Not many people, in the course of their lives, get to experience the "highs" of anticipation, expectation and sheer glamour that this day provides for the thoroughbred racehorse owner. Depending on the size of your stable, furthermore, this is a thrill that recurs every few days to few weeks. Whether your horse wins, finishes in the money, or simply runs a good race, the experience of this day, for a horseman, is LIVING.

Your trainer and the barn staff will be intensely living the excitement along with you, from the moment they awaken. The horse, if it has raced before, will soon know "what day it is": unusual things happen.

First, the racer will get a "light" breakfast at about daybreak - and the trainer will check to see if he or she "ate up," that is, felt fit and finished all the feed. The trainer will take the horse´s temperature, just to make sure nothing is amiss. At some early hour, the Official (State) Veterinarian will be by for a pre-race examination. The vet will run experienced hands down the horse´s forelegs, checking for signs of swelling or heat. He will ask the groom to walk the horse back and forth, to check for soreness or "favoring" (and in some cases, will ask to see the horse briefly trotted or jogged right there at the barn). Finally, he will check the tatoo on inside of the thoroughbred´s upper lip and make sure it matches the official Jockey Club Registration number assigned to the horse´s name.

At some point in the morning, the horse may be walked - or perhaps jogged or galloped on the track for a few minutes - for a warm-up. (Horses are never "worked" on race day.) After that, and a bath, the horse will be muzzled to keep it from any further eating. Like all professional athletes, it will do better in competition on a light stomach.

If the horse is a known "bleeder," the trainer´s vet will come by about 4 hours before race time and inject it with no more than 5 ccs of diuretic - Lasix and/or Premarin. This is a completely legal drug (in proper doses) which will lower the horse´s blood pressure and reduce the risk of bleeding from the small, thin-walled capillaries of its nose, throat and lungs under the stress of hard running.

The only other kind of medication permitted in a horse´s bloodstream on race day is a small quantity of one of four "legal" anti-inflammatories - usually phenylbutazone, or "bute" - which will be indicated in The Racing Form with a capital "B" in the horse´s running lines (though all the anti-inflammatories are indicated with a "B"). Some trainers, in addition, will have the horse stand in a foreleg ice-bath for up to 90 minutes to relieve any nagging discomfort that might distract it from running its best race.

Now is when the trainer and assistant trainer - and the owner, if you have been at the barn that morning - go to change into more formal wear for the festivities ahead.

An hour or less before the designated race time, your trainer will receive the "20 minute call," summoning your horse to the Receiving Barn for a final "walk-by" witnessed by the Official Veterinarian. The Horseshoe Inspector will check to see that your horse´s shoes are legal (i.e., "stickers" are sometimes not permitted) and in good condition. An official called the Horse Identifier will again verify the horse´s lip tattoo, as well as its color and markings, against its file - a Jockey Club Registration certificate and photographs. After that, your trainer, the trainer´s assistant, your horse and its handler will go to the saddling paddock, where it will come under the watchful jurisdiction of the Racing Veterinarian. At this point, the Paddock Judge will check and note the gear your trainer has brought for your horse. There are a half-dozen or more bits which may be used to curb a horse´s tendency to drift in or out. A tongue-tie is used to be sure the horse´s tongue won´t obstruct its air passage. Blinkers, hood-goggles, and even ear-muffs are part of racing equipment for many horses: they may keep a flighty or fractious horse´s mind on the race. But the use - or decision not to use - of any of these devices must be cleared with the Paddock Judge prior to the race (and in the case of blinkers, prior to the issuance of the Overnights). Finally, the jockeys´ valets bring out their saddles and help the trainers secure this scant but crucial gear onto the horses.

When the official preparation is over, your trainer finishes with a ritual as old and as beautiful as horseracing itself. For all those who say racing is "just a business," they should witness this moment of highly personal contact, filled with hope, that sends these wondrous athletes into competition: a pat on the neck, sometimes even a kiss, and a few special words whispered in the horse´s ear comprise a racing "pep-talk" in a private language. As an owner, these are moments you won´t want to miss.

No matter how your horse finished (provided it was not injured) you will have had a great day...a day that few others on the planet, and only a few score in history, can truly appreciate. Congratulations!