Horse Sense: August 2009 Archives

Worry not, I shall write a great deal more about Rachel Alexandra as the week goes on and we get closer to Woodward Stakes Day.  Me, and every other racing writer in North America.  The time I spent in the Queen's royal presence last Monday morning gave me ample material to write a book, or a screenplay.  I wish Jess Jackson would love my writing, and ask me to document his big horse's life for the silver screen.  Rachel is not only a feast for the eyes and food for the soul--she's worth her weight in printer's ink.

I'll whet your appetite for the whole story from last week by telling you tell you that, in the midst of the storm that surrounds her--the mighty, invincible, unequaled Rachel Alexandra is a model of serenity.  On Monday morning I dubbed her, Her Serene Highness, for I believe that this is her archetypal name, the moniker that was written in the stars before she was born.

Many people make a healthy living handicapping horse races.  Math, science, statistics, pedigree and workout times all play a role in the determination of a horse's odds in any given race.  The handicappers who hunker down over the papers and come to conclusions as to Who Will Take the Day have at their disposal the aforementioned arsenal of ammo with which to make their prognostications.  The odds help bettors decide how to place their wagers, and the sport of racing Thoroughbreds thrives--or doesn't--according to how well the bettors fared on any given day.

The only variable, the one that no one in the game of handicapping ever seems to take into account, because it is totally unpredictable, and therefore cannot be factored in--is the wild card fact that horses are sentient beings.  Living, breathing, thinking creatures who don't care about the odds.  (I wouldn't say that they don't know--horses know when a tornado is coming, long before the humans in its path are aware.  I believe that horses know about the odds, and no doubt have their own sidebets.   When you hear whinnying down a shedrow, it's probably the horses placing bets on which handicappers will almost get it right that day.)

Horses, as sentient beings, have good days and bad days.  A 5-2 favorite may get into the paddock on a particular day and decide that s/he simply isn't doing it this time.  S/he doesn't care that Joe from Hoboken has bet  on that race, and needs the cash to pay the mortgage.  Or that Judy from Syracuse has a sidebet with her friends, that she will once again win the most money at the track on Girls' Day Out...