Plenty of Blame Following the Super Derby

My original weekend plans did not include the Super Derby (gr. 2). Upon first glance at the race’s line up, I was neither intrigued nor interested. And let’s face it, the name “Super Derby” is kind of bland; it doesn’t exactly scream, “One hot Ragin’ Cajun horse race for 3-year-olds with a $750K purse and all the etouffee you can eat at Louisiana Downs!” It seems to me that the name of the race could use a little Louisiana flair, like the Super Andouille Gumbo Derby, or the Super Spicy Crawfish Derby. But I digress.

It wasn’t until I read Gary West’s column in Friday’s Fort Worth Star-Telegram (motto: We proudly display a picture of the new Cowboys’ Stadium in every section every day!) that my interest was somewhat piqued. The Professor wrote of a horse with star potential: Blame.

Blame … had improved steadily so that now he could be on the cusp of becoming one of the best horses of his generation.

That’s a pretty keen observation and a strong opinion. And, admittedly, I had never heard of Blame. It had me reaching for a racing form. Regal Ransom - Blame. Blame - Regal Ransom. Simple.

A quick trip to the racetrack with whatever spare change I could scrounge out of the bottom of my purse was in order. LaD-11. 4,5 Exacta Box. Watch race. Collect winnings, if applicable. Go home and make spaghetti for dinner.

Betting made simple. That is until I ran into my friend Cece and her father’s cousin’s neighbor’s older brother, Jimmy. Or Ronnie. I can never remember his name – it’s one or the other and I interchange them frequently.

Anyway, Cece is a good handicapper, but she can get rather chatty. Prior to the Super Derby I began to listen to her opinions and strategies and race dissections until it all jumbled together into a stream of mind-numbing soundbites: “Soul Warrior is looking good … nice odds on Asmussen horses … Regal Ransom hasn’t even run since the Derby ... I don’t trust those dudes from Dubai … opportunities to beat the favorite … make money … more odds … another bourbon and coke … ”

My simple bet morphed into a bawdy burlesque show of exactas, none of which even included Regal Ransom on the top spot.

Needless to say, after the Super Derby, I looked at my little pile of losing wagers.

Blame.

I broke one of my sacred rules. I made a mistake. I allowed myself to be swayed. I changed my bet. Instead of winning, I lost. I blame myself. Simple.

There's a moral to this story. And the next time I see Cece and Jimmy/Ronnie at the track, I'm sure they'll tell me what it is.

Whine Tasting: Uninspired Complexity with a Hint of Animal-Barnyard Notes

I don’t know about everybody else, but when Saratoga wrapped up its meet last week I heaved a sigh of relief.

A teeming horde of prolific and talented writers descend upon Saratoga Springs each year, waxing eloquence about the atmosphere and ambience, champion horses and high profile stakes races – tossing in anecdotes about trainers and jockeys and Tom Durkin. Horse racing media, be it The Form or Paulick Report or the sundry of blogs on the world wide web, is inundated. I’m absorbed in the overflow of information and conclude that frankly, I have nothing to add except that if you rearrange the letters in “Rachel Alexandra”, you get “Adrenal Arch Axle”.

And of course, the climactic ending to the meet – Rachel Alexandra exuding greatness by defeating older males in the Woodward Stakes – could only produce a few minor insipid thoughts from me, barely worth sharing with a reading audience of two people, one of whom would be my brother, Chuck:

Woodward Wrap-Up: Filly Phenom Rachel Alexandra won the Woodward, however my deepest appreciation goes out to Sky Mesa, a very reliable sire routinely included in my handicapping scheme. Keying Mesa Sunrise in the 8th enabled me to win the Pick-3. Martinis for everyone!

However, there was an extremely urgent message I received the day before the Woodward, courtesy of a Kendall-Jackson Winery Email Blast: Orders are now being taken for their limited-edition Rachel Alexandra Wine, a “luscious 2007 Pinot Noir grown on our estate vineyards in the Arroyo Seco appellation.”

There are two special offerings:
• A single bottle signed by Jess Jackson and jockey Calvin Borel placed in a distinctive wood box.
$150 each.
• Wine only…perfect for gift-giving or saving for yourself.
$50 per bottle.

I purchased the wine only, with the emphasis on “saving for yourself.” It’s not like the Pick-3 required a visit to the IRS window.

Anyway, Saratoga ramblings have become silent for the most part, paving the way for those of us who are (a) completely mesmerized by others’ writings, (b) busy collaborating on a book, or (c) downright lazy, to share our news and views about horse racing. Perhaps I’ll take a field trip to Remington Park in Oklahoma City. Or Retama Park in San Antonio. Or maybe something closer to home, like watching Seabiscuit. Or maybe something a little less complicated, such as enjoying a glass of Wild Horse™ wine, notably the Cabernet Sauvignon, “distinctive for its bold, fruit-forward character.”

Cheers!

Racing Around in New York

Last week I went to New York City.

Everybody else was in Saratoga Springs.

As Brooklyn Backstretch’s Teresa rubbed elbows with individuals such as Mary Lou Whitney and Nick Zito, my daughters and I were welcomed to Manhattan by a chubby, middle-aged, unsmiling MTA agent sitting in her dimly lit MTA booth that was littered with empty Frito bags and Pepsi cans. I had made a rookie mistake in my first attempt to use the New York subway system. She berated me not once, but twice. And you could clearly see her disdain for me when she had to allow me to pass through an emergency door.

And while Steven Crist dined with his pals at Everglades Barbecue & Seafood, we went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway. We had wonderful seats in the orchestra section – a worthy treat for our first trip to New York. My 7-year-old, Alice, fell asleep in her seat before they even sang "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". A rather expensive nap, indeed.

And while Dana tweeted and twerped with her tweetees about various races and wagering strategies and money management, we went to the top of the Empire State Building. It was high. And crowded. And high. And I failed to embrace any romantic significance of being on the top of the Empire State Building, à la An Affair to Remember or Sleepless in Seattle. Apparently, Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Meg Ryan, et. al. didn’t suffer from acrophobia. Did I mention it was high?

But I did get the opportunity to meet at least one giant in the world of New York racing: Alan, genius blogger of Left at the Gate. It was like meeting Harvey Pack. Or Secretariat. That is, if Secretariat had had reliable internet connectivity because if he had you know he would’ve written his own blog. Anyway, Alan is fortunate to work in a landmark building that according to my NYC guidebook touts as “one of New York’s greatest interiors”. As it turns out, it’s one of New York’s greatest interiors that you’re not allowed to see. Regardless, Alan and I swapped stories briefly outside, ending our initial meeting with a closing statement that all horse racing fans appreciate,

See you at the races next time.

Lights On Broadway Makes News Again

Back in April I had the opportunity to visit the 2001 Texas Champion, Lights on Broadway, one final time before he embarked to his final retirement home in the Texas Hill Country. To refresh everybody's memories, he was rescued off the back of a slaughter truck last year and was subsequently rehabilitated and retrained by Donna Keen, who chronicled the events in her own blog, Thoroughbred Race Horse Blog.

The rescue of the Texas Champion generated some buzz among the local media. Gary West wrote a feature piece for the Star-Telegram (motto: We're a newspaper, not a server). Additionally, WFAA channel 8 produced a Sports Special segment that was originally scheduled to air the day after the Kentucky Derby, however the collapse of the Cowboys' practice facility bumped the story to a later date.

Anyway, I sent an inquiry about the story to the reporter, Joe Trahan, who at this writing, is busy with Cowboys' training camp and/or swilling margaritas in San Antonio, and he kindly provided the link to the story (VIDEO). I invite you to take a few moments and watch the story - Lights on Broadway had a happy ending. And don't we all wish that would be true for every race horse.

The Fashionable Filly ... Well Sort Of

Over the past couple of weeks I've been teaching religious education to a cacophony of rambunctious fifth graders. I'm not much of a teacher. Frankly, there are days that I feel unqualified to be a mother. However, I definitely lack any credentials to be a fashion photographer.

A few months ago, it was touted that the Filly Phenom Rachel Alexandra would be featured in the August 2009 issue of Vogue magazine, having been captured on film by some notable fashion photographer dude named Steve Klein. The other afternoon, in a dither of excitement, I thumbed through the new issue of Vogue, prepared to pay my $4.99 plus tax all for the glory of possessing pages of amazing photos of Rachel Alexandra.

Hmmm.

I returned the magazine to the rack and opted to save my cash. A brief one page articles accompanied a 'fashion spread' of a single photo. I've provided a simulation of the Vogue photo for your review, just in case it's not available at your local newsstand or you prefer to spend the five bucks on your next Pick-3.