The Last Filly

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.

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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 23:33 |