Passing of an Era

You know how they say that things come in threes, well two sad events have already transpired today.

My dad called this morning to let me know that Jimmy Croll, who trained Holy Bull as well as our horses, Bet Twice and Housebuster, died this morning at the age of 88. He was in failing health recently but my father said his mind was still sharp as of last week when the two of them spoke. He was very much one of my dad's mentors and a great trainer, especially of two year olds.

If you ever met him you might have had a difficult time understanding him because he spoke very quickly. In fact, I used to think my father was the only one who could understand him. The funny thing was, if he ever started talking about what someone else said, he pronounced their words as clear as a bell. Just one of those things and clearly his horses understood him.

Jim McKay, also a great friend of horse racing, passed away today as well at the age of 87. He lived in Maryland, not far from my parents' farm, and they were great friends. In fact, for years, they would go to the Preakness together and I remember when they attended Jim's 75th birthday party. He loved horse racing and was a big supporter of Maryland breeding farms.

Also for years he was the voice of the Triple Crown races on ABC. In fact, it took me a long time to get used to NBC coverage because McKay was so good. He understood the sport from the perspective of an owner and breeder and he also loved the "up close and personal" aspects of the stories.

Two giants in the sport both pass away on the day in which a Triple Crown could be won.....The end of an era, the changing of the guard and perhaps some kind of deeper message there that we don't know, at least not yet.