Live From Boston Downs: Young Upstart Explodes Past Field In Second Night Speechstakes!

As compared to last night, this evening’s competition at the Fleet Center produced a dramatic upset.

The race belonged to a fledgling skinny-legged entry from Illinois. Displaying an energy and rhythm that seemed almost unhorse-like, Obama blew past the challengers as if he wasn’t in the same class. With a background that includes a mixed lineage, foreign birth and training in various far-flung stables, this upstart left the crowd shaking it’s head, wondering when he would next hit the track, and how far and fast he could really go.

Placing second, the green horse, Dean, was clearly the crowd favorite, bringing the audience to its feet with the reminder that “politics is too important to be left to the politicians.” The dark horse, Reagan (sired by The Gipper, but apparently running solely for the workout), also made a strong showing based on the advocacy of new scientific training methods. A number of older challengers also showed some early energy, such as Kennedy, Gephardt and Braun, but all faded in the face of fresher legs.

A few track notes:

>>At one point, a camera panning the infield caught a glimpse of another horse that had once generated considerable excitement. Much larger than Obama, Cisneros had also made a strong DNC showing and had also been highly regarded. With all the expectations, however, Cisneros had a few bad spills and never lived up to his billing. It was an effective reminder that one meeting does not make a champion, and that greatness develops over the course of many races and many seasons.

>>The entrant, Heinz Kerry, also ran this evening, and performed very strongly. However, because she kept her own time, and did not declare a trainer or a rider, her performance could not be compared to any of the others.