The fifth-oldest NFL franchise endured over 40 years without a championship season, yet its team founder Art Rooney Sr. and his family never gave up, committed as they were to their hometown. However, many folks don't realize that the Pittsburgh Steelers may never have existed, or at least survived all those hard financial times without...horse racing.

Every horseplayer has their favorite types of races. Personally, I'm a turf buff and, if you give me a juvenile maiden special weight, I'm in heaven. So, while some dread handicapping the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, I'll dive right in.

As a fan, call me underwhelmed. The Breeders' Cup returns to Churchill Downs in 2010, and, once again, horse racing has missed the boat in terms of updating what has become, unfortunately, "the' defining event of America's thoroughbred industry.