Arrival shenanigans

In horse racing, even the smallest event could turn into a big event.

Such a turn of events occurred Tuesday afternoon when a routine arrival story turned potentially serious when news descended upon those gathered at the Pimlico stakes barn that Toyota Blue Grass Stakes winner and Kentucky Derby tenth-place finisher General Quarters had been involved in an accident near the track.

As far as auto accidents involving horses worth millions of dollars go, this was as minor as could possibly be. General Quarters arrived no worse for the wear, though about an hour late, which means he may have been hungry. Trainer Tom McCarthy fed him and walked him and all was well with the world especially after he galloped Wednesday and showed no signs of stiffness.

It just goes to show you, however, that there is no free pass when it comes to Turf writing. I have heard several stories from such esteemed colleagues as Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden and the Blood Horse's Steve Haskin that they were caught completely off guard when Mine That Bird won the Derby. There is a reason Churchill Downs gives separate Red Smith Awards for excellence in Kentucky Derby reporting for stories that appear in Sunday papers (the day after the race) and those that appear in weekly or monthly magazines.

By the time people get Sports Illustrated or Blood Horse or Thoroughbred Times in their hands, they know who won; they know the story of the Kentucky Derby, and it's up to us to tell the story of the winner. When the fourth-place finisher in the Sunland Derby vans in from New Mexico, it's forgivable if he flies in under the radar (even if the gelding himself didn't fly in!).

The arrival story is a complete 180-degree turn from the Derby story. If it happened in Lexington (and it does from time to time with stallion/broodmare arrivals), then my office would probably dispatch an intern rather than an editor, but this is the Preakness, and some inquiring minds (myself included) are interested in the minutia of the event. One of my favorite stories from the 2002 Breeders' Cup involved Richard Duchoissois, owner of host Arlington Park, getting denied admission into the press box because he didn't have the proper credential. "That's OK," he said to the doe-eyed rent-a-cop, "I own the track."

I'm glad I had nothing more to write than the horse arrived safely after an accident, but there would have been much self loathing, wailing, and the gnashing of teeth had I been eating crab cakes and drinking yuengling rather than covering an obvious story—no matter how seemingly small or routine.

So, obviously, I'll be at the stakes barn today at 3 p.m. when Rachel Alexandra is expected to arrive, and if she doesn't, well then that's a story.