baffert.
Breeder's Cup, here they come!
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