A horse named 'Yogi Berra' will make his racing debut today (UPDATE: He won!)
If you happen to be hanging around Tampa Bay Downs on Friday and feel like taking 8-1 odds on a three-year-old colt, you can put your money on one with a legendary baseball namesake:
Jessica Steinbrenner's 3-year-old colt Yogi Berra makes his racing debut today @TampaBayDownsFL. Race 9, 4:24 PM post, 8-1 odds. #Yankees
- Lindsay Berra (@lindsayberra) February 21, 2014As Lindsay Berra (an MLB.com columnist who happens to be Yogi's granddaughter) points out, the horse's owner is Jessica Steinbrenner, who runs a thoroughbred farm and is the late George Steinbrenner's daughter.
So should we expect Yogi to show up at the track to cheer on his equine counterpart? Maybe not: In 2001, he told Esquire "I never go to the track. I don't like horses. They take too long."
UPDATE: Guess what? Yogi Berra won his race! And it turns out, his namesake couldn't resist cheering him on:
Grampa Yogi watching Yogi the Horse win the race @TampaBayDownsFL! Wahooo! #Yankees pic.twitter.com/ZsAOaJeTdW
- Lindsay Berra (@lindsayberra) February 21, 2014It looks like the two have something in common:
Yogi the Horse wins his 1st race, and Grampa Yogi hit a home run in his 1st at bat against the Philadelphia Athletics in '46. #Yankees
- Lindsay Berra (@lindsayberra) February 21, 2014