Did you ever play the ponies? I have a neighbor, a nice lady with a unique background, who said that she used to love going to the track. She never bet a lot; just the equivalent of a few dollars in the currencies of the countries she was living in, but she said that there was a thrill in winning....
With that in mind, I watched the Kentucky Derby recently, and then the Preakness.
I found the Derby to be the better race, at least to watch. It was more exciting, and the finish was more impressive. The winning horse, Mine That Bird, won by a wide margin, and he was a long shot beforehand. Apparently, only his jockey thought he had a chance; that jockey pushed to ride that horse, thinking he'd win the race. Lucky guy.
The Preakness was won by a filly, a great big female three year old, who was held her own against the colts. Normally, in horses, the males are bigger; this is the opposite to the trend in most mammals, and, in fact, to most animals. This filly, Rachel Alexandra, was one big horse, though. She took a lead early, and even though the colts, including Mine That Bird, came close and challenged her, she never lost her lead. Her jockey was the same guy who'd won the Derby. He'd switched horses, wanting to ride a winner.
I think, if I ever to bet on a horse race, I'm gonnna follow this particular jockey. He's got some good horse sense. And winning will be fun.
