It’s been said that timing and luck can make heroes of ordinary men. But sometimes fate places an extraordinarily courageous person in a situation that requires a heroic response. The real luck falls upon those who are saved by that courage.
Fate may have already determined which passengers would survive the 1989 crash of United Airlines Flight 232 in an Iowa cornfield. Fate had seated two young children traveling alone in the same row as Michael Matz, then a top equestrian in the high-risk sport of grand prix show jumping, where courage is required of every rider on every course.
If you watched the run-up to the Kentucky Derby last week, you probably heard at least part of the story because Matz now trains racehorses and his entry, Barbaro, was, so far, undefeated in five starts. All week, Matz patiently answered questions about the incident.
He recalled that two hours into the flight from Denver to Chicago the plane lost an engine. It might have flown safely on its remaining three engines except that hydraulic lines had been cut, leaving the pilot with little control. While the crew prepared for an emergency landing at Sioux City, Matz kept the children occupied talking and playing cards. Their older brother was in another row as was Matz’s fiancée D.D. Alexander.
When the plane crashed short of the runway and flipped over, Matz helped the kids get out. He told them to run away from the plane and not look back. Then he went back to find D.D. and heard a baby crying. He and another passenger rescued the infant lodged in an overhead bin. Then he found D.D. outside with all three of the children.
But it didn’t end there. Matz made sure they were taken care of, helped them contact their parents (this was before cell phones were everywhere) and stayed with them until the parents could get there.
Over the years they’ve all stayed in touch and the younger boy, Travis, credits Matz with more than saving them from the plane. He’s a hero because he was there with them for 24 hours afterward, he told reporters. “That’s when he showed who he was as a person.”
Travis also said that, thanks to Matz, he was not emotionally scarred, has no bad memories of the crash and isn’t afraid of flying. He and his sister, Melissa, at Churchill Downs to cheer for Matz’s entry, Barbaro, were also questioned by reporters about that day 17 years ago when fate placed Matz beside them. Melissa explained it this way: Michael is just one of those rare people who does amazing things and doesn’t showboat or take a lot of credit.
On Saturday, in a finish worthy of Hollywood, Barbaro galloped past 19 rivals to win the Derby by six and a half lengths, the largest margin since 1946 Triple Crown champion Assault won by eight lengths.
Matz, of course, gave all the credit to the handsome dark bay colt and to jockey Edgar Prado on his first Derby win. It was Barbaro’s turn to be the hero. “We think this is a terrific horse with tremendous ability,” Matz said Sunday as talk of a possible Triple Crown victory swirled around him.
For those of us who watched Matz’s success in Grand Prix jumping, it was a bit of déjà vu.
Like many sports today, show jumping was then a world of flamboyant, super egos jockeying for their place among the stars. By contrast, Matz was quiet, good-humored, self-effacing; an elegant yet effective rider who always tailored his ride to the individual horse. His horses were calm and obedient. He was as gracious a winner as he was on the days when he had a rail down, a foot in the water, or was a second slower on the jump off. Always willing to say another horse or rider was better that day.
Thoroughbred horses are very sensitive, and Matz’s quiet style was successful with many who could blow up under more aggressive riders. His rides were confident, the route well planned, the turns measured, tactfully executed, never exceeding the pace at which the horse could think or react to a slip.
It seems his own quiet confidence is working now as well with racehorses. Barbaro ran a perfect race in the Derby and came out of it in great shape. If he can duplicate that in the Preakness and the Belmont, who knows. Matz said, “We’ll try to keep him at this level for the next two races. All we can do is try our best and hopefully he’ll help us out.”
With a little luck, Barbaro could be the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed 28 years ago. If he does pull it off, you can bet Matz will be the same gracious winner he’s always been. And Barbaro will be the hero.