“The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Rachel is how many people came together in September 2009 to witness that great filly. From the signs all over downtown Saratoga, to the people at the track asking each other, “Are you here to see Rachel?“ it was clear that she’d captured the attention of the racing world at that moment.
I’ve been a fan of horse racing as long as I can remember, and yet most of my fandom was experienced at a distance. Regrettably, I don’t have the stories some people do about going to the track as a youngster. Sure, I had the occasional trip to Woodbine, including the 1996 Breeders’ Cup, but for the most part I stuck to watching races on television, especially the U.S. Triple Crown races.
In 2005, I attended the Breeders’ Cup at Belmont, but I hadn’t travelled to many other tracks.
Along comes 2009, with the fantastic story of Mine That Bird. The racing world was equally fascinated, however, with Rachel Alexandra. After her massive win in the Kentucky Oaks, I was solidly on her bandwagon, and watched with amazement and yes, pride (her being a girl, after all) when she took on the boys and won the Preakness Stakes. From then on it was, “What’s Rachel going to do next?” and we followed her every move.
Towards the end of the summer, it was mentioned that she might run in the Woodward Stakes, so my mom, sister and I made the decision to take a road trip to Saratoga. We booked a hotel, and then eagerly waited for the word on whether Rachel would actually enter.
The rest is pretty much history. She did indeed enter the race, we went to Saratoga, and were treated to one of the most exciting races I’ve ever seen in person. We were literally shaking afterwards. Rachel gutted out a tremendous win against older horses that would end up being the crowning achievement of her stellar season, and resulted in her being named Horse of the Year. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the beginning of what I’m sure will be a life-long love affair with Saratoga.
Anyone who’s been knows how special it is to be somewhere where the sport is so much a part of the community. But not only that, it instilled in me the desire to do that again, to actually get out there and see in person some of these places that I’d only seen on TV, like Gulfstream, Keeneland, Santa Anita and Del Mar. To actually be in these beautiful places where so much racing history has taken place is a real privilege. I’ll never forget my visits to Hollywood Park and Hialeah for that very reason. It’s also been educational to see how the fan experience differs from track to track, they’re all special but each in their own way. And through my trips, I’ve been able to meet so many people from the racing world, from fans to track officials to media to grooms, building treasured relationships that continued even after I came home.
But the best thing of all is to see the great horses of our times in person… California Chrome, Zenyatta, Golden Horn, Tepin, Wise Dan, Animal Kingdom and Goldikova, just to name a few. To be in the presence of these magnificent animals really brings home that at the heart of racing is the horses themselves. Nothing compares to the shared experience of watching them and cheering them on. It’s like hanging out with a few thousand of your closest friends and sharing the admiration of the animals and sport we all love.
I wish that as many people as possible get the chance to travel and see their favourites up close and experience the thrills of these great races.
I certainly hope to have many more racing adventures in the years to come and all because of a girl named Rachel.”
By Julie Wright, for Ontario Horse Racing
Photo of Julie and Tepin, courtesy of Mr. Will Wong.
(C) Ontario Racing 2016. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without permission.
More For The Love of Racing