The Beach wowed them at Lexington this morning. Folks, this story from harnessracing.com (great work by the way Kathy & Gordon!) describes perfectly why we on the blog are so confused that this horse is not even ranked first in the Hambo poll. It's excitement, it is buzz. This horse is so interesting and looked at as royalty. He brings to mind people at Woodbine in 1973 sneaking out to watch Secretariat jog in the morning.The paparazzi were out in force at The Red Mile Wednesday morning as cameras were clicking away as “The Beach”—Somebeachsomewhere—stepped foot on the historic racetrack for the first time for a training mile.
he effortlessly went a training mile in the range of 1:51-1:52 as stopwatches were also out in force by the dozens of onlookers.
Cameras were clicking away as MacGrath climbed into the sulky to take SBSW....
Horsemen lined the fence to watch SBSW and the grandstand apron had its share of onlookers too. As I said earlier, cameras and stop watches were aplenty. There was even one trainer working a horse in the infield that pulled out a camera and started clicking away as SBSW took to the track. The session even brought out track president Joe Costa, who stood beside the boss, Kathy Parker, and myself to watch royalty.
As soon as SBSW crossed the finish line the buzz began. “I got him in 1:51.1,” somebody yelled........ the consensus was that the first half was in about a minute and the mile came in that :51-:52 range.
52 back half? Ya, that sounds about right with a horse like this. He could do that, it seems, during Hurricane Ike carrying a fat man and a wagon full of lead. That is why he brings people out to watch a simple training mile. It is why he is the most star-studded horse that this sport has seen in a long, long time.
It should be an interesting Saturday. He is slated to go in race 14 at The Red Mile.
Thanks to Joseph Kyle and Harnessracing.com for the photo. For the full story (and it is a good story relaying Harness racing Americana), please visit harnessracing.com.
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Every once in a while the Edmonton Oilers hold a practice at the West Edmonton Mall, free to the public, and you really get a sense of just how passionate fans are. They cheer goals scored during basic drills, and the players do their best to be as sharp and as professional as one can expect during practice.
Fans reactions and interest in the Beach's life away from race day are just as passionate. He is such a special horse, that everyone wants to see him being special all the time. One of the great quotes from Secretariats Belmont win came from an unknown lady in the crowd, who so many scribes seemed to have overheard, she said "they're treating him like just another horse" (this was as they swabbed his saliva). That lady knew that what she saw was not normal, it was special, and therefor he should be treated like, well royalty.
Beach, in the Standardbred world, inspires the same feelings, we expect him to be special, every day, every walk, every mile.
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