Glorious Uncertainties keep us coming back for more

By Alan Conway

Life is full of mystery. It is part of the attraction of life. What is around the corner? What will happen next? Nobody knows. All we can do is strap ourselves in for the ride and see where it takes us. The same can be said of horse racing. Rarely has one sport been able to inspire such tear-jerking moments on one hand, while at once retaining the ability to crush your soul on the other. People say that this game can tame lions. It can make a lion look like a puppy. Maybe that is why I am so enthralled by horse racing. It’s the feeling that I don’t know what is going to happen next. There have been times when you feel like you have everything cracked. You are reading the form perfectly and plucking winners out of the sky. Then in a blink of an eye it changes and you are as cold as ice.

People often ask me what is the attraction of watching a bunch of animals running as fast as they can for as long as they can. It is so difficult to explain to an outsider what they are missing. Let your mind wander for a moment. Think of a moment that tugged at your heart strings and made you thankful that you follow horse racing. One image that has stuck in my memory bank was when the enigmatic George Washington won the QEII at Ascot. There was so much uncertainty in the build up to that race and yet he vindicated himself with a performance of pure class.

To have a personal connection with a horse is to have a feeling that money cannot buy. Some people will laugh at this starry-eyed notion. To them I say: have a look back to when Sea The Stars won the Irish Champion Stakes last September. The wonder colt was applauded from the time that he left the track until he made his way back to the unsaddling area. A full 10 minutes was devoted to clapping the horse around the parade ring. The crowd that was there that day all had a deep connection with the horse. In a way he was “our horse”. Regardless of whether they backed him or not, everyone felt privileged to be there that wonderful September day.

There is a common preconceived notion that if you watch horse racing then you are automatically a gambler. While the two are linked, it is often the wrong assumption. Yes I do like a bet. Most people who follow horse racing like a bet. There is however so much more depth to the sport that is not immediately apparent.

The Kauto Star and Denman promotion for the Gold Cup this year is a perfect example. It was a promoter’s dream. The big showdown between two of jump racings finest athletes. They were supposed to battle it out all the way up that famous last climb at Cheltenham until there was only one. In a perfect world that is what would have happened. But that’s the glorious uncertainty of racing. If we all knew that Kauto Star and Denman would battle it out after the last would we have been keener to watch the Gold Cup? I doubt it. It was because anything could have happened in that race that kept us hooked to our screens. If there was one thing that this year’s Cheltenham Festival proved is that the core fundamentals of our sport are as strong as ever.

Imperial Commander was not supposed to win the Gold Cup. Dunguib was supposed to moonwalk up the hill in the Supreme Novices’ hurdle. Ditto Master Minded in the Champion Chase. Life would have been a great deal easier if things had panned out the way they were preordained to. There was a feeling among punters that the next race was going to be the one that saved their collective bacon. When it didn’t happen they ploughed into the next so called “good thing” until they could take no more. It’s like a golfer’s swing. One day you’re Tiger Woods the next day you can’t hit snow off a rope. The uncertainty of it all keeps us coming back for more. It keeps us addicted to the sport as we can’t get enough of it. We think we know what will happen next. Then racing throws us a curve ball.

So the next time you feel that you have everything cracked or you feel that you can’t see where your next winner is going to come from, just remember that the only certainty in horse racing is that there are no certainties. So settle back and enjoy the thrill. Remember why you love the sport and, who knows, your next big winner could be around the corner.