Calvin Borel Jockey

CALVIN BOREL

At Jazzercise class yesterday morning, a woman who exercises next to me arrived early for class. As we chatted, she mentioned that she and her husband attended the Kentucky Derby last weekend. I commented that the winning horse was led by jockey Calvin Borel, a native of my home state. She responded, “Yes, he is illiterate, isn’t he? Can’t read or write a word!”

Patience was never my strong suit, and I am opposed to physical violence. I could feel my face muscles tense, and my brain was firing off messages like ATTACK, DISPOSE OF, CRUSH. On the tip of my tongue, these words were getting ready to spill out: “Well, I hope you wore a magnificent hat large enough to ensconce your abundant derriere.” But, I didn’t.

Instead I said, “His family lives just a pirogue ride away from my family’s home in an idyllic settlement called Catahoula.”

I continued, “Calvin is gifted in other ways. He weighs only 116 pounds but can guide a 1000+ pound horse to the finish line. He became the sixth jockey in the history of Churchill Downs to win six races on a single race card. With his victory in the July 5, 2008 Calvin became the thirty-fourth jockey in North American Thoroughbred racing history to win 4,500 races. On May 16, 2009 he won the Preakness Stakes on Rachel Alexandra. This accomplishment marked the first time that a jockey won the first two legs of the Triple Crown on different horses. And . . . last Saturday, May 1, 2010 Calvin rode Super Saver to win his 3rd Kentucky Derby in a 4-year span, the first jockey ever to do so.”

And I added, “He has met U.S. Presidents, Queen Elizabeth II, and his picture has been published on the cover of major news magazines. Louisianians, especially my Catahoula friends, are extremely proud of his accomplishments. I hope you requested his autograph because he is able to sign his name and that autograph may be more lucrative than a bet on a horse.”

Of course, I was calmer after that. She was not offended and asked me to tell her more after class about Catahoula. I thought to advise some reading on emotional intelligences and traits of the gifted and talented, but I didn’t. What if she deliberately tried to fall on me in class?