In contrast, horseracing often seems to exist in some grubby bloodstained pit, like cock fighting. The public in general do not apply the same reverence to the horses or to the jockeys which is given to other athletes.
We first came across the name of Camelot on a list of Ballydoyle horses who would go into training and marked him as one to follow. Names are auspicious and the tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the round table were a childhood favourite of ours. This one had to be good - no, great, and he is.
Camelot did not put a hoof wrong in his career, as a 2 year old he did everything expected of a future Derby contender. As a 3 year old he did more, he won the Guineas which few Derby winners manage, and then he won both the Derby and The Irish Derby with ease.
His options were many.
He could have taken in the King George, the Arc, Champions Day against Frankel ..... but instead his connections honoured the ancient tradition of going to Doncaster for the St Leger. It was a brave and sporting decision.
The truth is that Fate does not often reward the brave. And the fickle public don't either. It is a shame that people cannot celebrate those who dare, and prefer to run them down instead.
We applaud those who turned out on Town Moor to see Camelot and to be a part of history. It may never happen again, especially as so many seem to be happy that he was beaten.
Today the Racing Post have run Joseph O'Brien's story of what happened at Doncaster and his thoughts on how the St Leger may have gone wrong for Camelot. He thinks another horse clipped his heels, which lit him up a bit and would explain why he rushed along and then did not quicken with his usual fluency. It was heartening to hear how Ireland welcomed home their defeated heroes when Aidan and Joseph came to The Curragh later that same day for the Irish St Leger. It was really not a good day for Ballydoyle as Fame and Glory challenged from the word go but faded in the last stages of the race. Please note: for the record he was not ridden by young Joseph.
The Racing Post facebook page, and the online Racing Post is littered with the theories of armchair jockeys, quick to blame the jockey, and defame the horse who they now declare is not even very good. It sickens to see the way that mankind behaves. Is it jealousy? Is it the English / Irish thing rearing it's ugly head? Is it the amount of money lost on Camelot by those who live for the vacarious thrill of risking it all, (well money anyway) on a horse race?
Why does mankind have this urge to seek out bright things, put them on a pedestal and then throw rocks at them?
These people know no reason, the logic is not there, and they know it so they spout nonsense (over and over like a broken record) which is easily refuted. The cult of celebrity is an ugly one.
Why is it that when racing most needs young jockeys some of the public only want to destroy one who fits the bill?
While it is completely true that had he not been the son of Aidan O'Brien he probably would not have been given the chance to ride Ballydoyle horses, it is also completely wrong to assume that this is the only reason he is onboard. It must be worth something that Lester Piggot, the jockey whose record has never been bettered, and who rode the last Triple Crown winner Nijinsky for Ballydoyle is a fan of Joseph and that their riding style has been favourably compared.
It is also wrong to assume that he only wins because he is riding great horses. There are many who get it wrong aboard similarly blessed animals. It cannot be just luck or coincidence that Joseph has won 2 English Classics, 2 Irish Classics and a Breeders Cup. His ride on Camelot in the Derby is one of the best we've ever seen, cool, calm and brave when it mattered.
As an owner we have seen how using a jockey who is familiar with the horse can be better than using one who has never ridden the animal before and for whom the horse is just one of 6 that day. Someone who rides work on the horses, sees them often and learns their characters can have an advantage on the day. And it is unlikely that they will jock themselves off for a better ride, a bigger paycheck or a retainer. That Coolmore have chosen Joseph should be enough. He is their horse after all.
It's a funny thing how the word 'fairytale' has come to mean something with a happy ending, something we wish for that comes true. In reality fairytales usually had a tragic ending with a moral for us mere mortals to heed. Those who dare do not always win, those who fly too close to the sun can get burnt. But every once in awhile we do win, and that is what keep some of us wishing.
Big owners are constantly criticised for not keeping their star horses in training longer, for not running them more often and for not telling the public what they are going to do with the horses. When you see how those who do take a chance, do go for hard targets and do keep older horses in training are punished by the public the first time they lose (and let us fervently pray that Frankel never gets beaten) you realise how it is that racehorses who could have a brilliant career for another year are retired and put at stud where the public have little interest and absolutely no say in how they are handled.
Life is short, we need to dream, we need to enjoy and most of all we need to celebrate those amongst us who light up the racetracks and our lives. Would it hurt us to just once in awhile put aside our petty squabbling and show some appreciation?
The more that we know of humans the more that we prefer horses.
The name Camelot will always be associated with legends and kingdoms that failed, King Arthur's, Kennedy's and now Ballydoyle's. But it is also such stuff as dreams are made on, and shines as inspiration down through history. Let us hope that the courage of Camelot and his connections inspires rather than puts off future attempts to win that Holy Grail of the flat, The Triple Crown. For sure it is much better to win and endure than to fail and withdraw, however overall it is still better to try than not. Sometimes that is all that we can do.
Credits:
Oscar Wilde image from Marian16rox on Tumblr
The Racing Post
The Book of Merlyn by T.H. White
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