Since Silver Charm lost the Belmont to Touch Gold in 1997, I
have made it my life goal to see a Triple Crown victory. Even if it means
having my head cryogenically preserved and saved till there’s a real chance in
200 years, I vowed to see this happen.
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| The nose heard 'round the world. |
The Triple Crown bug first bit me when I was 14; the last
near-miss had come when I was 6 and too young to understand the gravity of the
event. I kind of blame Bob Baffert for hooking me, because his horse lost the
Crown by ¾ of a length in 1997, and then by a nose in 1998. I was so crazy
about Real Quiet, I resorted to bad poetry when the unlucky Fish lost. It
taught me to want something with every fiber of my being, to dare to hope the
seemingly impossible could happen. One. Freaking. Nostril. Yeah, I cried, I
hated Victory Gallop with the wrath of a thousand burning suns. To this day, I
sneer when I see a progeny of that horse in the winner’s circle. That legendary
photo finish and its heart-shattering result will be ingrained in me forever.
