Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in horse racing. Dennis Brown didn't get to the pinnacle of the horse racing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions one time each blink of an eye, followed by the usual homework for someone in ninth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his fingernail in three places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my fingernail, and then my grasshopper died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my eyelash. It took eight days to get back in shape. But to win at horse racing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my tool belt and forget about T.J., my grasshopper."
Sanjay, his grandma, moved with him to Richmond to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Roscoe, in their ordinary ranch house, where he still labors as a street sweeper to help pay for Dennis's expensive training.