Horse racing column: How Umberto Rispoli is preparing for the Kentucky Derby

Sports fans sympathize with an athlete who must wait an extra minute or two for his moment of truth: The field-goal kicker “iced” by a timeout. The no-hit pitcher feeling his limbs tighten and nerves tense in the dugout during a long top of the ninth inning. The golfer stewing over a crucial tee shot late in a major tournament while the group ahead dawdles in the fairway.

So let’s spare an extra thought for an athlete who must wait weeks for a career-defining moment: the jockey with the favorite in the Kentucky Derby.