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Longtime steeplechase owner Henry Stern, whose neon green and pink silks won numerous major races on the American circuit, died Tuesday. He was 88.

Imagine a horse so good, opposing jockeys give him a pat on the neck after a victory. Imagine a horse so good, people toss their hats in the air as he charges to the finish line. Imagine a horse so good, he will parade past the local pub the day after an important win. Imagine a horse so good, a 10-year-old quits playing Wii NASCAR the day after Christmas to watch.

Michael O’Brien. The name meant success. He was America’s champion steeplechase jockey of 1972 and rode the stars for Jonathan Sheppard including Cafe Prince, Athenian Idol, Wustenchef and the rest.

Thirty-nine seconds do not really make a work. Unless it’s been seven months since your last one. Grade I winner Toby’s Corner, making a long trek back to fitness, went through his first easy breeze Friday – going 3 furlongs in 39 and change. Call it a slow step one, with many more to follow.

Back in 1994, we marveled at the performances of Warm Spell, Mistico, Lonesome Glory, Revelstoke and so on. The horses wowed us, at every step. All these years later, that’s still the best part of producing this newspaper. The amazing came early, late, often in 2011:

The first is about achievement. The second, approval. The third, affirmation. Paddy Young became the first steeplechase jockey to win three titles in a row since John Cushman dominated the trade, winning four consecutive crowns back in the 80s.

It comes down to this. Tom Voss leads Jonathan Sheppard who leads Richard Valentine. Three trainers, two wins apart, five races at Camden, 23 starters between them, a title in the balance. Drop the flag.

Imagine pushing the buttons, pulling the levers, turning the cranks. You own the team. You make the decisions and live with them. You hire, you fire, you buy, you sell.

Breeders and original owners Diana and Bert Firestone . . . owners Debra Kachel and Irv Naylor . . . trainers Neil Morris, Ricky Hendriks and J.W. Delozier . . . jockeys Matt McCarron, Paddy Young, Jacob Roberts and Carl Rafter . . .

Tom and Mimi Voss went back to the meadow. On a quiet Sunday in late November, oldtimers Shoot Back, Petroski, Sennacherib and Malagash picked their heads up, made sure the Vosses weren’t coming for them and went back to eating.