Pacemaker Fishing Forum

"Last year, a two-year-old colt finished dead last in his first race. Disappointed, his owners placed him in a “claiming” race, where anyone can take the ownership of a horse for a fee. An older man claims the colt after missing his chance to claim another horse he wanted. He says it is his last attempt to find some success in the racing industry. 

The colt wins by 17 lengths, and his new owner is encouraged. But in the races that follow he finishes third twice, fourth once and fifth once. His owner still believes in him.

This year, 2022, is the colt's only chance to race in major thoroughbred races, which are limited to three-year-olds. The day before the Kentucky Derby, the field of horses is already full. But then, at the last moment, a famous trainer scratches (withdraws) his horse. The colt takes his place in a field of twenty horses, just 30 seconds before the entry deadline. He is in the game. He has a chance.

But all the metrics and predictors are against him. Neither his owner, his trainer nor his jockey has ever been associated with any horse in the Kentucky Derby. His jockey has never even won a major event. They are outsiders and newbies in an elite arena. On the morning of the race, his odds of winning are set at 80 to 1, the second-longest odds in Derby history.

Halfway around the track, the colt is 16 horses back from the lead. He can’t even be seen in the field of view of the drone camera flying above the race. He is a nobody, a throw-away, an inconsequential participant.

But then he makes his move. He begins working his way through the crowded pack, finding a few narrow, fleeting opportunities to improve his position. As they head toward the finish line, he has moved up to fifth, then fourth. Still, no one notices him. No one mentions him. Everyone’s attention is still focused on the battle between the two famous front-runners.

Only seconds before the finish, he suddenly, magically passes the two front-runners. The announcer struggles to identify him and say his name in time. He says, almost in a single breath, “Rich Strike is coming up on the inside ... Oh my goodness! The longest shot has won the Kentucky Derby!”

Moral: Where there is life, there is hope. Anything is possible. Believe in yourself. And don’t let anyone count you out. Persistence and determination beat the odds."

"Thou shalt fly without wings."