Derby Day

Since we were in Reno we decided to bet on the Kentucky Derby. Bob is great at picking horses. I use the "I like the name of that one" method. It works about as well as the "Ooo! That one's pretty" method. I of course had to pick Bob's Black Jack for obvious reasons. Bob took Big Brown and Colonel John. I went back up to the room to watch the race. I love watching the horses parade up to the gates. I love watching them run. At the start I was upset because my horse led the pack. Never a good sign so I knew I would lose. I was so excited watching Big Brown take the lead and win so commandingly with the filly Eight Belles behind him.

My excitement turned to anguish when the reported that she was down and not getting back up. That is never a good sign. I held my breath to see what would happen next. Veterinary medicine has come so far for horses. I was devastated when they said she had broken both her front ankles and had to be put down on the track. I flashed back to when I was a child and we were driving back from the mountains. We came across an accident site where a horse trailer had overturned. My mother covered my eyes, but not before I saw one of the horse dead on the ground. She could not cover the sound of one of the other horses screaming in fear and pain. That sound still haunts me.