I'm at a loss to make an analogy of the experience of Finger Lakes racing to Saratoga, but a good horse is a good horse. The names in the article are not unknown to me, and in fact, I was a regular patron of the bowling alley owned by one of Fio Rito's owners. Their bartender is now one of the track's leading trainers.

Reading that Fit Rito broke through the gate makes his win even more impressive. A Hall of Fame rider told me that he always considered this a bad sign for his horse, and a serious misuse of energy.

It's probably a sign of how absolutely insane our world has become that the most inspiring words I've read in weeks comes at the end of an obit for a jockey at a minor league track: "We prefer that you honor Les by doing a kind act for another." RIP, Les.