Ruffian.
What a great horse!
What a proud horse! What a superbly winning horse!
She was the master
of the race track. As a three year old filly she had won an absolutely
impressive ten races. So like a prize fighter with a 10-0 record. Ruffian put
the “males of the circular avenue” to shame. What an outstanding measure of a
horse.
It was inevitable
that someone would come up with a head to head challenge. It began as a
threesome, but due to some bargaining and legal payoffs, only two horses
started the race.
Ruffian seemed to
be equally matched. The name of the other horse escapes me now, but he was “a
gifted loser” before the race began. Chances are his real name wasn’t Gifted
Loser, however.
The race was run on
the grounds of the famous Belmont Stakes. The two horses were eagerly awaiting
the start of the mile and a quarter. The darkening sky seemed to serve as an
omen of things to come. Later, there were those in the crowd that spoke of
having felt uneasy that day. A few vocal commentators had complained that the
distance was too long; that it was just too hard on a horse to run full out
over such a difficult distance.
But the horses
seemed “game,” and they were ready to run. The gates popped open, and they were
off. Ruffian was immediately in the lead, her jockey coaching her, as she
maintained the lead. What happened next was, and is, (for there are videos of
the race) hard to watch. The horses had passed the quarter mile marker and were
sorely intent on their task at hand. They must have sensed the singularity of
their run, since there were only two of them, and the pace was so fantastic.
In a subsequent
statement, Ruffian’s jockey said that the sound was loud and unexpected. It
reminded him of the crack of a rifle, or of a piece of celery being broken in
two. Ruffian had the lead, and wasn’t relenting… when it all began to fall
apart.
The jockey felt the horse stumble, and realized the unthinkable. Ruffian had broken one of his rear ankles. It happens in horse racing, and it is always a miserable, but compelling sight to behold.
But this was no common
horse. Ruffian was a Queen, with a capital Q! The pain must have been
unbearable, but the magnificent horse continued
to run! Her gait was confused, and she was no longer running a straight course,
and of course, she slowed considerably. But she was still running; on a broken
ankle! Her courage and ambition worked against her, as her renewed effort cost
her dearly. The ankle bent over on itself and Ruffian found herself virtually
running on three hoofs and a nub. It all happened so quickly, and Ruffian
maintained the lead ‘til that momentous event.
Her jockey reigned
the horse in; something, for all her pain which confused her. Why, the race
wasn’t over. It was too early! But it was over.
The rider jumped to the ground and attempted to calm the injured steed. At
first Ruffian would have none of it. She saw the challenger gain the lead and
go racing past her. Several men ran to her assistance, and what they saw
horrified them. The lower leg was red with blood. Ruffian’s one ankle had
literally exploded into hundreds of tiny pieces, only the external hide
containing it.
Broken legs and
horses don’t mix. More times, than not they have to be “put down.” More times,
than not they are put down immediately, right there on the track. But Ruffian
was no common horse, and her owner would have none it. A temporary split was
put on the lower leg, and she was transported for further treatment.
Hope against hope
they put an air split on her leg, but the wonderful horse fought against it.
Though she lay on her side, her instinct kicked in. She began to flail, and do
a stationery gallop. Ruffian damaged herself further, and sadly… had to be put
to sleep.
She was a great
horse, and had maintained the lead in that final race ‘til her legs failed
beneath her. She is buried in the infield of the Belmont Stakes.
There is a more
important race to be run and won. We are vitally engaged in that race. We will
never run a more important race. God has called us to excellence, and nothing
less will do.
We may not win
every battle, but if we run with patience we will win the war.
“Seeing how we are surrounded by such a great crowd of
witnesses, let us strip off everything that hinders us, and the sin that so
easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”
(Hebrews 12:1, KJV)
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