News and Notes with a Smattering of Gossip

Apparently, our average horseplayer, David Ruben Jerry George Bailey, is not-so-average. He recently competed in a DRF/NTRA Handicapping tournament at Emerald Downs and finished 9th out of something like 4,267 participants! He won prize money! He had a trip to Las Vegas in his back pocket! He planned on changing the name of his blog to YourAboveAverageHorseplayer! He performed a remarkable feat and was highly congratulated by all. But then ... (insert theme from Dragnet) ... Dum-de-Dum-Dum ... Somebody screwed up. Somebody made an accounting mistake. Somebody had to recalculate the standings. Somebody had to fix things. Anyway, abridged version, David Ruben Jerry George Bailey actually finished 11th, gets to keep his prize money, and in lieu of a trip to Las Vegas for the national tournament, he receives a consolation prize of attending another tournament at another location courtesy of Emerald Downs, according to marketing director, Susie Sourwine.

Regardless, David is to be high-fived and as far as I'm concerned, still has the goods to change the name of his blog. And speaking of names, is Susie Sourwine her real name?

Oh, while we're still on names, famous or otherwise, I recently had a visitor to my blog. Imagine my suprise when I saw the Joe Cocker had read my blog as well posted a comment! I love his music! And to think, he likes horse racing. But upon closer inspection, I note that it is actually Joe Coker of Dallas, and not Joe Cocker. Joe Coker writes over at The Paddock about Texas racing and such. And he is just as famous as Joe Cocker because he had his picture taken with both Lafitt Pincay, Jr. and Edgar Prado.

Since horse racing in North Texas has wrapped up, I noted that Joe is writing about Saratoga. I also noted that just about everybody is writing about Saratoga. I also read the one and only piece of horse racing news in today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

Saratoga Race Course in New York canceled all of its thoroughbred races Wednesday because of high heat and humidity.

This Texan, who has been enduring more than 20 days over 100 degrees, will refrain from making any comments. However, I did overhear my husband mutter the word pansy.

And finally, for my parent's 51st wedding anniversary, I brought them to Lone Star Park for an afternoon of racing. We didn't win anything that afternoon but we had fun. And they concluded that their daughter wasn't some kind of horse-racing-gambling-addict-type-whacko. There's a good chance I'm not disinherited afterall.