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GATE CREW
By Frances J. Karon On Blue Grass Day in 2008, roughly 26,000 people in the stands went crazy as Visionaire, the last to load into the starting gate, took his place in the lineup. When the doors shut behind him, it was the signal that the feature race of Keeneland’s spring meet was only seconds away, and the crowd cheered, wild with anticipation. Everything fell perfectly into place, and head starter Robert “Spec” Alexander released the field: the shrill clang and sharp burst of the metal gate springing open gets the blood flowing like no other thrill associated with horseracing.
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HIS is the polished performance fans get to enjoy in the afternoons, when all eyes are focused on the racehorses and the gate crew is behind the scenes, yet in full view of the trackgoers. But during the morning dress rehearsals, everyone realizes that the starters play an integral role in what happens when the money’s on the line, because this is where they get to know the horses. A horse can be training brilliantly and perfectly prepared for its race, but there’s no use if it unravels at the start. Atop their ponies or on foot, trainers stream through the 4½-furlong chute throughout training hours to observe the Keeneland gate crew schooling their horses; it’s that important. On the back of a stocky tobiano, one of them watches his charge
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