After spending 13 hours in the car together driving from Atlanta to Madison on May 9th and 10th, you might think that Danny and I would run out of things to talk about. This would be especially true as we hopped in the car to head down to Maywood Park on May 15th to watch In Over My Head make his second start of the season. We didn't. Not even close. It even took until Rockford to revisit the often discussed "Top 5 Maywood Park Experiences" list. Given the giant uncertainty surrounding Maywood Park (and Chicago racing in general), we spent extra time analyzing the memories. Not just the wins, but the regular nights that turned out to be great. Little did we know that we were driving head on into a new top 5 experience....
In recent years, Mo hasn't raced much at Maywood Park. The extra turns on the half mile are a bit tougher on his old legs and Maywood hasn't written an Invite in a number of years. I the past, Mo might get a start (or two) at Maywood and then it was off to Balmoral. I've always loved Maywood Park and after moving back to Wisconsin after three years down south, I wasn't' going to miss this race.
We headed straight to the barn to see the star of the show, who I hadn't seen since a trip home last July. Same old Mo. Draw a picture of a perfect harness horse, hold the picture next to Mo and you'll be looking at the same animal. He had a normal pre race game face on (sleepy) so we let him be and headed to the buffet.
Anyone that knows Chicago racing knows that is has fallen on hard times. To be more specific, the hard times started years ago. At this point the hard times are reaching very sad levels. As we sat down, the clubhouse had the same look it did the first time I saw it over fifteen years ago when we watched my brother Kirk's filly Patricia Per win a nw2 and we stormed the winners circle like we just won the Derby. The place was worn, but still strangely proud and had a feel that it was going to battle to the bitter end. You hear people say it's just an old dump and that it should be torn down. Maybe it is, but it's my old dump and I still love watching races there. Maybe some of it just nostalgia, but I pray it survives.
Time flies when you are having fun and the night went by fast for Danny and I. We paid our bill and headed outside to watch the race. Living in Atlanta for the last three years, I haven't been to many races. I've said this before and I will say it again, there is nothing...NOTHING...like watching your horse race live. After spending all week brazenly looking at the program and proclaiming that no opponent has a sliver of a chance of beating Mo, it all changes in the minutes before the race. All that confidence...shattered.
What if he's sick...this is only his second start, he won't be ready...those other horses are far better than I gave them credit for...they look sharp tonight...is Mo lame (he looks half lame every time he warms up and has been that way his entire career)...did you hear that? What if that noise spooked him...what the...why is Casey out of the bike?
I thought Danny was joking with that one, but sure enough, Casey was standing on the track holding the lines while Mo stood motionless. At that point, it wasn't IF he was hurt. The only question was how bad. We stood there in silence expecting the worst. Then, Casey hopped back in the bike and off they went (he was adjusting his new harness).
The race was its normal thrill. I admittedly spent about 20% of the time looking down at the ground because I couldn't bear to watch...keep in mind this was about his 90th start and we were racing for $7,100. This was not really a race to be nervous about. It unfolded like we expected back in our early week analysis...he made his move at the half, drew even in the last turn and put them away in the stretch. My heart is racing now two weeks later just thinking about it.
I was fortunate enough to be at the Final Four this year when Wisconsin beat Kentucky. I love Wisconsin basketball and everything about it. That was probably the best sporting event I've ever been to. That Friday night at Maywood was better. I'm not kidding. I wish I could bottle that feeling up and share it with others...I try, but it just tends to fall on deaf ears. If it didn't, there would be a stampede of people trying to purchase race horses.
You can only get so close to your favorite sports team, but it is never "yours". "Yours" only applies to current coaches, players, trainers, staff, etc who are putting on the show. You can feel a deep connection when you grow up 20 minutes from campus, spend your youth going to the current coach's basketball camps, get your degree from the university, try out for the team as a senior and later watch some players you've coached in high school play for your school. That's my relationship to Wisconsin basketball. That's pretty deep....probably deeper than a lot of fans. It doesn't hold a candle to the connection you feel to a horse that you've owned his whole life that has taken you on the ride of a lifetime with family and friends in tow. That is my (and our) connection with Mo.
And now, let me talk for a second about the title of this post. Two days after the race, Mo's leg blew up. We didn't know why, but we were worried...very worried. As the days went by the swelling lingered. It was in a bad spot on his left front leg (his "good" leg for those keeping score). Then, he took a turn for the better. Swelling was gone. They tried jogging him and he jogged sound. Finally, we get a text on Wednesday: "I entered Mo for Saturday. Vet couldn't find anything wrong with him."
Yep, that sounds about right.
Forward we march....hope it never ends.
Let's go Mo!
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