Wednesday, February 25, 2009

It's All His Fault!

It seemed like any Saturday when I woke up early to watch my cartoons, but little did I know that this Saturday was special. This was the first Saturday of May.

I walked down to the living room still in my pajamas, trying to fix my bed head as I settled into my favorite spot and flipped on the television. Like usual my father had left the station on ESPN, but much to my surprise they weren't talking about the sports that bored me, they were talking about horses. These horses were special though, they were Kentucky Derby contenders.

Surprisingly this would be the first time I would watch the Derby in its entirety. Most people think of the Derby being nothing more than the walk to the gate and the run to the winner's circle, but to me it is much more than that. I watched the Kentucky Derby coverage from eight A.M. until the post coverage at eight P.M. Some find this crazy and a waste of a day, but I think it is a wonderful way to learn about the top three year-olds that year. The programmers also tend to go into the stories behind the horse, their owners, trainers, jockeys, etc, so it makes for a very enjoyable day.

As I sat in total bliss waking up to horse racing they began coverage on a young, handsome colt with a name no one could pronounce properly: Fusaichi Pegasus.


I was in love. He was tall, sleek, had a glossy sheen to his coat, and just looked so confident in his power. Needless to say I followed his stories all day and was rooting for him to conquer the Derby field and take his crown.

This was long before I knew any breeding lines, trainers, jockeys, or how the odds represent a horse, so I was basing my judgment solely on name and looks. Let me tell you, it paid off.


He won! My Pegasus won! The first time I have every sat down and watched to most watched race in America, and the horse I choose won. I was beyond jubilant as my colt trotted to the winner circle. I was even happier that my horse had beaten the choices of my family.

Fusaichi Pegasus went on to have a decent year, but nothing will match to his win in the Kentucky Derby in my opinion. To this day I still have his poster hanging in my room, always to remind me how amazing that day way. Fusaichi Pegasus got me hooked into horse racing, so I blame my obsession on him. It is all his fault.

With that said, I know where I will be when the First Saturday in May comes around, what about you?

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