As it turns out, I didn’t even get to revel in the glories of my Homecoming Emergency Back-Up Plan because I got horrifically sick with the flu that weekend. Doritos and ‘Dwight’ never crossed my mind; I’m pretty sure that my fever-ravaged body only demanded some sort of relief, like death.
Anyway, there is a point: You can circle a date on a calendar for some greatly anticipated event but sometimes unforeseen circumstances beyond your control can muck it all up and the much ballyhooed said event turns into a big bowl of nothingness.
Horse racing fans have made it abundantly clear they have a burning desire to see 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra take on the undefeated Zenyatta. Or Champion Older Mare / 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Zenyatta take on that upstart punk Rachel Alexandra, depending on your point of view. Regardless, Mr. Oaklawn, Charles Cella, in a humongous humanitarian effort to make this race possible, whipped out a big fat purse and circled a new date on the calendar for the Apple Blossom Invitational Handicap (gr. 1).
So now there’s a big bowl of great anticipation and excitement along with copious amounts of skepticism, peppered with hopeful optimism that these two wonderfully talented fillies will race against each other on April 9th. And as our resident American-in-Paris trainer Ms. Rarick so astutely reminds us that “plans can change in an instant with one bad work or a little heat in a joint,” to which, I would assume, she would be referring to the horses and not Steve Asmussen.
Neither Rachel Alexandra nor Zenyatta have yet to race this year, both being targeted to race on March 13th. Is everybody all that hopped up in the excitement and big bowl of possibilities that they’re ready to take an extra day off work and pour into some little burg in the Ozarks or their local OTB? Okay, maybe not John … not surprised there.
For many, the “hot spot” is now Hot Springs, Arkansas, in early April. And, if all goes well and Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta remain healthy and happy (read: come out of their respective prep races well and have good workouts and don’t have any ‘hiccups’), this really could be a big bowl full of something.
8 comments:
And to think if you had had a flu shot(they did have flu shots way back then, I remember) this post would never exist. Even more interesting, what ever happened to Dwight? Did he and Hillary marry?
I am excited by the prospect but why are they runniing the race on a Friday? Anybody on the west coast will have to leave work early to see it. Bad planning on the part of Oaklawn and typical of what racing fans have come to expect.
To Anonymous "classmate": I had to delete your comment, as funny as it was ... this is, after all, a G-rated blog. And by the way, I'm sure the car referenced would've been an AMC Pacer, not a Dodge Dart.
And as for 'Dwight' and 'Hillary', that relationship never got energized as 'Hillary' was a bit of a nutloaf. 'Dwight' graduated Salutatorian and went to BU where I'm sure he earned 12 different degrees, made a wheelbarrow full of money and married a Brazilian supermodel.
As much as I'm not thrilled about Friday afternoon racing, at least there is some kind of effort to accommodate the horses and/or connections before the end of the Oaklawn meet and actually make this competition happen. So what's so difficult about spending one's Friday afternoon Happy Hour at the local OTB or racetrack??? (Note to Track Management types: Good marketing scheme). BTW, it'll be warm here in North Texas and the margaritas will be cold!
You didn't even bother to change their names, you just used quotes.
Hey Sue, looks like this website likes your work too--but without giving you credit for actually writing it: http://horses.prosportsonline.net/2010/02/homecoming-revisited/
Sue, nice story. I, too, was going to point out what Val did above. Complete thft and plagarism. It's disgusting (them, not your story!). I'd like to call them out on my blog, but hate to give them the forum.
Imagine my chagrin after guessing early that the Apple Blossom would be the race. I now have flights, hotel rooms and tickets for April 2&3 in Hot Springs.
Would that be like your dream date agreeing to go to the prom and then changing his/her mind?
Hi again Sue, I actually thought my post would pass the "G" rated test, and isn't this really a "PG" blog.? :)
Oh, it definetely was not a AMC Pacer, it was my car, not Hillary and it was my Mom's Green Dodge Dart. The car was not sexy but it did the job if you get my drift.
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