"This is the most greatest moment of my life".
-- Calvin Borel, who rode Street Sense to victory in yesterday's Kentucky Derby
Borel -- called "Bo-rail" because of his ability to guide a horse along the track's inside railing in order to gain ground -- grew up in southwestern Louisiana. He learned to ride from his older brother Cecil, who still trains racehorses at Delta Downs in Vinton, just over the Sabine from Texas.
A second cousin of mine who owns a quarterhorse and runs him around the Cajun track circuit knows the Borels from all the way back.
Borel can barely read but has been a tireless worker all his life, having won more than 4,300 races and earned over $83 million for his horses' owners.
Good fortune just couldn't have happened to a more deserving fellow.
