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On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS
June 17, 2013 #441 Up next...A badge of courage and honor!
After further review...The 145th running of the Belmont Stakes provided thoroughbred
racing fans with yet another surprise as Palace Malice upset both Oxbow
(the Preakness winner), and Orb (the Kentucky Derby winner), who finished
second and third respectfully. Two National Racing Hall of Fame jockeys,
Mike Smith aboard Palace Malice and Gary Stevens atop Oxbow, raced
neck-and-neck as they rounded the final turn, both driving their horses
to win.
In that final rush for the
finish, when Stevens saw that Palace Malice was hard-charging past his
mount, he said to Smith "You go on with him big boy, you're moving
faster than me". Was Stevens giving up? Was he conceding the race
before it was over? Not on your life! Stevens is in the Hall of Fame not
only for his racing record (nearly 12,000 victories), but also in
recognition of his integrity. He has been a jockey for over 30 years and
has won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes
three times each as well as eight Breeders Cups. He is considered a
class-act in the racing world.
In the Belmont race Stevens,
with such vast experience, knew his mount Oxbow didn't have
"it" that day and made an honorable gesture to a fellow
Hall-of-Famer with his words of encouragement. Do jockeys talk to each
other as they race along at 45-plus mph? You bet they do; although the
language sometimes used is not printable here. How do I know that?
Well, for starters, my father,
Jim Sr., was a thoroughbred racing official for twenty years at
California race tracks. Dad was recruited to that job in the mid-1940s
when horse racing was earning a bad reputation due to alleged
"fixing" of races by jockeys, trainers, and/or owners. Dad had
never ridden a horse, but being a top-notch sports official knew a foul
when he saw one and never failed to call it. My younger brother, Peter,
has been in the racing business for over 50 years with more than 30 of
those years as General Manager of a northern California track by
maintaining that same level of integrity.
But this is not so much about
them as it is about the courage and honor of jockey Stevens. In the heat
of battle, during one of the premier horse races in the world, the tested
old veteran had the wherewithal to encourage a fellow competitor. We
don't see much of that in today's sports world.
Will you show honor and
dignity to others in your competitive environment?
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