The Last Filly

An Unhappy Birthday

I'm rather fond of May 3. It's a good date - springtime and sometimes
the first Saturday of the month. However, it really sucks that we have
to share it like this. RIP... all I can really say is this:

All that we have is today.

Yesterday is gone - all that can be done is remember the good, come to
terms with the bad, and learn from it all.

Tomorrow is never promised. The future needs to be looked forward to
and hoped for, but never feared or taken for granted.

Right now is the only guarantee ... it's worth taking that chance,
choosing to smile, or simply living for the moment. A quarter of a
century to have the concept make sense ... new beginning? I'm hoping.
Maybe my real gift will wind up being this reminder - but really, a
post-it would have been preferred.

Apologies for the randomness, god-knows-what-hour and I don't always
get along... I'll probably delete this shortly.

posted at 2:44 AM | 0 comments |

there will be dust ...

Just hopefully not too much.

Starting next week, done by Derby Day (also my birthday). New look, fresher content.

Incidentally, I have never seen the film Men With Brooms, but I worked for a couple of years at a video store whose owner was very strange about what films we stocked. Generally, independent and award-winning films were off-limits ... but for some reason he bought three copies of Men With Brooms. Needless to say, it's been stuck in my mind for some time now ... so thanks to Curlin for giving me an opportunity to use it as a joke!

posted at 9:57 AM | 0 comments |

racing hits prime time

Well, sort of. It's a dreary night here, complete with some rather disconcerting thunder, so I decided to catch up on some TV viewing. I caught the following at the end of last week's House episode:

"I'll sacrifice 200 on a mudder at Monmouth Park"

This is not the first reference I've seen in the show. The season two episode "Deception" opens in an OTB where (naturally) someone collapses. If I recall correctly, there were some errors (ie. the tracks he was betting on weren't running at the time), but I still got a kick out of it.

posted at 1:52 AM | 2 comments |

A Sobering Reminder...

...for those of you soon to embark on the Trail:

A year ago, if I'd typed "Curlin", you likely would have reminded me
that this was a blog about -horse racing-, and not men with brooms.

posted at 1:44 AM | 3 comments |

I Knew This Would Happen...

The Thoroughbred Times has reported tonight that Citronnade has been retired. To say that I'm disappointed would be an understatement.

This is a rough sport to love with retirements and breakdowns (a 3 year old grandson of Mugatea, Remittance Man, broke down at Calder this weekend) ... but somehow, as disappointed as I may be right now, it doesn't change how I feel about racing.

I'll find another LDK turfer to fall in love with, fear not.

posted at 6:52 PM | 1 comments |

What Makes It Worthwhile...

... is being dead-tired and wanting sleep, yet still furiously clicking refresh on the results page because your favorite filly is running that day (on the opposite coast, of course ... damn time zones!)

... and being rewarded when you see the name "Citronnade" on top (G2 Dahlia at Hollywood). I might be her biggest fan, and this is what keeps me going when it all seems like a bad soap opera - to follow a horse and get that little shiver of a thrill upon learning of their win. Perhaps I'm in the minority here, but for me, that's what it's all about in the end.

posted at 8:37 PM | 1 comments |

PID Dates ... Two Recoveries and a Loss

Along with Mountaineer, Presque Isle Downs has set their dates for the 2008 season, according to this Blood-Horse article. While Mountaineer will run from January 19 - December 30 (nearly year round), Presque Isle will have a shortened season, from May 9 - September 27 (Wednesday - Sunday) for a total of 100 days.

This makes perfect sense, as while West Virginia can get cold and snowy, Erie is an entirely different story... Pittsburgh residents (Pittsburgh-ers? Pittsburgh-ites?) seem to consider 2-3" a major snowfall. I grew up in the Erie area and don't use the phrase "a lot" in conjunction with "of snow" until it hits at least a foot.

Tapeta may be good, but I don't think it's tbat good.

---------

A recent update on The Tin Man helps me to defend my interest in osteology:

"He's sounder and happier every week," Mandella said. "We X-ray him every week and it shows knitting every week." [drf.com - free subscription required]

The amazing ability of bone to heal itself (and also reveal the person behind it - my area of interest is skeletal analysis) will never cease to amaze me. Remember, The Tin Man did not have surgery - they've chosen to merely protect his knee and let nature take its course.

And Teuflesberg, off to stud at Hurricane Hall (where he will stand for $10,000) continues to recover. While I understand there may have been questions regarding his soundness prior to his injury (which I have no opinion on, as I didn't see the work in question), I must say this: to suffer a severe injury requiring surgery and be ready for a test breeding three months later says something to me about his constitution, both physically and mentally.

Sadly, Bobby Frankel's dog, Happy (she deserves the bold face), succumbed to cancer on the 20th of November - from what I've read, she was a very special animal. I'd like to think she's busy playing with a lovely Golden Retriever somewhere right now...

A photo of them can be seen here.

posted at 11:33 PM | 3 comments |