LITTLE ROCK — Today, they are commonly called bucket lists.
Things you want to do before you kick the bucket, a term made popular by the movie The Bucket List, starring acting greats Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson.
When I first broke into the business, I had a list I cleverly called, “My Top 10 List.”
Actually, there were two lists: The top 10 events I wanted to cover and the top 10 things I wanted to do or see personally.
On my list of events to cover, No. 10 in fact, was to cover a Triple Crown winner.
That meant being at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
This Saturday, I’ll Have Another is the latest to have a shot at being the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.
In 1979 when I made the list, I thought it might be achievable, even though there were obstacles, such as it not being in the travel budget.
All these years later, and I’m eliminating No. 10 from my list. I haven’t been to a Triple Crown event since 2004.
That was my big shot.
That year, Smarty Jones came out of the Arkansas Derby with a chance at a $5 million bonus if he just won the Kentucky Derby, having also won the Southwest Stakes and Rebel Stakes.
That was the year Charles Cella and Oaklawn Park came up with the bonus to celebrate Oaklawn’s 100th birthday.
The day Smarty won the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, the most excited person there was Cella, who almost fell out of his second story box seat he was leaning over and yelling so hard. If Cella had been riding Smarty, he might have won by more than 2 3/4 lengths.
Smarty Jones was on his way to capturing the hearts and imaginations of the nation. It was a story of a colt who almost died after an accident before ever racing, about coming out of Philadelphia Park and being trained and ridden by blue-collar horsemen rather than smoozers of the rich.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette turf writer Robert Yates and I went to Philadelphia for the $5 million check presentation, rented a car and drove to Baltimore for the Preakness.
We survived a horrible press box experience (extension cords everywhere, more than 100 reporters crammed into space for 25 and 100-degree heat with no air conditioning vent), but it was worth it when Smarty won by 11 1/2 lengths. Still, Pimlico Race Course would be a good place to house prisoners.
On to the Belmont. We never took the same route to or from our hotel because every day I got lost. Once we ended up at Yankee Stadium. Another time in Harlem.
I got a $75 parking ticket outside Carmine’s on the East Side.
A record 120,139 fans attended and 21.9 million watched on TV. The grandstand was so crowded, women used the men’s rooms.
Smarty went to the lead, but was chased early, and when Eddington ranged up on the outside and decided to nip at his heels, jockey Stew Elliott couldn’t get his mount to relax.
Elliott moved a little early on the wide, smothering turn to home, and down the stretch, inside of 100 yards, lightly raced Birdstone got in front and won.
Men, women and children rushed out of the track crying openly.
I was so upset that I threw away a Pick Six ticket that had five winners, good for more than $200. I calmed down enough to find it.
I’ll Have Another has a shot at becoming the Triple Crown winner, but six of the past 10 Belmont Stakes were won by horses who skipped the Preakness, like Dullahan and Union Rags. They are well-rested, and everyone knows I’ll Have Another isn’t, not with a third tough race in five weeks.
I’m pulling for I’ll Have Another. Thoroughbred racing needs a Triple Crown winner, but Union Rags is overdue for a good race and Dullahan was actually running faster at the end of the Kentucky Derby than the winner. Throw in the extra quarter mile of distance and you never know.
Sports, Pages 17 on 06/08/2012