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Dec 06 2007

Dona Chepa Teaches How To Win By Losing

number_oneJust do something you like really badly and eventually you will be rewarded for persevering.

Although I have a very negative view of Thoroughbred racing, I couldn’t help but notice this 9 year old Thoroughbred mare making the front page of The Philadelphia Inquirer.  Her name is Dona Chepa, she is a granddaughter of 1972 Kentucky Derby winner Riva Ridge, and she has now lost more races — 128 and counting – than any horse in the history of recorded Thoroughbred racing.  There’s definitely a lesson there — how to win by loosing.

At Least She’s Reliable

Dona Chepa’s trainer, Efrain Nieves, has noted that since Dona Chepa is so reliable, he’s never been disappointed by her performances.  He recently had to field journalists from around the world with the unique distinction of training the number one loosing Thoroughbred of all time and took it, like Dona Chepra, in his stride.  And he adds that Dona Chepa will most likely run a couple of more races before retiring.

In a world where Thoroughbreds usually begin their careers at two and are dead by four (despite a horse’s average life expectancy of 30 years), a 9 year old still able to make it to and from the track in one piece is a remarkable achievement in and of itself.  It is possible that Dona Chepa might like the racing life and has figured out how to stay there for as long as possible — by not stressing herself out in the race to be first on the day, she’s wound up being first in her life calling.

She’s Found Her True Calling

Although Dona Chepa has made a name for herself, she teaches us even more about winning through loosing.  Because of her longevity (and notoriety) she has had the same owner who actually cares about her and visits her and has a farm for her to live out her retirement years.  Usually, racehorses are passed around owners like baseball trading cards.  And owners usually only get as close to their horses as they have to be in the winner’s circle.  But Dona Chepa shows that even a loosing racehorse makes a winning friend.

So, don’t knock yourself out to get the top of the heap as quickly as possible — if you like what you do, you’ll get to the top.  It might take a lot longer than you thought and you might go by a route you didn’t think was possible, but you’ll get to win by loosing.

 

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2 Comments

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  1. Posted December 7, 2007 at 4:18 pm | Permalink

    Not doing things leads to less stress and eliminates problems. Learning what not to do in your life is often more important than trying to do things. Learning not to drink too much, or learning how to lose the urge to go out when you need to rest can save your life.

  2. Posted December 8, 2007 at 10:09 am | Permalink

    Good points. Thanks for commenting.

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