Derby Day justified the yearly "Derby" party for Mother and Daddy's "crowd," usually at Dr. Joe and Phyliss Bastin's country home, if they weren't at Churchill Downs. A social event. Today, brother Buddy is at Churchill Downs to watch the Belmont Stakes on the big screen because it's what Louisvillians do when a derby winner is running to win the third leg of the Triple Crown. Justify, a horse who lived up to his name, literally meaning to show or prove to be right or reasonable, which he did in 2018 as he was undefeated entering the Belmont. Only one other colt had won the Triple Crown undefeated---Seattle Slew.
And win he did! Was I rootin' for him.You betcha! Rather I was "rooting" for his jockey, Mike Smith and was hollering excitedly at my TV set the entire race.
Why would I root for the jockey more than a horse?
I knew that Mike would gratefully acknowledge the One who gave Him strength and power. Smith was the oldest (52) to ever "win" at the Derby and as a Triple Crown winning jockey.
When the interviewer asked him how he was feeling, his first comment, with his hands in the air, was, "FIRST, I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Later he even told of racing for all the disabled jockeys and named one he had been praying for recently.
His reply has been the same for all three legs of the Triple Crown and to me that justifies Mike Smith as the real "winner!"
