Lone Star Million Day - An Afternoon of Stakes and Beer

Last Monday - that's Memorial Day for all of you looking at a calendar - was Lone Star Million Day. It's the finest and/or richest day in Texas racing and/or beer consumption, because Lone Star Park also features the Studs & Suds Microbrew Festival that brings forth numerous individuals who may or may not recognize a horse other than the Budweiser Clydesdales. I know for a fact that my husband contributed more to the love handle than he did the on-track handle.

Lone Star Million Day brought a couple of notable jockeys to town, too. Robby Albarado was 2 wins away from the 4,000 Club and I was prepared to run over and take his picture in the winner's circle when reached the feat, however he had two seconds and two thirds. Meanwhile, le jockey extraordinaire, Julien Leparoux won three of the day's six stakes races, including the Lone Star Park Handicap aboard It's a Bird.

Unfortunately, it wasn't all fun, sunshine, microbrews, bouncy-houses and ice cream. Promising filly, Flibberjibit, shipped in from Florida to race in the $200,000 Ouija Board Distaff Handicap, took a "bad step" in the first turn, and according to trainer Martin Wolfson, incurred an injury that "looked like Barbaro's injury." Unhappy ending.

Anyway, neighbors joined me and my family and about 14,000 other folks for a great afternoon at Lone Star Park. And I'm delighted to share it with you.

Here's my husband, enjoying the Daily Double of Belgian microbrews,



President and General Manager of Lone Star Park, Drew Shubeck (left), and Supermanager John Records (right) spend a moment with my daughter, Sophie and Maddie. Note to my family, friends, and regular readers of this blog: My other daughter, Alice, apparently had "better than things to do" rather than take time to meet the Lone Star Park brass, so the neighbor's kid, Maddie (in the pink cowboy hat) filled in for her.



And here's Alice with "better things to do"




Seaspeak with Julien Leparoux aboard, winner of the $200,000 Dallas Turf Cup Handicap,



Leparoux receiving some very nice glassware,



I made a feeble effort to procure a better photo of Julien Leparoux, meaning I loitered around the Jockey's Room exit after the races just in the off chance I might run into him. However, I just missed him so I settled for a picture of Jitter Davis, "one of the most conscientious Clerks of Scale to ever snap a towel."