America remains the land of opportunity. It's why so many of our ancestors came to this country. It's also why our southern borders are experiencing a humanitarian crisis with thousands upon thousands of people from impoverished countries seeking asylum here.
It's what historian James Truslow Adams wrote about in his 1931 bestseller, The Epic of America, coining the phrase “the American Dream.” This came at a time when the world's economy had plunged into the Great Depression, when authoritarianism was growing in Europe, and there were concerns about the same thing happening in the United States.
“The American Dream,” Adams wrote, “is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. … It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”
The results from the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby encapsulate that dream.
Mage, the Kentucky Derby winner, is trained by Gustavo Delgado, a native of Venezuela who watched Canonero II come to the U.S. from Venezuela to win the first two legs of the 1971 Triple Crown and create such a sensation that a record crowd turned out at Belmont Park for what ultimately would be a failed attempt to win the Belmont Stakes.
His son, Gustavo Jr., recalled growing up in Venezuela decades later when horse people were still talking about Canonero – especially his father, one of the country's top trainers. “I remember when I was a kid,” he said, “because when he was successful down in Venezuela, he would always tell me, 'One day, we should go to the States and win one of those races.'”
With Venezuela's economy in shambles and its racing industry teetering on the brink, Delgado left his home country for South Florida, where many other Venezuelans have taken up residence. He enjoyed success, though nothing like in his home country, but now has achieved the dream that few horsemen ever realize.
Mage's groom, Moises Morales, came to America at 17 in search of a better life, too. A native of Chihuahua, Mexico, he entered the country illegally 46 years ago, found work at the racetrack, eventually got his immigration paperwork in order and now is a U.S. citizen. Morales spent 10 years working for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott before joining Gustavo Delgado's stable at Gulfstream Park, where he lives with Nancy Duarte, his wife of 38 years.
And then there's Mage's Hall of Fame rider, Javier Castellano the son of a jockey in Venezuela who was encouraged by another Venezuelan reinsman, Douglas Valiente, to give the United States a try when he was just getting his career started.
“Douglas Valiente rode in Florida and was a leading rider at Gulfstream around 1990,” Castellano recalled. “He saw my talent and told me about the United States. Everybody has a dream to come here. It is the best country in the world. Like any immigrant you want a better life, a better position in life.”
Castellano had some help in getting his papers in order when he came to the U.S. in July 1997. He was 19, had little money, didn't know anyone in Florida, and spoke no English. When he arrived at Miami International Airport he found a taxi and handed the driver a note an owner in Venezuela had given him. It read: Holiday Inn/Calder Race Course.
The cabbie drove young Javier around in circles, running up the meter to nearly $100 for the 17 mile ride. When he finally got to the hotel, where he was had been told the rooms had balconies overlooking the racetrack, he checked in to find his room overlooking a busy expressway.
“I was so depressed,” he said.
He soon found out it was the hotel's smoking rooms that overlooked the track, while the non-smoking one that he got was on the freeway side. Once he saw how close he was to Calder, he said, he felt a lot better.
He can laugh about it now because he's come so far: four Eclipse Awards (2013-'16), Hall of Fame induction, over $382 million in mount earnings (second all-time behind John Velazquez), a dozen Breeders' Cup victories, two Preakness wins, and now, at long last, a Kentucky Derby. Still missing, he said, is a win in the Belmont Stakes at his home track in New York.
“God is good,” Castellano said. “He has blessed me. I have a wonderful family. It's a gift that I won the Derby.”
The American Dream is alive and well.
That's my view from the eighth pole.
The post View From The Eighth Pole: The Kentucky Derby And The American Dream appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
