Remember Francis the Talking Horse? Of course you do! That’s 1950s television. He came up to a fence and talked, he did. I don’t remember his human sidekick. It was a real cheap set.

Well, that’s what is needed to win the Triple Crown, a horse that understands. That way, you can whisper in his ear, “There’s an extra bucket of oats in for you, if you win the Triple Crown, and stud privileges for life.” That ought to get his attention.

The horse understands that it’s in a race, yes, but it doesn’t understand the significance of any one race, like the Belmont Stakes, which is the graveyard of so many runs at the Triple Crown. The horse just didn’t get it.

A truly superior horse like American Pharaoh might win four, five, or six races. It won by the widest margin, some five and a half lengths, since Secretariat. That kind of superior horse comes along once in a lifetime, maybe twice, if you live long enough.

Hudson Owen All Rights Reserves