Animal Kingdom and Tequila Gold

I took a little venture out to my home track, Emerald Downs, here in Washington state the other day. I had generated a little profit from the Kentucky Derby when Animal Kingdom won as a 20-1 longshot. After grabbing my cash, I decided to to something I hadn't done in years. I became a "railbird" again, even though it was for only 1 race. Before I begin, I should describe what a "railbird" is. A "railbird" is someone who hangs out down at the track level, and roots their horses home just a few feet from the action. When Longacres was still running, we used to sit up in the bleachers at the far northern end of the facility, go down to the paddock and watch the horses get ready for the race. We would then go down to the rail, and watch their appearance on the track. Sometimes one can gain tremendous insight just by watching how the horses look out on the track. If we really felt we were on to some good investment choices we would stay down by the finish line, and root our horses and jockeys home. So last week, after Animal Kingdom won the derby, I had a chance to relive some old memories. I was getting ready to leave, when I happened to hear something from a nearby monitor that caught my attention. I listened to the announcer talk about a horse who was running in the next race. It seems this horse, Tequila Gold, a son of up and coming Washington sire, Harbor the Gold, and grandson of over $2 million earner, Seeking the Gold, was undefeated at Emerald Downs. I was intrigued, so I ventured over to the rail to take a look. This horse looked great on the track, so I went and put down a little Animal Kingdom money and went back out to the rail. I was in the right place at the right time, so I grabbed my phone and took this shot of Tequila Gold as he raced towards the wire in front.

 A few minutes after I took this photograph, I went inside to cash my trifecta ticket. I had "struck gold."