Wise Dan is Free Money

[For more on this phenomenon, read the May 6 posting For The Old Kentucky Home Far Away, below.]

Last week was hectic around these parts.  An interesting, and significant, narrative from The Sport of Kings developed this past week, with its culmination last night at Churchill Downs.  Had I the time, I would have posted this column from ESPN's Gary West regarding Wise Dan's entry into last night's (Grade II) Firecracker Handicap.

Luckily, one loyal subscriber to Heavy Artillery notified me of his plan to be in attendance at Churchill and I gave him my tip; Straight WIN bet on Wise Dan, odds (and high weight) be damned!

Today's Daily Racing Form reports on the result, and includes a video replay of the stirring finish.

Wise Dan, the reigning Horse of the Year in the United States, is the best thoroughbred in North America and probably the best thoroughbred in the galaxy.  There may be some dispute on this last point, as one body (the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities [huh?]) has Wise Dan ranked second worldwide behind another turf horse, the Australian Black Caviar.  The IFHA [huh?] being an international body, I encourage everyone to disregard their findings and rate Wise Dan as #1 worldwide.