Sports - Horse racing: Million Dollar Smiles

The thrill was even greater because Nick Zito’s 8-year-old Wanderin Boy made the big red champion earn the trophy. There is a degree of sadness to see Cigar’s money record broken, but the beauty of racing is that fans do remember their favorite horses and though Cigar’s name is now second for all-time North American earnings, he will forever reside as an all-time favorite in the hearts of many who followed his racing career. Meanwhile Curlin is adding more dedicated fans to his legacy and they have earned the bragging rights to the money title. Curlin’s record is 11-2 and 2 in 15 starts and his bankroll stands at $10,246,800. No wonder the smiles of his connections were so large.

The low part of the weekend was there were 11 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup prep races between Belmont and Santa Anita. They ran within about a four hour span and there was not one single moment of it on network television. The chance to display the horses and tell the stories of a large number of Breeders’ Cup favorites was completely lost to television viewing audiences.

The importance of this should not be disregarded. The simple fact of the matter is that without fans, racing is destined to falter. Every week I issue warning to the people of Saratoga about the eventual cost of the shrinking fan base. I get weary of the subject myself and am often tempted to be like most others and leap from one high point to the next, but my conscience won’t let me do it.

I love racing from the foaling barn to the retirement home and I know how important its culture is to people, even those far from the pounding hooves of competing thoroughbreds. You’ve heard a lot of that from me - the green space - the jobs and so on. One thing you haven’t heard is what it’s really like to be a consummate fan like myself. When you’re a real fan your world is enhanced in so many wonderful ways. Though I am removed from the hands-on end of things now, the friendships I forged during my tenure on the track are engraved in me forever. The joy I feel when I see my friends do well is unparallel. I know that educating people about racing and introducing them to those inside the game is an important precursor to creating fans. In racing, risk is your running mate at every juncture. Many people outside the game think that those in it are greedy and immune to the pain when horses occasionally break down. So far from the case is the norm. To keep racing healthy I know it’s important that the general public learns about the realities of racing. I guess that’s what I try to do - in fact my mantra on the newsletter I do for ThoroFan is “This editor’s task is to take fans by the forelock and lead them back to the traditions and joys of horse racing.” I know racing inside and out and I still have a child like fascination for it. Every time I pick up a horse racing publication or go near the track my mind floods with a million memories and a special excitement comes over me.

I’ll just ask for you to imagine how gloriously filled with happiness I was to see the Asmussen family share this amazing day. I’ve known this family for most of my adult life. I took a string of horses to their training farm in Laredo, TX twenty-odd years ago. Steve trained a winner for me early in his career, at Birmingham, AL and I trained a few for his dad, Keith, even rode Keith on one or two. Marilyn ( Sis), Keith’s mom, bursts with pride of her whole family. Now mind you, that is two mega successful sons, six handsome grandchildren and God only knows how many horses, cats, dogs, goats, sheep and last but not least her husband who still gets on a few hundred babies every year. She is lovely, gregarious and absolutely one of the kindest, most fun-loving people in the world. They were riding high on Saturday - nobody deserves it more. You can bet that the Asmussens were all right back to their stables by Monday, and that those smiles were still flashing.

Marilyn Lane, a freelance writer, has a lifelong association with horses. Her experience includes more than 20 years as an owner, trainer and breeder of thoroughbreds. She was an assistant trainer to Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg during Alysheba’s racing career. You can reach her at marilynlane@msn.com.