Kentucky Derby? Amateur. Preakness? Psht. Belmont Stakes? Child’s play. The real actions lies in corgi racing.
If you were lucky enough to be near Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. on Sunday, you know what I’m talking about. The racetrack hosted the first annual SoCal Corgi Nationals this weekend, and you’ll never again convince me that horses are worth betting on.
The SoCal Corgi Nationals are a product of SoCal Corgi Nation’s Beach Days, a three-times-a-year meetup of fluffy corgi butts that sounds too good to be true. The next one is on June 23 in Huntington Beach, for those lucky enough to be on the west coast.
The event sold out within minutes and the waitlist of racing spots filled right up. No worries, though -- additional corgis were still allowed in as spectators to check out the competition for (hopefully) next year’s race or to enter the costume contest. Comically, only corgis and corgi mixes were deemed worthy of entrance; exclusivity was key.
After 10 heats, 10 corgs were entered into the finals. *Cue “The Final Countdown”*
And they were off!
Rick Garcia’s corgi Roi was crowned the winner, and I think it’s safe to say that he’s up there with Triple Crown contender Justify as far as notoriety goes.
Wondering what made their little legs move so very fast? Some owners credited tennis balls and hot dogs as part of their grueling training methods, according to ABC7.
Get with it, corgi parents -- it’s time to get your little guys trained for next year.