Smarty Jones lost the Belmont. That sucks. I was really hoping for another triple crown winner. It’s been a long time since Affirmed.

I grew up watching the triple crown on TV — it was the only horse racing broadcast at that time. Grandma, mama and I would all pick a favorite and have a little bet with each other. That gave us an excuse to cheer on our picks during the race. The win was worth nothing but bragging rights, but it was a lot of fun. I was hooked early on when I picked Northern Dancer for the Derby because I liked his name, and he won.

My favorite horse race of all time was the ’73 Belmont when the great Secretariat was so far ahead of the other horses in the (small) field that the camara man couldn’t get the field on the camera. Grandma was gone by that time. Mama and I had both picked Secretariat, because what else could we do? But we had a great time cheering him on and celebrating his amazing win.

That was the last triple crown we watched together, as I moved to Portland the next year. And Mama is gone now, too. But I still watch the triple crown every year, and cheer on my favorite.