Fan Feature: Any Horse Can be a Hero
- Sherri Lytle
- Aug 31, 2016
- 4 min read
Photo Credit: Sherri Lytle
When I was growing up, my Mom and I always watched the Triple Crown races, at which time I believed that they were the ONLY horse races that took place each year. I typically would wait and see who won the Kentucky Derby and then root for that horse to win the Triple Crown.
My most favorite horse from my childhood was Sunday Silence. I loved that black horse and my heart did break when he did not win the Triple Crown. He became famous because he won the Kentucky Derby. Little did I know back then, that another horse my daughter and I would grow to love this year, is trained by a trainer who had his only other Kentucky Derby starter run against the great Sunday Silence back in 1989.
I have 2 daughters of my own and my passion for the horses has certainly carried over to them. The first time I took my oldest to a race was the Preakness of 2013. We had lost my Mom unexpectedly that March and the last horse I talked with her about before she passed away was Orb. I was so hopeful he would win because I told my Mom, I thought he was the “one.”
We watched the Kentucky Derby from our house, the final stretch run, and sure enough as soon as I looked at Anissa and asked, “Where’s Orb?” He came storming up through that muddy track and had done it, he won the Kentucky Derby! I was so excited, that I took the money that I received from my Mom for my birthday(my last gift which I received from my Mom the day before she passed away) and bought us Preakness tickets as I was so hopeful he would win the Preakness and be Belmont bound with a Triple Crown on the line.
When we arrived at Pimlico, my daughter Anissa, was looking through the program. Her middle name is Joy and she was so excited because in the next race on the undercard there was a local Maryland horse named Joy. She said, “Mom I think that horse Joy will win," and I recall saying, “Don't get your hopes up.”
Sure enough, first across that finish line was Joy. Not only did she win, but my daughter saw that beautiful Chestnut and just simply loved her from that moment on. Joy saved the day for us that day, because Orb’s Preakness turned out to be a sad moment for us.
When we got home I started researching about Joy, trying to find out her owner, trainer and where she trained. I got in touch with her owners, Dark Hollow Farm, and they sent many pictures of Joy from the time she was born up to her recent training pictures on the track. They gave us permission to go to Fair Hill Training center in Maryland (Graham Motion’s barn) to visit her and feed her lots of peppermints.
We visited her several times throughout her racing years. The true joy that the horse Joy brought to my daughter’s live and mine during her racing days was huge! She provided us with memories that we will treasure forever.
Joy is retired now, and in foal to Honor Code on the Maryland Farm that bred and raised her. \Now we look forward to her future babies. Turns out it didn’t have to be Orb, the famous Derby winner to impress us and win our hearts.
My youngest daughter is only 6 years old. Her name is Eva and she has seen horses like Kentucky Derby winners Animal Kingdom and California Chrome up close. She likes them, but the horse who has stolen her heart and most likely hooked her on horse racing forever is a horse was Suddenbreakingnews, who was on the Triple Crown trail this year. He didn’t win his final 2 preps for the Kentucky Derby, but since she saw him
run in the Southwest Stakes, she has loved this horse. After watching that performance she thought that he was “the best racehorse in the world.”
Suddenbreakingnews finished 5th in the Kentucky Derby, and after that I took her to see the Preakness horses, but instead of being impressed by the likes of Nyquist (the Kentucky Derby winner) she asked me, “where is Suddenbreakingnews?”
I explained to her that he wasn’t there and that we couldn’t make it to the Belmont, which would be his next race. However, we did cheer for him in front of our TV at home.
She kept asking me to go see Suddenbreakingnews, so when I found out he was going to run in the West Virginia Derby on August 6, we took a long road trip from our house in South Central Pennsylvania to
go see him. She was so exicited! We met his trainer, Mr. Donnie Von Hemel, who was so kind and even told Eva if he won, she could go in the winner's circle with Suddenbreakingnews.
Leading up to the race, she was so excited and hopeful. Suddenbreakingnews didn't win that day, but we did get to see him up close and he looked right at Eva while in the paddock, a moment she will always cherish. After the race, she was a little sad, but she said, “next time he will be in the winner’s circle Mom.”
Suddenbreakingnews is a horse Eva has never given up on. She loves him and no matter who runs against him, our family will always be rooting for him. Another Hero horse, captured my daughter’s and my heart forever even without winning the Kentucky Derby or Belmont Stakes.
My point is, any horse can be a hero to someone and any horse can be dearly loved by a fan, even if they don’t win on the big stage in horse racing. Really all horses deserved to be loved by someone.
I am going to make a scrapbook filled with some famous horses we have met, and also the ones who captured our hearts the most, our hero’s on the racetrack. Horses do not have to be the most famous to be loved, nor do they have to win every race, to be dearly loved and supported by their fans. We are hopeful they will, but we won’t love them any less if they miss out on the winner’s circle.
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