Horses Horses Horses Horses....

I came to terms with something this weekend. I love horse racing. Thank God I don't have a penchant for gambling (speaking of which, did anyone see Charles Barkley nail a spectator in the face 15 ft in front of him with his drive at the golf Pro-Am this week?). I always get fired up for the Kentucky Derby when May rolls around. I look for the Knob Creek or the Woodford Reserve and my nearest mint sprig. I love the build up and then the inevitable race. If NASCAR had no restrictor plates and was only 10 laps, I would be in like Flint. We also celebrate the movie Seabiscuit in this house - heck, it's got The Dude in it. I even tried this year to have a Derby party but couldn't make it happen. You can bet that next year it will come to fruition.Regardless, the Preakness took place on Saturday. As the second leg of the Triple Crown, all eyes were on the Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird. Seeing as Bird was a huge upset win along the lines of Giacomo from years ago, not many were expecting a repeat performance. Even his jockey, Calvin Borel, jumped ship for another horse. He decided to ride Rachel Alexandra, a filly, who didn't even feature in the Derby. Apparently, she's the second coming. Looks like they were right. She took the lead from the 13th position (that's like the 8th lane in track - the furthest from the inside) and never gave it up. At the halfway point, Mine That Bird found himself dead last. Then much like the Derby, he flipped a switch. In the Derby, he went last to 1st squeezing through the eye of the needle on the rail. The other jockeys knew he was coming this time. The rail was shut off. MTB went to the outside and passed every single horse in the last 1/4 only to finish on the heel of Rachel Alexandra. Were this race another 100 yards, the Bird would have won - NO QUESTION. It was a great race. Alexandria became the 1st filly winner in over 80 years. Can't wait for the Belmont Stakes, the longest race of the Triple Crown. The Bird might stretch it out!