Ruffian

I find it very poignant that Ruffian is the top-rising search now. (Three of the June 9 Google Hot Trends, including #3, concerned Ruffian as well.)

One of my earliest memories -- perhaps the earliest in my life -- was watching TV with my dad as Ruffian raced Foolish Pleasure. And now, one of my newest memories is seeing Rags to Riches win the Belmont Stakes.

I don't have a personal memory of how Ruffian's race ended. This is probably for the best, since I was a young child then.

But I still think of Ruffian when any other horse breaks down -- Go for Wand, Pine Island, and of course, Barbaro. Go for Wand's breakdown is one of the saddest events I've ever witnessed; what a brave horse, and what a horrible injury.

After thinking about the deaths of these animals, I've come to the point where I can't support horse racing anymore.

Still, I'm glad that Rags to Riches won her race. It's inspiring that a female horse can defeat the best male horses. While people and horses differ, it still feels like a victory in the "battle of the sexes" -- a battle that has persisted from Ruffian's day to our own.