Will "American Pharoah" make history today and win at the Belmont?

[jberryhill]

41. Horses don't talk

Before and after, say, a mile race among humans, they can tell you how they feel that day.

Horses love to run, but they run because they like to, and when they like to. They like to run with other horses, too. They do it with each other in the wild all of the time.

What's crazy is that some horses really like to run by chasing other horses. Sucks when it's a race horse, though, but it happens. It can be really fast, but only if there is another horse in front of it.

The thing is, these horses don't know they are athletes. And for most race horses, life is not all that good - it's not heated horse spas and two mares a day for practically all thoroughbreds at your local track. Far from it.

Also, unlike human athletes, there is something like 30 pharmaceuticals that can be injected into that horse. The number and dose varies by state. But, for the horses, racing is not "doping free".

Race horses know when it's race day. They've been through the routine, can sense the build up, and know what's coming - some little guy is going to make them run after they get into a little stall that makes a big crash with a ringing bell.

But nobody knows if the horse is thinking "oh fuck, not this shit today". While they like to run, they like to run on their own terms and when they want to. It's not easy on them to be expected to do it on demand.

There was another race on the card today where the horse had to be euthanized on the track.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/horseracing/belmont-stakes/helwan-euthanized-after-breakdown-at-belmont-park-1.10515360

"Helwan was taken off the track in a van after a screen had been raised to block views of the horse as it was being attended to and subsequently euthanized."

Yeah, they'll kill the horse right there on the track if it can't get in the van.

And don't get me started on disability coverage for jockeys. That's one of those things about racing that everyone sweeps under the rug too.