The Upside to Moving

I am currently in the process of moving into a new home. It’s only a few miles away from our present home, but it thankfully located in Tarrant County where Gary West’s Fort Worth Star-Telegram can be delivered directly to my front doorstep. And as many of you know, moving can be a real headache. It requires energy and boxes and sacrifices and boxes and HVAC inspections and boxes and utility hookups and boxes.

Yesterday, I was lamenting to a co-worker that I was so consumed with this new real estate venture and new home acquisition, that I rarely found time to read the racing form. And what was even more disheartening, I had no time to write. She had a good suggestion: “Why don’t you write about the relationship between moving and horse racing?”

Brilliant.

The relationship between moving and horse racing: Moving interferes with horse racing.

The time I usually utilize to read the Daily Racing Form was used instead to fill the many nail holes that grace our now bare walls. The time I require to peruse the Blood-horse is instead allotted to sorting toys and boxing my 7-year-old’s "I-can’t-possibly-live-without-this" treasures. And last Saturday, while my husband and I hauled Christmas decorations, lawn chairs, old crap, etc. out of our 347º F attic, I was unable to go to the track and missed out on my Joint Effort – Ready to Please – Victorina sure thing trifecta in the Dogwood Breeders' Cup. I missed my win with Lord Robyn in the Blazing Sword Stakes at Calder. I just missed period.

Meanwhile, moving day looms ahead tomorrow. My husband has informed me that apparently DSL will take up to six weeks before some yokel can actually find the switch and turn it on in our house. Thus, blogs will be light. (What’s dial-up again?)

Therefore, there will be no Belmont for me tomorrow. If I’m lucky, we might be moved into the new house by post time and maybe I can at least catch it on television, if it is even on television, because we all know how television treats the Belmont when there is no Triple Crown.

Since I have been unable to even glance at Belmont’s PPs, I can’t even toss out my thoughts and picks. But I will share this one tidbit completely unrelated to the Belmont. The 11th race tomorrow at Lone Star Park, a TTA stakes for 2 year-old fillies, there is a gal, Foolish Girl, that track handicapper Rick Lee generously bestowed morning line odds of 20:1. First of all, I love the babies because of the “you just never really know” factor. They can be the most undependable of races and you can usually find a jockey/trainer/pedigree/behavior gimmick that enables some juveniles to outrun their odds. This will be Foolish Girl’s third race. Her first race, she broke very poorly from the gate, but in a short amount of time, she made up some serious distance, passing a full field of rivals and won. The second time she raced, and be assured I took note, I watched her very carefully in the paddock and the post parade. While other fillies were nervous or jittery and behaved like the juveniles that they really are, she was just as calm at Lake Lewisville the day the outboard motor died and stranded us in the middle of the lake. She was that calm. Not a problem in the paddock. Relaxed in the post parade. Once again, she had some nice odds and I made a big win wager. My thoughts were that all she needed was a good clean break from the gate and she could easily win the race. I looked like a genius when she scored! And I’m pretty sure I made enough to pay for my movers. Okay, maybe not that much, but a nice payout nonetheless. Foolish Girl’s trainer, Tommie Morgan , is no slouch. He’s winning at 29% and ITM 55% during the meet. He keeps jockey Omar Rodriguez, who is only winning at 8%, but he’s been on board both times and why screw with a working combination. The competition appears a little tougher this time, but I just recite my mantra: They’re only 2 year-olds.

Lone Star 11: 1. Foolish Girl 2. Miss Mary Pat 3. Lady Be Tru

Estimated post time, 7:01 pm. Conveniently, after U-Haul rental return time of 5:00 pm.

Did I mention that our new house is closer to the track?