“Ava, I could try to be cool…but…I’ve missed you. You make me want more out of my life. Yeah, I love the track…and hanging with Dino…but hell, I’m going to be 32. I want a bigger life than that. I just thought we could be…were…something new. Bigger. But if you want to just have....”
She stood up, took a few steps, and sat in his lap, putting her head on his neck.
After a minute, he pulled her head up. “Remember? We were going to go see Winning Colors race and beat the boys in the Santa Anita Derby. Let’s just see how it goes…OK? I’ll pick you up Saturday morning at 10:00.”
April 9, 1988, Santa Anita Racetrack, California
If Winning Colors were to have the opportunity to run in the Kentucky Derby, she would first have to prove herself in today’s Santa Anita Derby. She was to run against the best colts in California, at the distance of one-and-one-eighth miles, farther than she had ever run in a race. She always ran so fast early in her races that many top newspaper horse handicappers still believed she could not carry that blinding speed for the longer distances against males.
The day was clear and warm, the track packed with fans, and the ladies in attendance were especially passionate about the filly’s chances. Miami noticed the stands were packed with an unusually large number of women, and even young girls. The Los Angeles Times, and other local papers, were featuring the race as something of a re-match of the male vs. female tennis game played by Billie Jean King against Bobby Riggs.
Dino told Miami, “Bobby Riggs was an old man at age 55 in that match. Billie Jean King was age 29. This is different, Winning Colors has to beat the best males in California straight up.”
Miami and Dino invited Amalia also to see the race, and they left early, knowing the track would be overflowing today. Miami drove the Impala with Ava sitting in the front; Dino and Amalia were in the back seats. Ava surprised all of them with gifts: four blue baseball hats, embroidered with “Winning Colors” in yellow letters. They all donned the hats and smiled.
Miami was being quiet, a rare behavior for him.
Dino explained to Amalia how history proved it would be difficult for their favorite filly to win today. “Horseracing is the only sport in the world where females can compete and win against the men for a championship. How many female horses have won the Santa Anita Derby and then the Kentucky Derby?
Amalia knew the answer, but she had another question. “None…ever. How have the girls done when racing against the Derby males?”
Dino answered, “Since 1875, only two fillies have won the Derby. And there was one other time….”
Miami looked at Dino in the rear-view mirror…and frowned. Dino was shaking his head side to side.
Ava jumped in, “Tell us. What are you not telling us?”
Dino continued, “It’s the worst horse racing story ever. I don’t like to think about it or tell it…but, in 1975, there was the greatest filly of all time. Her name was Ruffian, and she was a lot like Winning Colors, with blazing early speed. Ruffian was undefeated in 10 starts with 10 wins. No other filly ever got her head in front of Ruffian ever. All the fans wanted her to run in the Derby, but her trainer and owner said ‘no.’”
“She broke the track record in a workout, when she was only 2-years-old!” added Miami.
“So what happened?” asked Amalia. “Tell us.”
“So after the Derby they set up a match race. Just her against the 3-year-old colt that won the Derby that year, Foolish Pleasure. They called it ‘The Battle of the Sexes’ and ran it in New York. It was a huge event, with 50,000 people in attendance and like 18 million watching on TV. Ruffian broke in front and was beating him for three-quarters-of-a-mile.”
Dino stopped. Tears came into his eyes. He couldn’t continue.
Everyone was silent. After thirty seconds, Miami finished the story. “She snapped her front leg in half…but she refused to stop running…she kept trying to beat him and they had to put her down.”
There was silence for the rest of the drive to the track.
“Well I can tell you one thing for sure,” Dino said. “I have never seen this many women and girls at the racetrack in my entire life. It’s because of our girl…they love her.”
Many girls and their mothers had posted painted banners and now held pink signs that read: “GIRL POWER!” and “BEAT the BOYS!” Dino and Miami saw the saddling area and paddock packed five persons deep. They were calling out to Winning Colors. She had clearly struck a nerve.
The huge gray filly was wearing the number five saddlecloth and her regular white bridle as she was led to the gate by the saddle pony. Several of the other jockeys were aware of the talents of the big gray filly and had learned of her penchant for getting easily upset. As she warmed up, Stevens noticed that they were using their whips, loudly snapping them against their colts and even their own boots to try to scare her. Stevens was angry about their behavior and steered his mount as far away as possible from the agitators, fearing she could lose her focus before the race even began.
Winning Colors paused and held her head still, as if to take in the beautiful day, with the San Gabriel Mountains standing out against the backstretch. She stood calmly in the gate, waited for the eight males to load, and when the gates snapped open, she promptly raced ahead of the entire field, going straight to the lead. She was immediately challenged to her right and forced to accelerate into the first left turn to hold the lead, while skimming the rail in her usual fashion. This leading group of horses set very
