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Naysayers beware. This blog is not for you.
I will be lucky enough to grace a seat in the towering Belmont grandstand for the 140th Belmont Stakes on Saturday. This will be my third trip to the “test of a champion,” after having witnessed Birdstone’s 2004 upset of Smarty Jones and Afleet Alex’s rousing fist-pumping win in 2005.
The articles damning IEAH’s principal Michael Iavarone and trainer Richard Dutrow are as popular now as the new Sex & The City movie. I have not hidden my feelings about these two in the past. But for Saturday, I choose to ignore those feelings, and for that matter, ignore the people altogether.
I want to see Big Brown barreling down the Belmont stretch in my Bushnell binoculars well in front of the field. I expect to be cheering wildly with 120,000 of my closest friends in reckless abandon, giddy like a child, witnessing personal history – the first Triple Crown in my lifetime. Anyone that doesn’t want that to happen – well, keep being weird.
Sullied by Dutrow’s admission of Winstrol usage? Please. Do you really think that some of racing’s past champions haven’t been dealt a dose of steroids in the least? I’m all for abandoning permissive medication, but an outspoken Dutrow who admits usage doesn’t leave the rest of the sport free of frown. I choose to believe that there have been many in the past, perhaps even some who nailed two of three Triple Crown events in the last ten years, who have also received steroids of some type. Maybe not. I have trouble believing Dutrow is alone, even though he is the only one talking.
And for now – I don’t care. I want to be one of many at the crowning event, the ultimate party, 30 years in the making. No matter what, if Big Brown wins the Belmont, he’ll do it against the odds, against history, and in a rather magnificent manner. If it weren’t for the rain at Gulfstream, who knows if he would have been here to begin with? With or without some extra juice that is perfectly legal for now, the Triple Crown in 2008 will be an amazing feat, and I am beyond excited to have the chance to see it.
Now meet the realistic Pat Cummings. Big Brown might not win and the majority of my intra-race wagers will not have Big Brown on top because the chances of any satisfactory return on investment are minimal. I’ll dabble with BB second, third, and even off the board. Nothing crazy, just some coverage that could be mind-blowing if we witness an unexplainable result.
Add in a fabulous undercard and Saturday at Belmont should be a treat. Good luck and enjoy.
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I will be lucky enough to grace a seat in the towering Belmont grandstand for the 140th Belmont Stakes on Saturday. This will be my third trip to the “test of a champion,” after having witnessed Birdstone’s 2004 upset of Smarty Jones and Afleet Alex’s rousing fist-pumping win in 2005.
The articles damning IEAH’s principal Michael Iavarone and trainer Richard Dutrow are as popular now as the new Sex & The City movie. I have not hidden my feelings about these two in the past. But for Saturday, I choose to ignore those feelings, and for that matter, ignore the people altogether.
I want to see Big Brown barreling down the Belmont stretch in my Bushnell binoculars well in front of the field. I expect to be cheering wildly with 120,000 of my closest friends in reckless abandon, giddy like a child, witnessing personal history – the first Triple Crown in my lifetime. Anyone that doesn’t want that to happen – well, keep being weird.
Sullied by Dutrow’s admission of Winstrol usage? Please. Do you really think that some of racing’s past champions haven’t been dealt a dose of steroids in the least? I’m all for abandoning permissive medication, but an outspoken Dutrow who admits usage doesn’t leave the rest of the sport free of frown. I choose to believe that there have been many in the past, perhaps even some who nailed two of three Triple Crown events in the last ten years, who have also received steroids of some type. Maybe not. I have trouble believing Dutrow is alone, even though he is the only one talking.
And for now – I don’t care. I want to be one of many at the crowning event, the ultimate party, 30 years in the making. No matter what, if Big Brown wins the Belmont, he’ll do it against the odds, against history, and in a rather magnificent manner. If it weren’t for the rain at Gulfstream, who knows if he would have been here to begin with? With or without some extra juice that is perfectly legal for now, the Triple Crown in 2008 will be an amazing feat, and I am beyond excited to have the chance to see it.
Now meet the realistic Pat Cummings. Big Brown might not win and the majority of my intra-race wagers will not have Big Brown on top because the chances of any satisfactory return on investment are minimal. I’ll dabble with BB second, third, and even off the board. Nothing crazy, just some coverage that could be mind-blowing if we witness an unexplainable result.
Add in a fabulous undercard and Saturday at Belmont should be a treat. Good luck and enjoy.
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I wrote a blog today in a similar vein. Almost everything surrounding a potential TC winner is good for the sport. I do find it interesting there is so much negativity. Have we been spoiled by the Alex's Lemonade Stands of the world?
I think that part of the reason is that we are in an very negative time overall, at least in the country. I also think that it's rather appalling that, save for Kent's child and his health problems, there is not only nothing about the connections to warm your heart, there is plenty about them that many people find tough to take.