Why I Love Racing

In the wake of Barbaro's tragic passing many different emotions are evoked from the fans. Some remember the greatness of his exploits on the track, some are deeply grieved at the loss of this brave animal and still others question their very involvement in a sport where tragedies of this nature are all too common. For me an incident like this does nothing to shake my love for the sport because what I love about the sport goes beyond what any single horse could contribute. It is the very essence of horse racing that holds me in its thrall. I dont think I have ever read a better summation of my feelings toward the sport than the following excerpt from Laura Hillenbrands: Seabiscuit

"A Thoroughbred racehorse is one of God's most impressive engines....
His body is a paradox of mass and lightness, crafted to slip through air with the ease of an arrow. His mind is impressed with a single command: Run. He pursues speed with superlative courage, pushng beyond defeat, beyond exhaustion, sometimes beyond the structural limits of bone and sinew. In flight, he is nature's ultimate wedding of form and purpose."

It is that wedding that wedding of form and purpose that is so captivating, and it is why my love for thoroughbred racing is, and will remain, unshakable.