One of my favorite parts of being a journalist is being there for what otherwise would have been a private moment and being able to share that moment with readers to give them a better sense of a particular event.
In covering the aftermath of an event such as the Kentucky Derby, being there for such a moment is as much luck as it is anything else because there is very little private interaction going on among the din of 155,000 people and international media.
Still, NBC did a great job broadcasting Racing Hall of Fame and two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Nick Zito embracing Todd Pletcher after his Derby win. In those few seconds, it made viewers realize how special a win like that truly is.
I was there for a similar moment between owners at the Derby Winner's party in the Derby Museum about 90 minutes after the race when Penny Chenery came up to Bill Casner to congratulate him.
"This is a very special treat for me," an emotional Casner said when Chenery embraced him. Chenery's Meadow Stable won the Derby in 1972 with Riva Ridge and in '73 with Secretariat.
"You changed me, and you changed the business," Casner continued. "The way you handled victory is a model for all owners. You set the standard, and you are so special to me and this game."
Next up to congratulate Casner was Jackson Knowlton, who was managing partner of Sackatoga Stable when that team rode a school bus to Churchill Downs when its Funny Cide won the 2003 Derby.
"Funny Cide was the horse that made WinStar," Casner told Knowlton. "I still remember when Funny Cide showed all that fight in the stretch. That's when people learned that when Distorted Humors are in a dogfight, they don't back down."
Knowlton told Casner the same thing Zito told Pletcher, "Welcome to the club."
"It's a great club to be in," Knowlton said. "You just keep replying the race in your mind. I see Funny Cide passing Peace Rules. I think, "We're going to win the Kentucky Derby."
I'm happy to be in the club that gets to tell their stories.
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