Readings: Drape
“Their horses had gotten here. They had survived bruised hooves, pulled muscles, ulcers, fever — a medical dictionary worth of ailments — as well as their own bad races in weekend after weekend of prep races. They were Kentucky Derby horses.
“They had earned their yellow workout saddle cloths with their names embroidered on them and a stall beneath the famous twin spires of Churchill Downs. They had a place in the starting gate of what has come to be known as the greatest two minutes in sport.
“Their owners and trainers had survived, too. The best and the worst, however, were still in front of them …” — From “The Race for the Triple Crown,” by Joe Drape
