As famed New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel once said, “It don’t always work.” He was referring to the unprecedented, never-to-be repeated success of the 1950s Yankees. Have the most impressive line up of sluggers in history, add a pitching staff that still lives in the imagination of fans, throw in an esprit de corps and a tight, victory-oriented organization, which makes every other team see their games with you as the final of the World Series, and you win a lot of ball games, penants, and championships. But as Casey reminds us, you lose some.

It’s the same with horses. You love them, care for them, devote your best efforts to their maintenance and upkeep, trying to give them the fulfillment that we all want and need. Still you make mistakes which could end in tragedy, remember, they’re flight animals, and yet some end on an unexpected, triumphal note, like this one, Mutt’s Big Race. Read on.