I don't usually follow horse racing, but I will tune into the Kentucky Derby. I love to watch the horses run; they're such beautiful animals and so dignified and graceful. I'd love to go the the Kentucky Derby someday, if anything to sip a mint julep or two.
Barbaro won the 132nd run for the roses yesterday, in a field of strong contenders. He was not among the horses I had picked to finish in the top three. But he proved to be so outstanding -- he won the race by nearly seven lengths.
The most impressive and inspiring story, though, is that of his trainer, Michael Matz. During the NBC telecast, the network ran a feature on Matz, a victim of the plane that crashed in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1989. He ran into the fiery plane wreckage and save three children who had been on the plane on their way to visit their grandmother. Those three children met Matz yesterday for the first time since the crash and witnessed Barbaro's triumphant victory.
Matz is also a three-time Olympian in equestrian riding. He carried the American flag in the closing ceremonies at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
I'm a sucker for these feel-good stories about triumph over tragedy. What an inspiration to us all.
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