Points Offthebench

Do these things really even out? Who knows? All you can say for certain is that the satisfaction, as and when the wheel turns back in your favor, is all the more profound; and that any neutral, accordingly, should be rooting for Tim Yakteen at the Breeders' Cup. Like most horsemen, the Californian trainer has learned a wholesome fatalism. He doesn't dwell on what happened seven years ago this week. After all, he has based a whole career on the lessons available in experience of every kind, good and bad--whether...