June 04, 2004~~6:58 p.m.
A Horse is A Horse, Of Course Of Course
I got all teary-eyed at the news this evening. Peter Jennings� �Person of the Week� this week was the jockey for Smarty Jones, the horse that has won the Preakness and the Kentucky Derby and is going for the Triple Crown tomorrow at the Belmont Stakes. The story of the jockey was nice and all, and maybe some would have gotten sentimental at just that, but no, not me. Not me, O hater of horse racing. I got teary when I saw Smarty running around the track. As usual. You see, I am a horse-race hater. I always have been. My dad, funnily enough, is the opposite. He tapes the Kentucky Derby every year to watch it. He and my mom have dreams of even attending the Derby in person someday. I, however, can�t stand to watch the race. The reason is simple: I don�t like to see the other horses try so hard and run so fast, only to lose. I guess I�m just not competitive that way. I barely made it to see �Seabiscuit.� I was dragged kicking and screaming (okay not really) by my friend Abby. She was forewarned. She knows that I have a habit of crying at movies anyway, and I could only imagine how I would be at movie that had a triple-whammy of tearjerker qualities in it. 1. It was a movie about horses. I ALWAYS cry at movies about horses. They are just such magnificent and poignant creatures. They always have something of an air of solemnity about their grace. I cry. 2. It was a movie about an underdog. And an underdog HORSE at that. Need I explain? 3. It was a movie that included not one, not two, but MANY horse races in it. I cry at ONE horse race where the winner is the favorite. Please. I didn�t think I could make it. I did make it and I actually fared better than expected. However, when I saw the interview with the jockey of Smarty Jones, who is a recovering alcoholic who, for the past 20 years had been relegated to riding only average horses at below-average racetracks, I couldn�t help but feel melancholy. And then, at the end of the piece, there was Smarty and his jockey on their way down the home stretch. I hope they do well tomorrow, but needless to say, I will not be watching.
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