Thoroughbred racing has always been exciting to me. Perhaps because my family was involved for some 75 years — on the administrative side, not ownership or training.
I love watching those magnificent athletes run at some 40-45 MPH and compete for a victory. The Triple Crown comprised of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes (to be run next Saturday, June 5th) has always been a favorite.
The 146th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico race course in Baltimore on May 15th featured an upset with Rombauer ridden by jockey Flavin Plat and trained by Michael McCarthy, not the Dallas Cowboys head coach – he’s busy getting ready for the season. Rombauer came from 11th place to outrun Midnight Bourbon and Medina Spirit, who won the Kentucky Derby a couple of weeks earlier.
Oh yes, Medina Spirit still is this years’ Derby winner although the horse tested positive after the race. The use of betamethasone has been used to enhance a horse’s running ability, which was not found in ‘Spirit, but a medication used to treat dermatitis did show a positive drug use. Remember it’s not the horse’s fault that the use of a drug shows up in a urine sample.
This was not trainer Bob Baffert’s first “rodeo.” And this is not an accusation of his guilt. Baffert has won 7 Kentucky Derbies (a record) as well as 2 Triple Crowns (2015 and 2018). Baffert’s horses have failed drug tests for over four decades including four in 2020 and although he is in the Lone Star Park’s and the National Museum’s Halls of Fame his “leafy credibility,” as some have claimed, has caused damage to his outstanding accomplishments.
Here’s where my family enters this picture. My dad, Jim Sr., was a high school administrator in the mid-1940s when he was recruited by the California Thoroughbred Horse Racing Association to join them as a Patrol Judge and then as a Steward at their 3 California racetracks. Thoroughbred racing at that time was having problems with “fouls” being committed during the race. Mind you, dad had never ridden or even been on a horse – let alone a thoroughbred.
However, he was an outstanding sports official (football and basketball) and not only knew a foul when he saw one but had the integrity to enforce it when it occurred. He served in that capacity for 20 years until he passed away in 1965. Along with fellow stewards, his presence, experience, and integrity corrected those problems. Further, his son, Peter, served as General Manager of Golden Gate Fields in Albany, California for 30 years. His grandson, Michael, worked at the Del Mar Race Track (California) for 40 seasons.
Will you serve with integrity as your first and foremost quality?
