The Last Filly

Thanks for the Memories

That anguished cry you may have heard earlier tonight was me, after reading that The Tin Man has suffered a serious, career-ending injury (free registration required). It seems that on October 25, after exploratory surgery, while coming out of anesthesia, he broke his knee. Six days later, he is at Richard Mandella's stable in "guarded" condition - my hope is that the fact that he's not hospitalized is a good sign.

To be completely honest, I don't have any emotional attachments to most of the horses I follow. Clearly, there are some that I prefer and would consider myself fond of, but not much beyond that. The Tin Man is another story. I could cite the obvious reasons - he's gutsy as can be, he's nine years old and still running, etc, etc.

The truth is much simpler. He's the horse who really got me hooked on turf racing. Last summer, I was just starting to get serious about racing ... I'd gone through the whole "Triple Crown Trail" thing and while I found it exciting, it was just that - exciting, and then over with. That August, I was staying with my parents, and upon arriving home from a day trip, rushed to the TV to watch the Arlington Million, which we had taped. I don't really know what it was about the big bay horse who wired the race, but it gave me this rush that I just hadn't gotten from the dirt races I'd seen. Previously, I'd delighted in Cacique's thrilling Manhattan win on Belmont day, so the spark of interest was there. This race, and this horse, cemented it. Why? I really couldn't tell you - I just know that if there was any defining moment in my life as a racing fan, that was it.

Initially, I was simply impressed by his talent. As time went on and I watched and read more coverage of his races, what struck me was the fact that this was a horse who was loved. Every single article or interview contained some little bit of evidence that it didn't matter whether or not he won or lost - all that mattered was that they were lucky enough to be involved with this particular horse. As someone who has been fortunate enough to have loved a Thoroughbred, this just made me like him (and his connections, who never shied from expressing their delight) even more.

So, get well, old man. While I'm very disappointed that I will never see you run (this had been a hope of mine - to see him in person once before he retired), I know that you're in good hands.

The only other horse I feel any kind of emotional investment in (and I really can't explain this one) is Citronnade. Since this is a one-of-a-kind depressing / weepy sort of post, I'll touch on the fact that her trainer, Bobby Frankel, missed watching Ginger Punch take this year's Distaff in style. Why? Because he chose to stay by the side of his best friend, 8-year-old Happy (an Australian Shepard), who has been very ill. I have massive amounts of respect for him because of this. The following quote, regarding Ginger Punch's win, simply broke my heart, as I know all too well how it feels to lose a best friend at a 'young' age.

Reached by phone after the race, Frankel said the victory did not do much to lift his spirits.

"No, it really didn't," he said. "It's great for the Stronachs. I'm glad they had faith in me to put up the money." [ESPN]

I think that just goes to show how much our animals mean to us. My thoughts are definitely with Frankel. [edit: after a little research, I've learned that the "illness" is cancer, which is what took my dog ... so the situation is pretty dire]

Enough emotion. It's Halloween. I'm obsessed with horror films. Excuse me while I go completely ignore horse racing and put one on!

posted at 23:09 |