Photo Finish

I've never gone to the horse races before.  I remember watching Secretariat race once on television.  My grandmother was watching it and I remember how fond she was of horses.  I've loved horses ever since...from a distance.  They still kind of freak me out up close.  As a kid, my sister and I went on a trail ride once.  I remember walking was boring, that cantering was painful, but galloping,  well, that was as close to flying as one could get.  I fell in love with Seabiscuit when the movie came out.  But I'd never seen horses race live before.

Oh, it was an exciting day.  We went to Saratoga Springs Racetrack, which displays a carnival atmosphere before you even get in.  From the ticket lineup to the clubhouse, there were little kiosks and music and carnival smells.  Since we reserved trackside seating in the restaurant, we made our way there and were absolutely delighted with our seats.

We arrived in time for lunch and Dave tried to explain how to read the race card, what to look for, what the various codes meant.   Being the brave gamblers that we all are, we each had a $20 limit.  How did we do?  Let's just say that one of us retained enough to treat the other two to ice cream for the rest of the week.  

There were some thrilling moments--in the second race, Solitaire lost to Hangover Kid in a photo finish.  See how close they were?   The difference was only in the timing of their stride and which forefeet landed first.  I cheered with everyone else, urging these horses towards the finish line directly in front of our table. That was part of the fun, but not part of the joy.  The joy was found in witnessing beautiful creatures run full out.

It's how I want to run my own race, to give it everything I've got, whether I win in the end or not.