An Exhilarating Experience at Belmont Park

One of the highlights of the day for Candice Hare was watching Palace Malice easily win the Westchester Stakes. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)

Marjorie Johnson once said “a racehorse is an animal that can take several thousand people for a ride at the same time.” Perhaps to those who are unfamiliar with the brilliance of horse racing this might seem to be a bit of an exaggeration, but it is most definitely true.

In fact, it’s because of a racehorse that I found myself in New York in the first place.

As is the case with any sport, we all have our favorites -- the ones we cheer for through thick and thin. Even though in this case the athletes in question have four legs, our reasons for loving them aren’t really all that different from why sports fans root for their favorites. I mean, let’s keep it real, some people love the handsome guys: I’m talking to you Will Take Charge fans. Beautiful ladies are often popular as well; come on, who doesn’t love Beholder? As those who like Wise Dan already know, any good sports fan loves a winner, and every so often a touching story like that of Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome snags the spotlight and captures our hearts.

As I walked onto the grounds of the Belmont Park for the first time, my mind was firmly focused on two of my favorite horses, who were both running on Sunday’s card: Palace Malice and Grandeur.

Palace Malice had returned to the scene of the greatest victory of his career to date.   While it wasn’t surprising to see him win over three opponents in the Grade 3 Westchester Stakes, the manner and ease with which he was victorious was most certainly eye-catching.

Truth be told, it is a bit hard to believe this is the same horse who one year ago had his own agenda in the Kentucky Derby, who found himself the butt of many a joke following that infamous run in front of a national audience. Since then, he became a Grade 1 winner, has won five of eight races (all of which have come in graded stakes) and now is undefeated in three starts this year.

Palace Malice entered the Derby having only won a maiden race. He has since become not only the banner son for his sire, Curlin, but one of the best older males in the country, if not the best. A progression of that magnitude is not often seen, and one that hasn’t been talked about nearly enough.

Prior to the running of the Man ‘o War, I was able to take some time to explore Belmont Park. I was taken by the sheer massiveness of the park itself, and I quickly fell in love with the “picnic-like” atmosphere on the grounds. Groups of friends and families were able to lounge together, eat some snacks in between the races and simply enjoy the beautiful weather and surroundings. At the end of the day, that is what the quintessential racing experience should be — an entertaining day out. It warmed my heart to see exactly that happening here. Not to mention, seeing families lined up along the paddock gates watching the horses walk by gave me hope for the future of racing in America.

As the post time for the Man ‘o War approached, my nerves were out of control until I saw Grandeur parading in the paddock The handsome gray son of Verglas strutted around like he owned the place. Just as a football fan gets excited seeing his favorite team charge onto the field, I was raring to go when I saw Grandeur being led by trainer Jeremy Noseda through the tunnel and onto the track.

Ultimately, a brilliant front-running ride from Joel Rosario secured the victory for Imagining, and Grandeur was only able to snag third.

Sure, I was a bit deflated after Grandeur was defeated, but as we say “that’s racing.” Truthfully, a day like that perfectly exemplifies this sport.

Few sports are as humbling as racing — the horses are often seen to be only as good as their last run, and the human players are judged just as harshly from a betting standpoint. The product of such an extreme dynamic is a rollercoaster ride of an experience that is simultaneously rewarding, frustrating and often downright exhilarating.

Once again I was reminded why I love racing. Win or lose, it doesn’t get much better than going from watching these gorgeous animals parading in the paddock to screaming at the top of your lungs as they turn for home. It’s a sport filled with hope, dreams and just the right amount of luck … one where you’re on top of the world one moment and crashing back to Earth the next. It’s topped off by the camaraderie of the players, the ones who will pick you up off the ground and give you a hug after a bad beat — because we’ve all been there — and be the first to offer a high-five following a big score.

The horses are why we show up, but my fellow fans took the experience of my first trip to Belmont Park to a new level. A trip that was planned simply so I could see two of my favorite Thoroughbreds became a day at the races I’ll never forget thanks in part to fantastic facilities and some pretty awesome racegoers. While I can now check Belmont Park off the list of racetracks I’ve visited, I know I will be back soon.