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Unlike the 49ers and their fans, I am not much of a crier.
However, I will admit to crying three times during law school, none of which were related to Torts or Criminal Procedure:
One time was in April 2003, when I found out that my cat
Zipper had cancer and there was nothing we could do to save him. He was the
greatest cat of all time.
Another time was May 7, 2002, the day Seattle Slew died.
The third time was October 18, 2001, the day the great Unbridled passed away.
Most people reading this post have their fondest memories of
horse racing linked to a horse of their own winning a big race or seeing Seattle
Slew or Alydar win the Triple Crown on TV. Mary Lou Griffin’s favorite memory
is seeing Secretariat win the Belmont. For Claudia Canouse, it was being
on-track for the 1920 match race between Man O’ War and Sir Barton. For my
friend Jason, it was watching Balto Star finish 14th in the 2001
Kentucky Derby, losing by 32 lengths.
For me, my love for racing on a national scale began on May
5, 1990, when Unbridled won the Kentucky Derby:
Unbridled was trained by Carl Nafzger and owned by the 92-year-old Frances Genter who was unable to see over the crowd to see her horse win the Derby:
Unbridled was by Fappiano out of Gana Facil (Le Fabuleux). Watching that big horse with a white
blaze roll down the stretch was thrilling. He was simply a magnificent looking
horse.
No matter what his race record turned out to be, he was
always going to be my horse hero and he is still my favorite horse of all time.
A picture of his Kentucky Derby win sits in my man cave just above my computer.
It is similar to any kid when they went and saw their first
sporting event live: Ken Griffey Jr. at the Kingdome; Gary Payton at Key Arena;
Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Russell Wilson at Century Link Field; Rick
Mirer…. ok, never mind. They’re your
heroes because they came first and you attribute your passion for the game to
them. I attribute a great deal of my passion for horse racing to Unbridled.
Unbridled had a unique quality about him.
He finished second in the Preakness, which was extremely
upsetting. He lost to a horse called Summer Squall. But something very special
happened that day, even in defeat. I looked at Summer Squall’s pedigree and saw
that he was by Storm Bird out a mare named Weekend
Surprise. Then almost two years later on April 4, 1992, a beautiful horse
named A.P. Indy sired by Seattle Slew won the Santa Anita
Derby. His dam? Weekend Surprise. My
head exploded realizing there was an entire world out there beyond just horses
running around a track. There is a wealth of pedigree, history and a story to
every single horse. Weekend Surprise started an obsession with researching pedigree
of horses and the history of the industry. The obsession gets worse every year. I spend
countless hours every year studying pedigree and the history of the game. It is
the most fascinating thing in the world. There is so much more to this game
than “gambling” and “degenerates.”
After the Triple Crown, Unbridled won an allowance race and
then finished second in the Secretariat and the Super Derby.
The 1990 Breeders’ Cup Classic was probably one of the worst
days in horse racing history. After Go For Wand, I was ready to completely walk
away from the sport because I didn’t want to deal with the sorrow and pain of
seeing a horse hurt. However, at the end of that very dark day, Unbridled came
barreling between Thirty Six Red and Ibn Bey to restore some of my faith in the
game:
In 1991, Unbridled's full brother named Cahill Road (so his father was Fappiano
and his mother was also Gana Facil) was on the Triple Crown trail. For obvious reasons, he was my pick for the Derby. However, he injured his left ankle and foreleg in his Wood Memorial win and was
retired. More about him later.
Unbridled had one more memorable race. At the start of his
four-year-old year he raced against Housebuster, the previous year’s Sprint
Champion, in the 7-Furlong Deputy Minister at Gulfstream Park:
A stunning run by a horse that is much better at longer
distances (like the 10 Furlongs ). I truly believe this was his best race.
Unbridled finished off his career on November 2, 1991, with
a third place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
He then went to stud at Claiborne farm. I vowed that someday
I would have a daughter of Unbridled at my farm. However, his stud career got off to a
great start and the price of buying a daughter of Unbridled started to rise
every year. But maybe if I worked hard enough I could still afford to own Unbridled after I got out of law school.
Then I saw this article in September 2001:
My heart sank reading this. He was only 14 years old. Unbridled had some complications
and a few more surgeries in late September but I was relieved when he was able
to return to Claiborne Farm on October 8, 2001. However, he had a massive colic
attack and was euthanized on October 18, 2001. I never got to see him in person
and it is one regret I still live with. I thought this article appropriately
described the type of horse and patient he was:
I remember reading this article on my computer and crying at a table in the law library after I read it. Animals like him go directly to my heart and never leave.
I will probably never have an Unbridled mare, but maybe I can look out on my farm one day and see one of his grandchildren grazing in the sun.
Luckily, his brother Cahill Road stood in Washington State at El
Dorado Farm until his death in 2010. I was lucky enough to see him a few times.
He also was a grand looking horse:
I got married last September and part of my wedding was
horse racing themed. Each of the 22 tables was named after a favorite horse of mine. You can
guess which horse the head table was named after:
I couldn't think of a better tribute to him.
Unbridled, if there is a horse heaven and I end up there, I
want to be your groom (with a little g).
Always love your
animals,
Will
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