Have you ever been to a thoroughbred horse race? If not, you’re missing a treat. I love them, and not for the gambling. I’m too cheap to bet much more than the two-buck minimum. I like watching the pageantry, the analysis and the athletic skill of the jockeys. But mostly it’s about the horses. They are magnificent.

They have zero body fat, weigh hundreds of pounds, fly like wildfire and are nimble as cats. When they come around the final turn and are running flat out with the crowd in their ears, their eyes blazing, hoofs pounding, if you have a pulse you can’t help but feel the flutter of adrenaline in your stomach. You realize there’s absolutely nothing you can do but watch the finish.