Jay Hovdey

Call it the cringe factor, and thank goodness it still exists, for without it there would be no saving the species.

Frank Stronach leaned on the railing at the mouth of the Santa Anita saddling enclosure last Saturday afternoon, admiring the horses preparing to run in the $3 million Breeders' Cup Turf. Stronach is usually a difficult read, but you could tell he was enjoying the view, when suddenly a senior security official began herding the gathered throng out of the enclosure, worried that the Japanese horse Trailblazer would throw another fit. "Sir, would you move back please." This was directed at Stronach. "Sir, please move back."

After a year's worth of anticipation and a week of intense finishing touch, Day 1 of a Breeders' Cup always comes down to horses and jockeys. Friday at Santa Anita was no different.

It's been a tough couple of weeks for anyone who has been an abiding fan of horse racing most their lives, and I'm not just talking about grief over a TV show getting cancelled. Ramon Dominguez, Paco Lopez and Victor Espinoza, three of the game's stalwart performers, were injured recently in action. Racehorse breakdowns have made headline news -- and rightfully so -- but now they have grandstanding politicians along for the ride.

No one asked me if I was okay with acknowledging the accomplishments of the claiming horse Rapid Redux with a special Eclipse Award, to be presented on Monday night in Beverly Hills. So sure, why not. A season of 19 wins at any level without a defeat (now 22 straight over three seasons) deserves a nod, and this is a pretty big one, seeing as the 6-year-old son of Pleasantly Perfect takes his place on a list of Special Eclipse Award winners that includes Bill Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay, Sheikh Mohammed, C.V. Whitney and Richard Duchossois.