Simply Awesome

Ask 50 different people about their feelings towards thoroughbred racing and you will get 50 different answers- most of which will be quite negative. Some will debate you about whether or not jockeys are truly athletes, some will tell you that it's more a refuge for degenerate gamblers than a legitimate sport and some will ask you what horse racing is- I'm serious, that last one has actually happened to me. I'm fine with all of this, but the one thing that isn't up for debate is how unique the sport of kings truly is.

There were a series of stakes races run this week. Blind Luck won the Delaware Oaks, Gio Ponti won the Man O' War and Awesome Gem won the Hollywood Gold Cup.

That last victory is most surprising because Awesome Gem hasn't been very good lately. He always shows up, in fact he is one of the more durable horses of this era. However, Awesome Gem has lost in seemingly easy spots like the Charles Town Classic as well as the Lone Star and New Orleans Handicaps. So when his connections tried to thwart Rail Trips chance at making history, few thought he had a shot.

Of course, this is horse racing. The speed broke down, Rail Trip went wide and Awesome Gem's jockey put in a great ride. Now a horse who lost three races that he probably should have won just broke his losing streak by winning his first grade one and giving jockey David Flores his 1,000th victory at Hollywood Park.

Horses finally hitting their stride in the twilight of their careers is part of the magic that is thoroughbred racing. Baseball, Basketball and even Soccer have no equivalents to John Henry, Best Pal and Cigar. In this respect, the sport of kings stands alone.