It was his binoculars that got me. The ones hanging from an old wooden brush box in an old wooden barn, cracked down the center of the sight line, leather strap twisted and knotted, edges worn to metal, his name--S. Watters--clicked in the plastic label and pasted along the rim of the lens.

Racehorse grooms, once judged in a USA Today readers' poll as holding "The Worst Job in All of Sports," are emerging from the shadow of obscurity into the sunlight of long-overdue recognition.

We ran Curlin as much or more for the enjoyment and inspiration of the fans and sport than for ourselves.

The Jockeys' Guild has made substantial progress in many areas over the past year. Most importantly, the bankruptcy judge approved the Guild's plan to emerge from bankruptcy Dec. 3.

The note was slipped to me at the press table. It was from a fellow journalist covering the 1999 University of Connecticut men's basketball team in its first national championship year. But this night, the game is a blur. All I can think about is the note. It would transform me from a lifelong horse racing fan to the owner of a Thoroughbred.