The hardest thing about riding a horse is the ground

Well, well, well. Baltimore keeps figuring in the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

First, if not for a woman from here, things might have turned out quite differently for Her Majesty. She became Queen after her father, King George VI passed away. But George had only become King because his brother Edward married a woman from Baltimore named Wallis Simpson, who was twice divorced, and both exes were still alive. That was a scandal that could only be remedied by having Edward abdicate in 1936 to "marry the woman I love," as he put it.

Wallis Simpson grew up at 212 E. Biddle St, a house that still stands, in the tony mid-town Belvedere neighborhood.

Then of course, Her Majesty came to Maryland several times, once to shop at the Giant in Hyattsville (1957) and again to see an Orioles ballgame at Memorial Stadium (1991). 

AND...just this past Saturday, she had a hand in helping people from Baltimore make a quick dollar or two.

Over at Old Hilltop, the nickname for Pimlico Racetrack ("Home of the Preakness"), a horse bred by Queen Elizabeth II won a race on Saturday, two days after the British monarch passed away at 96, following seven decades on the throne.

West Newton, a six-year-old gelding, was way back of the pack in sixth place, but hit the homestretch hard to win by a half-length.

West Newton wins! So why the long face?

He ran one and one-eighth mile on turf in one minute and 52.12 seconds. I've had cars that couldn't match that pace. The jockey was Forest Boyce and the trainer was Richard Hendriks. 

West Newton was only seen as having an outside chance to win this race. He hadn't raced for 11 months.

“An unexpected but awesome win!!” owner Patrick Lewis said.

“He had been training well but closed like a steam engine today.”

West Newton's mother was the mare Queen’s Prize, also bred by the late monarch.

The Queen got into horse racing when her father took her to the races when she was 16.

“She saw this magnificent horse and was captivated by it and when she touched its neck it felt like velvet, and she said she didn’t wash her hands for three days,” said a royal onlooker.

I hope someone local won a nice pile at Pimlico on Saturday. I have a strict policy of never betting on anything that eats, and you never can tell what these oatburners are going to do when they race. 

The last time I wanted to bet, the hoss in question was so well-mannered, when the gate opened, he turned around and closed it.