Horse racing is a cruel sport, a business in which equine athletes are pushed past their limits on tracks littered with ripped, bloody flesh and crushed skulls. They are whipped, drugged and trained for years, often before they’re two, then forced to sprint—often under the threat of illegal electric shock devices—at speeds that can cause pulmonary hemorrhaging and even death. The only reason that many horses escape such horrific ends is because of the efforts of an army of independent nonprofit rescuers who network, fundraise and work tirelessly to reclaim them before it’s too late. Otherwise, they would be tossed into the slaughter pipeline and shipped off to Canada and Mexico to die, where they are slaughtered for meat that is eaten by people who have no idea of their brutally short lives.
On the surface, horse races look like glamorous events in which spectators dress in their finest and sip mint juleps as they watch jockeys and riders race horses across a dirt track. But behind the scenes, a horse race is a nightmare of injuries, drug abuse and gruesome breakdowns. Horses are often whipped and injected with cocktails of legal and illegal drugs that mask the injuries they sustain and artificially enhance their performance. Injuries are commonplace and the majority of horses—PETA estimates ten thousand annually in America—will be killed, most of them at the end of their brief careers.
A good steward knows that if a horse balks in the walking ring before the start of a race, it’s not because they’re frightened or angry; it’s because they aren’t ready to run. That’s why they look at the coat color and vigor of each horse in the ring, hoping to see a bright, rippling sheen that signals it is ready to sprint. The day of the Preakness, Mongolian Groom looked bright enough, although he did balk at the gate.
The race began and the horses sprinted over the first six furlongs, and then slowed down. The pack stayed together, and the race appeared to be shaping into a close one. But when the horses turned into the stretch, a dark-colored horse called War of Will took an early lead and pulled away from the rest of the field. Mongolian Groom remained in second place, and McKinzie was close behind him.
Despite the protests of some governance observers, the classic succession “horse race” has been effective for selecting many highly regarded CEOs at iconic companies. It is not an ideal method to identify and develop future leaders, however, because it promotes a culture of intense competition for the top job and can result in protracted succession contests. Yet some companies that use the approach successfully have adapted it to their specific environments and cultures, and the benefits can be significant. For example, many companies that adopt the horse race approach also create a system in which executives compete to acquire critical leadership roles through which they gain the competencies and seasoning needed for the CEO role.