Two Minute Lick: Rider off...loose horse!!!

     Yesterday's G2 Elkhorn, on the final day of Spring racing at glorious Keeneland, proved to be a mite more than bargained for.  Featuring the venerable, grey Musketier (GER), striving this day to capture his 3rd Elkhorn Stakes at the rather advanced age of 10 years, the running took on unexpected drama from the outset as the emerging 5 year old Giant's Causeway colt, Center Divider, unseated rider Robby Albarado at the start of the 1 1/2 mile turf feature. While the unseating of a rider at the start of a race by itself is not a terribly uncommon occurrence, the sequence of events that followed in this particular race proved at once highly exciting and frightening, while again demonstrating the lengths to which the outriders will go in their attempts to protect horse and jockey from potential catastrophe.

     A loose horse under any circumstance represents a potentially lethal situation.  Have this occur during the running of a race, however, and the potential for disaster is dramatically increased, not only for the horse itself but for all other participants, including the other horses, their jockeys and, most certainly, the track outriders and their mounts. Few things are more upsetting during these dangerous situations than ignorant fans who delight in cheering the frightened loose horse, potentially adding fuel to fire as the animal instinctively attempts to evade capture, the roar of these fans often suggesting to me what it must be like to witness a bullfight where blood-thirsty onlookers scream their collective "ole!" as the matador maneuvers for the final telling strike. Perhaps these uninformed race fans for some reason fail to recognize the potential for catastrophe that exists with any loose horse. I, for one, over the years have unfortunately borne witness to too many tragic outcomes...horses reversing direction during pursuit, then running down the track directly at the oncoming field; fearful attempts to jump both inner and outer rails, sometimes successfully thus resulting in continued off-track pursuit, other times unsuccessfully and resulting in serious injury, sometimes catastrophic;  attempts to abruptly turn into the "gaps" on the track, those points of entrance and exit which have become deeply ingrained in the psyche of the horse through repetition in morning exercise, instinctive behavior by a frightened animal seeking the refuge and security of his barn and stall.

     So often it seems the chase of the loose horse occurs on the turns or down the backstretch of the track, in view of but distanced from the masses in the stands. Yesterday, however, the drama unfolded immediately in front of the patrons, a heated speed duel taking place down the stretch of the turf course as the running of the Elkhorn unfolded less than a 1/8 mile before them. Center Divider, frightened and bewildered, ran next to the outside rail with his reins dangling precariously in front of him while the outrider on his fleet mount challenged immediately to his inside. Here, time and again, he encouraged his mount to find that extra ounce of speed necessary to close the precious one foot that would enable him to reach down and grasp the elusive reins, the outrider hanging precariously from the side of his horse as he reached over at break-neck speed in his futile yet very courageous effort to secure his dangling target. Center Divider, seemingly playing cat and mouse, countered every move with a burst of speed, just the slightest acceleration that allowed him to keep slightly out of reach, repeatedly denying his would be captor the evasive prize. The chase continued at full speed for a full 1/4 mile of the stretch, finally briefly ending when Center Divider separated himself from his pursuer. He continued running immediately adjacent to the outside rail, however, and, as he now rounded the first turn and headed towards the backstretch, this allowed another opportunity for this indefatigable outrider to take a good angle on his fleeing target and in an instant he was once again upon this runaway, giving one final effort to harness his adversary. Again, however, Center Divider denied his best efforts and moved quickly away but at this time the chase was joined by another waiting rider, the baton here passed from a surely exhausted rider and horse to fresh energy and fresh legs. The chase was now taken up by this new member of the Keeneland team and, with energy and perhaps desire that our frightened horse could no longer match, a quick burst of speed and a stalwart lunge for the reins resulted in curtailing the flight of Center Divider, the drama brought to a close, seemingly without serious injury to any participant.

     Unsung, courageous heroes these, man and horse, here risking their well being, their lives in fact, for the welfare and safety of horse and jockey. For them there is no winner's enclosure photograph to remind them of their great work this day, no trophy presentation in view of all, no public recognition of how the courage of man and horse, working in tandem, allowed a potentially disastrous situation to play out without injurious outcome. Simply exceptional men mounted upon equally exceptional horses, quietly and very efficiently doing their vital work, returning without ceremony at day's end to hopefully a fine meal and a solid night's sleep, comforted by the quiet knowledge of a job exceptionally well done, and, for this is the nature of such as these, charged with the willingness to do it all again for the good and love of racing.

     Bravo, my fellows, man and beast. Bravo! The Golden Julep Cup this day to you!

     Murray West