JC / Railbird - Weekend Preview

Weekend Preview

I’ll be keeping my Saratoga streak going for another year with a one-day trip to the Spa for the Personal Ensign. This is the second year I’ve traveled specifically to see Rachel Alexandra, which I realized this afternoon isn’t something I can say about any other horse after seven years of following this crazy game. I’ve traveled for races, rarely for horses. What makes her special? Whatever that feeling was when she won the 2009 Woodward — the irrational, giddy joy of being there. I can think of only one other time I felt that intensely about a race, and it was the result of the last leg in my first pick six. Ask me to tell you the story of either, and I still feel the excitement of (her, my) winning. But it’s the horse that’s bringing me back to the racetrack.

Posted by JC in Racing on 08/27/2010 @ 4:27 pm / Follow @railbird on Twitter

2 Comments

Excellent post, Jessica.

I remember driving from Newark, Ohio, to Oceanport, New Jersey, in August 2001 to see Point Given in the Haskell, and the euphoria of being among the 50,000 was something I’ll never forget.

He went on to win the Travers and Horse of the Year that year, but I would still say fell short of the expectations people were beginning to have for this horse.

Still, on that day, anything seemed possible for him and the triumph and expectation this game can bring to a person was never higher for me than on that day.

Rachel’s Preakness, Azeri’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff, and Zenyatta’s two Breeders’ Cup races had similar effects, but I was there for work, so it’s still a slightly different category than what you described.

Enjoy!

Posted by EJXD2 on August 28, 2010 @ 9:24 am

“Still, on that day, anything seemed possible for him and the triumph and expectation this game can bring to a person was never higher for me than on that day.”

Wonderfully expressed, Ed. These transcendent moments are a gift.

Posted by Jessica on August 28, 2010 @ 7:17 pm

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