It's Kentucky Derby time again -- arguably Kentucky's biggest horse-themed event of the year (even though some model horse enthusiasts might award that title to Breyerfest).
I love race horses but I don't always like to watch horse racing -- it just rips my heart out every time I see a horse break down on the track. I particularly don't like seeing the two-year-olds racing -- they seem like such babies to me!
That being said, however, I do try to watch the three Triple Crown races (the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont) every year, whether or not there's a chance of a Triple Crown winner. For a few years I even tried to organize Kentucky Derby parties with some of my model horse friends, but Saturday isn't generally a good day for a get-together, so that idea sort of fizzled. On the plus side, I did learn how to make mint juleps!
Being a Triple Crown fan, I was over-the-moon when Breyer first announced that they would be issuing Triple Crown winner ornaments. I eagerly collected the ornaments for War Admiral (2003), Sir Barton (2004), Secretariat (2004), Seattle Slew (2005), Citation (2005), Gallant Fox (2006), and Affirmed (2006). Up until 2015 there were only 11 Triple Crown winners, so naturally I expected the remaining four winners -- Omaha, Whirlaway, Count Fleet, and Assault -- to show up over the next couple of years.
They did not. I think I let a couple of years go by and then I actually wrote to Breyer/Reeves asking what had happened to the Triple Crown series. I was told that the series was not popular, and that slow sales had prompted the discontinuation.
In the meantime, however, Breyer continued to release ornaments of popular race horses who were not Triple Crown winners: Seabiscuit (2003/05-06), Smarty Jones (2004), Zenyatta (2010), Rachel Alexandra (2010), Native Dancer (2013) and Man O' War (2013).
Breyer picked up the Triple Crown thread again with American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018), but it looks like Omaha, Whirlaway, Count Fleet, and Assault are permanently out of the running.
My Breyer race horse ornament collection (pardon the dust).
Breyer's backing out of the Triple Crown series ruined my plans for my ornament display, but I filled in the holes in my display with Seabiscuit, Smarty Jones, Native Dancer, and Zenyatta, Since my display space has 12 pegs, I was able to fill the final spot with American Pharaoh in 2015, returning to the Triple Crown theme. I have not yet purchased the Justify ornament, though, because, frankly, I've run out of room.
Of course, if I could get my hands on another mug stand, I could get Justify, Rachel Alexandra, Man O' War, and possibly the racing Santa and bejeweled race horse to more or less fill out another display. And despite those "slow sales" I suspect that Breyer isn't done with the race horse ornaments yet.
I really wish Breyer had finished the Triple Crown series, though. I've had thoughts of buying up duplicates of what I have and painting them in the colours and silks of the missing horses, but I'm not much of a painter so I don't think I'd be able to do them justice. But I do feel sorry for those four race horses who were denied their honours. Whirlaway, in particular, was wildly popular in his day, as well known for his beautiful long tail as American Pharoah was known for his short one. He deserves his ornament.
As far as the Kentucky Derby goes, I have no predictions to make for this weekend's race -- I don't follow the two-year-olds, so the crop of three-year-olds who turn up at the Derby are all newbies to me. I'll watch, but I'll be praying as I do every year that everyone in the race has a safe trip around the track. As an occasional race fan, I can ask for nothing more.
May the fourth be with them (sorry, I couldn't resist).
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