SPORT
OH, CALVIN! I FEAR YE HAVE ANGERED THE RACING GODS: Why Saturday's Belmont Stakes is More Than a Two-Horse Race
/ Pete Hausler
06.04.09
It’s only hubris if I fail.
—Julius Caesar
When Calvin Borel exclaimed in emphatic tones earlier this week that he would win the 141st Belmont Stakes on Mine That Bird, I had to cringe. Borel is the jockey who won the first two legs of the Triple Crown on two different horses––an unprecedented feat––taking The Kentucky Derby on long shot Mine That Bird, then switching to one of his regular mounts, the super filly Rachel Alexandra, and winning The Preakness.
But greater men than this charming Cajun jockey have been brought low by hubris. As we mere mortals have been cautioned since antiquity: Keep your humility about you, or there will be hell to pay. Do not anger the gods, for they will spit on your pride and, without passion, crush you underfoot, and grind your bones into fertilizer. See: Xerxes (from Herodotus or Frank Miller’s 300, take your pick), Julius Caesar (the Shakespearean or HBO-ean version, your choice), and the 1990 Oakland A’s (sorry to remind you of the Bash Brothers).
The 42-year-old Borel has been riding thoroughbreds for a long time; he must realize how quirky his journey has been through this year’s Triple Crown season––Mine That Bird to Rachel Alexandra back to Mine That Bird. Seldom has a jockey been presented with three such stellar opportunities to win these races. So, it’s quite surprising that he would so boldly make a prediction on a horse race. It’s one thing to be confident in your mount, but a flat-out guarantee? Leave that sort of baseless certainty to the guys in team sports. (Like Mark Messier, who famously vowed a New York Rangers victory in Game 6 of the 1994 semifinals against the Devils, and buried a hat-trick to seal the deal and tie the series, which the Rangers went on to win).
In the days leading up to the 2006 Kentucky Derby, one of the favorites was Lawyer Ron, a star that year on the mid-western circuit. Ron’s jockey, John McKee, similarly shot his mouth off, saying how confident he was that his horse would win. When I read that quote, I knew that Lawyer Ron––as strong as he looked on paper––didn’t have a shot in hell. His jockey saw to that with his over-confidence: Lawyer Ron finished in 12th place, double-digit lengths behind the winner, Barbaro.
—Julius Caesar
When Calvin Borel exclaimed in emphatic tones earlier this week that he would win the 141st Belmont Stakes on Mine That Bird, I had to cringe. Borel is the jockey who won the first two legs of the Triple Crown on two different horses––an unprecedented feat––taking The Kentucky Derby on long shot Mine That Bird, then switching to one of his regular mounts, the super filly Rachel Alexandra, and winning The Preakness.
But greater men than this charming Cajun jockey have been brought low by hubris. As we mere mortals have been cautioned since antiquity: Keep your humility about you, or there will be hell to pay. Do not anger the gods, for they will spit on your pride and, without passion, crush you underfoot, and grind your bones into fertilizer. See: Xerxes (from Herodotus or Frank Miller’s 300, take your pick), Julius Caesar (the Shakespearean or HBO-ean version, your choice), and the 1990 Oakland A’s (sorry to remind you of the Bash Brothers).
The 42-year-old Borel has been riding thoroughbreds for a long time; he must realize how quirky his journey has been through this year’s Triple Crown season––Mine That Bird to Rachel Alexandra back to Mine That Bird. Seldom has a jockey been presented with three such stellar opportunities to win these races. So, it’s quite surprising that he would so boldly make a prediction on a horse race. It’s one thing to be confident in your mount, but a flat-out guarantee? Leave that sort of baseless certainty to the guys in team sports. (Like Mark Messier, who famously vowed a New York Rangers victory in Game 6 of the 1994 semifinals against the Devils, and buried a hat-trick to seal the deal and tie the series, which the Rangers went on to win).
In the days leading up to the 2006 Kentucky Derby, one of the favorites was Lawyer Ron, a star that year on the mid-western circuit. Ron’s jockey, John McKee, similarly shot his mouth off, saying how confident he was that his horse would win. When I read that quote, I knew that Lawyer Ron––as strong as he looked on paper––didn’t have a shot in hell. His jockey saw to that with his over-confidence: Lawyer Ron finished in 12th place, double-digit lengths behind the winner, Barbaro.