It only consists of a few notes on the bugle, but whenever you hear a horse races' first call to the post, you tend to stand up a little taller.
Canada's love affair with horses is no longer limited to nine-year-old girls and their sticker books or the blue-blooded set. The sport of kings now attracts the peasants as its popularity has gone back to its roots and become a spectator sport for everyone.
Horse racing is something people have been enamored with for decades, and now that Canadian colt I'll Have Another has two out of three jewels that make up the esteemed Triple Crown.
We as a nation are champing at the bit with a mint julep in hand to see if the three-year-old chestnut coloured horse can become one of the most famous horses since Mr. Ed.
Put a nickel on the thoroughbred, because he is Canadian and because the horse and jockey Mario Gutierrez, are the underdogs who have made good.
Eleven horses have won the Triple Crown in the 89 years it was been run and this year a West Coast contender might win. The Triple Crown consists of three races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes) for three-year-old thoroughbred horses. Winning all three races is the greatest accomplishment in horse racing. Affirmed was the most recent horse to win it in 1978. Since then, 11 have been victorious in the first two races - the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness - but lost at Belmont Stakes, considered the most grueling of the three tracks.
They all fell short of Man o' War, considered one of the greatest thoroughbred racehorses of all time, despite not winning the Triple Crown. In the early 1920s, he proved popular because people needed something to cheer for, and a two-minute fast-paced race was just the thing.
The world was so taken with the massive equine that after Man 'O War died in 1947, he was embalmed and lay in state for several days in a casket lined with his racing colours. As many as 2,000 people attended his funeral, lining up for at least a week for one last pat on the neck. In 1937, Man 'o War's offspring, War Admiral, became the fourth horse to take the Triple Crown.
Since then there have been a handful of horses that have captured our attention, such as Seabiscuit, Seattle Slew and Secretariat.
It's an unimaginable feat, but Canadians are hoping I'll Have Another can accomplish the task.
The stands are always peppered with the rich and snooty, peering out from under the brim of their brightly coloured hats, while counting their wads of money.
But the appeal of going to the races, harkens back to a time when holding a stiff cocktail and a third cigarette in the same hand while enjoying the sun, wasn't the social equivalent of performing a back-alley abortion.
But recently, going to the races has begun to strike a chord with the younger generations. Maybe it's the hipsters, maybe young people are tired of their usual haunts, maybe it's because the races are fast and so is the pay out. Whatever the reason - going to the races and watching the sport of kings has become popular with younger generations.
It's a cheap way, assuming you don't bet all of your money, to spend a Friday night.
You can drink beer, eat good food, sit outside and every once in a while see horses gallop by. It's the trifecta of a good time.
And if you are lucky, you'll let it ride and maybe even win a few bucks.
- copy editor Ashley MacDonald.
