A Day of Sadness - Not Tradegy
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In 2008, I followed a horse named Big Brown. I watched on Live TV, him winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Everyone knew that he could easily win the Triple Crown. It was in is blood.
When the Belmont Stakes post time approached, my sister, mom and I sat in the living room, gathered around the TV. When it finally started chills started to run down my body. If he won this race, I would witness history.
Going into the turn Big Brown was in perfect striking position. However, when it came time for him to make his sweeping move, nothing happened. I listened and watched in horror and shock. I heard the announcers' own shocked words, "And Big Brown has been eased at the top of the stretch." At that moment, my heart dropped. After the broadcast was over, I walked into my room and started to write:
June 7, 2008
Belmont Stakes
Everyone is always saddened when a horse breaks down and is sent to the hospital or is put down on the spot. But on this day, June 7, 2008, there was a different kind of sadness. Not a sadness of loss or tragedy, but a sadness of seeing and experiencing something great suddenly fall in defeat.
Millions of people followed Big Brown from before the Kentucky Derby to this very day. They watched him destroy the field in the Derby and then left the other horses in the dust as he accelerated incredibly in the Preakness.
In the Belmont, he was in a perfect striking position, but when his jockey asked him to go, there was nothing. Big Brown didn’t leave the field he didn’t leave them in the dust. Instead he was the one who was left behind in the dust. And at the top of the stretch I and millions of others watched Big Brown and heard in horror the words of the announcer, “And Big Brown has been eased at the top of the stretch.” At that moment the tragic memories of Eight Belles appeared.
In the end, Big Brown was uninjured . . . he was healthy.
That day, for me, is one of the saddest horse racing’s tragedies because on that day an undefeated champion fell in defeat and was denied the Triple Crown by a dislodge shoe. It will remain the saddest because millions of people watched Big Brown disappear from the field and canter across the finish alone, while his exercise rider is walking on the track watching to see if her champion is okay.
It will remain the saddest because back at the barn the owners were there with Big Brown giving him a hug and telling him, “He was the reason everybody was there and that he brought so much joy to everybody around him.”
It will remain the saddest because when the owners saw Big Brown back at the barn, he just dropped his head as if to say “I’m sorry.”
It will forever remain the saddest because here was an undefeated colt named Big Brown, who knew he was defeated who thought that he disappointed everyone. But like one of his owners said, “Just knowing he was okay, it felt like we won the Triple Crown.”
I am still saddened when I watched the 2008 Belmont.
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