I’ve come to realize that I need to redefine my relationship with horse racing. Losing my job at the Maryland Jockey Club was one of the most soul-crushing experiences of my life, and I’m grateful for it because that failure made me realize that I had tied my entire identity to a single goal, and convinced myself that goal was the only way to find happiness amid the trials of mental illness.
It took me a while to post this, as it is by far the most personal thing I have ever shared on the internet, but I feel it would be an injustice to Blackie to omit the reasons he was such a substantial influence in my life. In reality, this is not a blog post about Better Talk Now – those who knew the horse far more than I have written beautiful tributes to him already, – this is a blog post about the profound impact he had on me, personally.
I’d like to thank Herringswell Stables for their care of Blackie during and after his racing career, and for their generosity in sharing him with his legions of loyal fans. I’d also like to thank Graham Motion for responding to a letter written years ago by a teenage girl whose life was changed by his superstar gelding. I still treasure the letter (now laminated) and photographs I received in reply.
Better Talk Now, by Jessica Tugwell 