“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)February 1, 2007
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)
There are four horse races that are burned indelibly into my memory. The first is Secretariat’s 1973 win in the Belmont by 31 lengths. It was the greatest athletic performance I have ever witnessed, and it still brings tears to my eyes when I watch that clip all these years later. Several years ago Sports Illustrated reported that when Secretariat died an autopsy was performed, and the veterinarians measured Secretariat’s heart. It was twice the size of that found in a normal horse.
The second is the 1975 challenge match between the great filly Ruffian and Foolish Pleasure. I will never forget seeing Ruffian break down halfway through the race, but refusing to quit. By the time her jockey was able to pull her up, her hoof was dangling uselessly, but she was still trying to run. After an heroic attempt to repair the leg, surgeons reported that she came out of the anesthesia trying to run again and ripped the cast apart. She was put down at 2 a.m. in the morning, and buried that evening at Belmont Park with her nose pointed toward the Finish Line.
The third and fourth races belong to Barbaro. When I saw him win the Kentucky Derby I thought that, finally, another truly great horse had come our way, one that would stand in the history books alongside Secretariat. You could see and sense the greatness of this horse. I couldn’t wait for the 1 mile Belmont, the ultimate measure of a horse’s heart. Unfortunately, his breakdown in the Preakness is the image that will always linger. And yet, in his own way, Barbaro proved that he could go the distance.
No one will ever doubt the size of this horse’s heart, nor the vitality of his spirit. He has now been turned loose to run with Ruffian and Secretariat and the other great ones, and that is only fitting. He had no competition here on earth.
