Bodexpress: The Hero America Needs Today

I’m not into horse racing but my father was, and in his loving memory I watch the three races of the Triple Crown every year. Two weeks ago, the Kentucky Derby ended in a controversial first-ever disqualification of the wining horse. Shocking! So was the $1000 mint julep, but I digress. 

But it was last Saturday’s Preakness Stakes that had America jumping up and down in excitement. The gate opened and Bodexpress, a feisty 3-year-old colt, threw his jockey, Hall of Fame veteran John Velasquez. I was at home fixing a sandwich but the sight of the jockey sitting on the ground in disappointment made me drop my mayo knife as the race suddenly grabbed my complete attention. (Velasquez was all right, by the way.)

There was Bodexpress, unencumbered by an annoying whipping jockey, running the race riderless and scott free! Are you kidding me!? Come on, Bodexpress! 

The long-range camera showed how Bodexpress kept pace with his horse buddies. He even seemed to keep a respectful safe distance from them so as not to interfere with their race. But the close-up cameras kept bouncing back and forth between the lead horses and the riderless renegade. Meanwhile, sports bars across the nation suddenly came alive as patrons cheered loudly for the horse that had captured America’s hearts in a matter of seconds. Check out these Twitter tweets: 

Maggie: #Bodexpress is my hero! He raced his own race. 

Rick: I watched one horse the entire trip around… #Bodexpress 

TexasMonkey: It’s great! The bar erupted and everybody stopped cheering for their horse and EVERYBODY in the bar started cheering for #9 Bodexpress after he decided to make the run solo! 

Within minutes, a new Twitter hashtag emerged: #AmericasHorse. And Bodexpress earned it! 

Oh, they tried to rein him in. As you might imagine, the Pimlico Race Course staff was aghast and they dispatched an outrider to catch Bodexpress as the horses galloped around to the final stretch. But the independent colt was having none of that. He increased his speed, evaded the outrider, and even managed to beat two horses to the finish line! And then . . .  Bodexpress kept on going! He took a victory lap, running around the whole track a second time as the Pimlico crowd roared. It took the racing staff two minutes and several outriders before one of them could finally intercept the rebel and tell him, “Whoa!” I’m laughing as I type this! What a horse! 

Why did Bodexpress capture our hearts so quickly? I think there are three reasons. First, Americans are starved for good news. With so much division in politics and social policy, so many mass shootings, plus the rumblings about the looming possibility of war, we are ready for a feel good story. 

Secondly, the horse racing industry has been beset by controversy this past year, with race horses dying at an alarming rate. 24 horses have died since last December at Santa Anita alone! Something is deadly wrong and the industry is doing some serious investigating and soul searching. Bodexpress’s solo run was the ultimate equine statement. Who needs jockeys? Who needs humans? Let me be Bodexpress! Let me be horse! 

Lastly, I think everyone can relate to the idea of casting aside all our excess baggage, letting down our hair, and doing our own thing. I did it, and while my days of care free independence were exhilarating, it took me years to recover as my life settled into a new groove. (Another story that I will perhaps someday share.) But not everybody has the courage or wherewithal to go prodigal. In his renegade race, Bodexpress was running vicariously for anyone who has dreamed of being wild and free! 

So thank you, Bodexpress, for such a thrilling four minutes of elation! You are the hero that America needs today.