I often say, "almost doesn't count!" Today it counted, at least a little.
It was a beautiful day for a drive.. and drive we did. First to Belmont where Hear the Footsteps opened as the even money favorite when Writing on the Wall, a horse I had been interested in claiming scratched. By Post time, Mr. Vegas, who came in ahead of us last time, was the favorite. The race was very formful with Mr. Vegas going to the front and Hear the Footsteps stalking him. Cornelio Velasquez, who has yet to win a race for us, might have let him trail by a little too much but when they straightened out for the stretch run, he got Hear the Footsteps going. For a minute, as he was charging down the long stretch at Belmont, I thought he was going to make it… but he just missed by a head. 2nd place.
We were disappointed. It was so close. Nonetheless, we have to be impressed by this horse who has run 8 times and never been off the board… 2 wins, 1 second and 5 thirds. If he didn't have some physical issues, he could have been a great Graded Stakes race contender.
After watching the replay of the race, we took off for Monmouth in Oceanport, NJ. It's a nice little track - homey, quaint and well-maintained. Ahvee's Destiny looked a little nervous in the paddock. She was wet with nervous perspiration and she seemed sullen. Nonetheless, she looked beautiful… as did Rhoda, who was decked out in a beautiful dress and hat. yes, she was hoping for a photo in the Winner's Circle!
She was the morning line favorite but the crowd had made her third choice, quite rightly, I thought, based on her recent record. The bell rang and the gate opened. Ahvee's Destiny stumbles. Had I seen it when it happened, I would have been very worried about her, but I didn't and she didn't seem to notice because she recovered and was head and head with the eventual third place finisher in front of the pack. So, they went around the track. When two horses challenge each other like that, it can be very stressful and tiring. Straightening out in the stretch, it seemed like the other horse was inching ahead of A.D…. but she came on again to take the lead. Unfortunately, a longshot who had been stalking the two leaders, came on the outside and passed us in the final strides. Still it was a magnificent effort. This field was pretty soft and she may find it difficult to find such competition again, but for today she was right up there. We have a reason to hope for victory in the future. Yay, Ahvee's Destiny!
All-in all, a worthwhile adventure with two exciting races and more to look forward to. Yes, it can be fun even when you lose… just not usually!
Best,
A.
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