This may come as a surprise but not everyone who follows racing is obsessed by betting – many of us can watch the sport for what it is – a sport – without it being sullied by betting.
It is also possible to back a horse and still cheer and appreciate another good horse if it is beating your selection.
My philosophy when I bet is simple, it is assumed to be a loser, so I don’t really care if the hose I back is beaten by a better horse.
It also annoys me when people say they lose a load of money when their horse is beaten, referring to their lost winnings – they have not "lost" their winnings, all they have lost is their stake and, frankly, if they get that upset about losing their stake then they should, maybe, not be betting in the first place.
So there is plenty of room for sentiment – provided you are not obsessed by money.
From where I was standing in the stands I would say most of the racegoers were sentimentalists and cheering Imperial Commander.
All Tanya was was doing was using a very appropriate figure of speech.