If I am like many of you, we live in a world where only a few people in our families get horse racing. Today, my cousin, Shawn Murphy, passed away after a short but brave fight against cancer.
In August, I saw my cousin the one time a year we saw each other, at the family reunion. This year, like the past several years, we spent hours talking horses, as well as our other shared interests like the Civil War and counter culture. A week before the Woodward, I suggested to Sister Turk that we call cousin Shawn and invite him to the Spa to see Curlin run. That's when I learned he was sick, but at the time we had no idea how serious.
We never called cousin Shawn but thought about him during the course of the day. This was his last summer at the Spa and he regretted the rain that plauged the early part of the meet. How could he know he'd never see another meet, but how do any of us?
Shawn leaves behind a loving wife, two beautiful daughters, and a cat. I was the ring bearer in his Wedding, I held his first born on the day she was baptized, and I lost somebody I didn't see often but thought the world of. Rest in Peace Shawn, we'll be talking over the ponies one day again, with Aunt Rosie I imagine.
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