Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blog. These notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .
"In a bedroom
adorned with pictures of horses and cluttered with toy horses, I glued my eyes
to the television as I watched the coverage of the Kentucky Derby. I was a
horse-crazy, eight-year-old little girl who was relishing the world of horse
racing for the very first time. Little did I know, by watching the 2004 Run for
the Roses, my life was changing. I was finding my passion.
On that special day, Smarty Jones won me over. During the pre-race coverage, the colt’s story was shared. It was the colt’s near-death experience as a two-year-old – which occurred when Smarty Jones had reared and hit his head on a starting gate – that earned him a place in my heart. To a young, horse-loving girl like me, the story of a horse escaping death and making it to the greatest race in America was the greatest story ever told. During the Derby undercard, I fled to a computer to learn everything I could about Smarty Jones.
As the horses loaded into the starting gate, I was already quite emotionally invested. Over and over, I muttered, “He has to win. Let him win.” These words continued throughout the race as I remained focused on the dark chestnut colt. When he galloped through the slop to victory, I leaped in the air, jumping up and down. I had just fallen in love with horse racing. And I didn’t look back. . ."
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