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and spectators at the Breeders Cup World
Championships this weekend we see the
first ever openly gay horse to run in a
major Stakes race Gan Wharton takes us
beyond the
facts here at s to Anita Park many
betters are counting on two-time Bowmont
winner fantastic feat to take the
Breeders Cup but it's newcomer ship's
captain that has everyone talking I see
him at the head of the
field and I think there's no way that
horse is gay mhm but he is trainer Jean
Harris acknowledged the horse's sexual
orientation in last week's Time Magazine
he can no more change the fact that he's
gay than he can that he has four hooves
there have been rumors of gay horses
competing since the early days of
thoroughbred racing flat tire whirlybird
and nor Easter were widely suspected to
be homosexual while the book out in the
pasture revealed former press champ
silver dollar struggled to remain in the
closet going so far as breeding with
mares to protect his secret what were
your biggest concerns about ship's
Captain coming out the horses I was
worried how they'd react but they
refused to riding the same trailer as
him they buck and snort we walked in the
stable gaining the acceptance of other
trainers and horses is only part of the
battle while many racing fans are
commending ship's Captain for his
bravery others aren't ready to accept
the idea of a gay racehorse it's getting
a bad name on racing no I don't think
there should be anything like that I
think everything should be natural it
ain't right I'm worried about all the
other horses that are with them that
they're you know they have to eat
together and they might get horse AIDS
or something like that there's an
astonishing amount of ignorance out
there I'll be in a stable with ship's
captain and I'll hear a jockey say
that's so gay and I think I hope he
can't understand human language despite
the horse's high profile Harris says
ship's Captain's priority is to race not
make a political statement ship's
Captain is here because he's fast not
because he's gay there are other gay
horses you know people go out to a
Petting Farm there's gay ponies out
there that they're petting there's gay
plow horses mhm this is a part of the
world the latest odds on ship's Captain
winning the Breeders Cup are 16 to1 but
don't count him out just yet he's
already overcome much greater odds just
by being himself from Beyond the facts
I'm Ganan Horton thanks Ganan we'll all
be watching to see how that gay horse
fares
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