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This is Wolf speaking; all you so called mental geniuses listen up. No, that is wrong, read up. Yes, that is much better. I would like to personally thank Julian for his suggestion; dedicate this post to him, remember don’t tell Judo, and scold him for not using the secret password, which could lead Judo to discovering I am writing now. Julian you should be ashamed of yourself!

After careful thought there is no doubt Julian wanted my opinion on the Kentucky Derby, which was run last week. It was the 136 running of this prestigious race, which is the first leg of the Triple Crown of horseracing, followed by the Preakness, and Belmont Stakes. The first winner of the triple Crown was Sir Barton in 1919 followed by; Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), and Affirmed (1978). Many are unaware of the Triple Crown in horseracing, let alone who the winners are. I have given you some highly useful information to be discussed over the water cooler at work on Monday. When discussing horse racing it is imperative, an understanding of the past is critical as many ideas and prejudices have been formed and carried over into the present. First, it is the sport of the rich; as caring and training of these thoroughbreds is very expensive. Second, rich landowners not only owned horses but slaves too. Third, until recently, a black did all the dirty work and whites all the training. Fourth, there is a correlation between the Triple Crown and the treatment of blacks in the country.

Looking back at the winners, the years separating them and race relations in the country follow a similar history. The first winner Sir Barton in 1919 had a sir before his name. The blacks were supposedly free but still referred to white people as sir. The thirties brought three winners but this did not change the segregation, which permeated the country. Blacks in many states were still looked upon as inferior to whites, had lower paying jobs, where segregated in restaurant’s, public bathrooms, sections of towns or cities, and still could not enter white establishments.

The forties had the most winners with four. The years the Crown were won were at the beginning of America’s involvement in WWII, in the middle of the war, right after it ended, and when the country started to grow and rebuild after the war. WWII was fought equally by blacks and whites but when they returned home, the white population received all the accolades, jobs, and opportunities. In the South, whites were overt in their segregation while in the North, whites were covert.

Even though there were no winners in the fifties and sixties a lot of historical events occurred, which assisted the blacks too legally begin to compete with whites. In 1957, the Civil Rights movement began when Rosa Parks wouldn’t get off the bus, and in 1964 legislation was signed into law giving equal rights to blacks. This didn’t stop whites from still carrying their views of segregation and prejudice as the turbulent sixties were filled with riots, killings, burning of cities and only a few more opportunities for blacks.

The seventies brought the first Triple Crown winner in twenty-five years – a big red horse called Secretariat, and the first back-to-back winners in 1977 and 1978. This decade was the breather from the violence and upheaval of the previous decades. Blacks were still making some headway but it was an inch at a time. (Aside, there was no other horse like Secretariat, and to watch him run was a thing of beauty)

The past three decades there has been no Triple Crown winner. Blacks have slowly trudged along but the progress they have made has been minimal at best and no horse has been able to conquer the three races. Blacks growing up in this country will always have to go the extra half mile and horses will have to conquer the extra quarter mile at the Belmont Stakes in order to win. The South’s prejudice is still overt and the North’s will always be covert. Ironic, since the turn of the century the blacks have made the greatest gain as whites look at the brown people as the newest threat. The war is now against them for fear they will take over and whites need allies. The blacks fall into that category by the number of years they have been here. We still try to keep blacks in their own segregated housing units just like when they were slaves. Be very careful if you are black for as soon as the brown people threat is conquered they will be your new neighbors. So far, the Triple Crown winner has not been lucky for your race, maybe the next winner will be.

Later, Wolf

P.S. Don’t forget the secret password.

P.S.S. SHHHH SHHHH I hear Judo!