Wasserman: The Runner Who Always Tries

While the Olympic runners were preparing to take to the track in China, I happened to watch a very different race on a very different track.

The runner who caught my eye, Wasserman, would never qualify for the Olympics. He’s won only eight times in 38 career races. He wasn’t expected to win this race either.

This was a big race and the competition was fierce. Racers came from as far as Canada to compete and, in the mix, there were a few well known runners who were expected to win.

The news buzz centered mainly on these runners. Wasserman, therefore, just got a brief warm-hearted story for being the hometown favorite.

But this was Wasserman’s track. He knew it well and had won races on it. This particular race, however, presented a problem. The distance was a mile.

In eight tries, Wasserman had never won a mile race. Therefore, while his fans loved him, many didn’t give him a chance in this race.

Howard Belvoir, the man who trained Wasserman, believed differently. While Wasserman wasn’t as talented as the other runners, he was tenacious. Belvoir said of his runner, “The thing about this guy is that he tries. He tries harder than his ability.”

When the race began, however, the faster runners sprinted out to the front, leaving Wasserman last. I sighed with regret. Like everyone else, I turned my attention to the front runners and missed Wasserman’s quiet move forward.

He passed one runner, then the next until he had almost reached the two leading runners. At this point, the announcer called out in surprise, “And here comes Wasserman.” Suddenly, I found myself shouting over and over again, “Go Wasserman, go!”

I held my breath as the runners reached the final turn. Could he do it? Could Wasserman finally win a mile race? Slowly, he began to edge in front.

The other runners didn’t make it easy for Wasserman. As usual, he had to work very hard for this race. But just as they came to the wire, he managed a final surge.

Wasserman had done it. He won the 2008 Longacre Mile!

I jumped off my couch and screamed, “You go Wasserman!” The crowd went berserk with excitement. Their hometown hero was victorious.

While I enjoyed the many victories of the Olympic runners, it was this race and this athlete who moved me to tears. Unfortunately there wasn’t a medal for Wasserman, but he didn’t care. He’d done his job and all he wanted was to drink some water and eat some hay.

You see Wasserman is a six-year-old, gelding racehorse.

When Wasserman won this race he made history. His jockey, Jennifer Whitaker, became the first woman jockey to win the Longacre Mile. It was also the first Longacre victory for his breeder, trainer AND owner, Howard Belvoir.

What was really sweet is by winning, Wasserman “who tries harder than his ability” nominated himself for the season-ending championship of Thoroughbred racing, The Breeder’s Cup.

Some may say he just did what he was bred to do, but I saw the moment after the race when Wasserman stopped on the track, his sides heaving from his effort. He looked up at the crowd, as if to say, “See, I did it!”

I hope that the next time I’m struggling and think I don’t have what it takes, I will remember Wasserman’s race and think to myself, “If Wasserman can do it, so can I.”

Tagged as: Breeders Cup, horseracing, Jennifer Whitaker, Longacre Mile, olympic medals, olympic results, runners, running, woman jockeys