Travis Stone

The status of American horse racing is constantly in a flux. One year it is riding the tails of blockbuster hits, compelling story lines and likeable characters. The next it becomes the victim of injury-plagued divisions, a lack of star power and political unrest.

I suppose any sport can rise and fall, but it seems more so with horse racing. Veteran fans understand the dynamics of the game. A horse we see running this week is not under contract, is not required to show up next week and could conceivably be retired at any time. Veterans experience this every season. But what about newcomers to the sport?

Our headlines are not filled with contract negotiations, chilling divisional-races or must-win game sevens. We frequently are unable to witness the champions of last year attempt to defend their title this year because they simply do not return to the track.

What plagues horse racing versus baseball, football or basketball is continuity. Our sport continually races, while our stars continually retire. What will it take for the racing Gods to shed some good upon us and give our sport the spark it needs?

This past week they spoke. The 7-year-old mare Makybe Diva scored an emphatic third consecutive victory in Australia’s most prestigious race, the Melbourne Cup. It was a feat accomplished by no other horse in the race’s 145 year history. Her historic run shattered wagering records across Australia, captivated headlines, lured in new fans and sparked the industry. What United States horse racing needs is a star like Makybe Diva.

When is the last time a horse captured the imagination of our nation much like Makybe Diva did to the citizens Down Under? I think you’ll have to go back as far as Cigar in the mid-1990’s and his globe-trotting win streak to find a solid answer. Ten years later and the sport remains in this constantly descending mentality of breed, race and retire. 

Our last true chance at a Cigar, a horse that could have legitimately assumed the title, “America’s Horse,” was Smarty Jones in 2004.  As he powered past rivals in the Kentucky Derby, the fans lined up. When he accelerated along the rail at Pimlico (one of the few racing moments that still gives me chills when I watch the replay), I thought for sure our time had come. But it wasn’t meant to be. A few months later he was retired, and we’re back at square one.

Whenever I recall that exciting run of the Triple Crown, I am reminded of one man in the lobby of a hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. I had watched the race from my room and was too dejected to remain there following the result. As I walked towards the front door I passed an individual who had never once seen a horse race in person and it was at that moment I fully understood the impact Smarty Jones had. With his legs folded and arms spread out on the couch, he too had a dejected spirit, mustering the words to me, “I watched it. He led the whole way until the very end.”

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As I rationalized what I just heard, realizing he had in fact watched the Belmont Stakes, I could barely find the words to reply. People like him is what horse racing needs, and unfortunately they only come around when stars like Smarty Jones do.

Makybe Diva attracted more than 100,000 people to Flemington this past week. Only the Kentucky Derby, a race that a horse can win only once, attracts more fans on a regular basis. The Breeders’ Cup Classic, the premiere race in our biggest day of racing, has never had a three-time winner.  Tiznow is the only horse to win in it back-to-back, yet he was retired before being able to attempt a third.

The answer is not to pout and complain, but to look at ways that can change the status-quo. Instill some proactive thinking and ponder what it will take for our sport to shine once again.  Does the answer lie within the breed?  Are the horses too fragile?  Do we need to introduce other lines into the breed to increase its durability?  Should there be more incentives created to keep the stars racing?  Do we have too many races?  Are the stars too spread out?  Is the game too expensive?  There seems to be no simple solution.   

Slide show   Images of the Triple Crown See images from the 2005 Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

So until the pioneer of modern day racing steps forward in North America, we can only look enviously at the likes of Makybe Diva. Her impact on Australian horse racing has been invaluable. As a racing fan to the core I can appreciate her triumph through the annals of history knowing that our time and our horse will come. Somewhere out there sits another Secretariat, another Seabiscuit or another Cigar. Let us hope it is sooner rather than later. 

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