Triumph at Belmont

As arguably tasteless as he may be, Triumph the Insult Dog from the Late Night With Conan O’Brien show made some excellent points in his coverage of the recent Belmont Stakes. As I’ve pointed out before with humor articles and videos, they often sneak in a few insightful points about whatever act or industry they’ve set in their crosshairs. In the few moments when he’s not busy insulting virtually every attendee of the Belmont Stakes, Triumph does just that.

The horseracing industry is just another instance of the same mentality behind dogfighting (although Triumph may have said so less eloquently). The difference is that horses are raced and killed out in the open.

Besides a chuckle, what I took away from this video was a sense of how unimportant horseracing itself is to the Belmont Stakes. Most of what I saw was just noticeably intoxicated people standing in the hot sun, cracking wise and goofing off. I’ve enjoyed (and been) this very spectacle at every low-cost local beer garden or outdoor concert I’ve ever stumbled home from. I don’t recall once stopping to think how desperately the event needed horses running in a giant loop to complete the experience.

To see Triumph in all his potty-mouthed glory, check out the video here: