Second, it's also the 15th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre here in Colorado. There are still a lot of shell-shocked ex-students and parents who are grappling with their memories of this day of blood.
Third, it's also 4/20 (in the dating style of the US) and that is a counterculture day to celebrate the use of marijuana. Cannabis use is now legal in the state of Colorado, in the privacy of one's own home, and as long as you, the consumer, has less than one ounce of weed, and you don't share it with anyone under the age of 21. You can give pot to a friend, but you can't sell it... And you can grow up to 10 individual cannabis plants in a secure area, that the public cannot access. People are coming from all over to celebrate 4/20 in both Denver and Boulder - and I'm sure there will be quite a few private parties throughout the state as well.
On to horses, thoroughbreds, in particular. Yesterday evening, the Charles Town Classic was run, and the purse this year was $1.5 million. Game On Dude was the betting favorite,but was pressed early in the race for speed. He finished second, behind Imperative, and ahead of Moreno. The Illinois Derby was run yesterday, as was the Lexington Stakes. Both races used to be (several years ago) last-minute warm-ups for the Kentucky Derby; but most trainers now believe that with the Derby only two weeks away, these two races are no longer to be considered as preparatory races. The Illinois Derby was won by Dynamic Impact, with betting favorite Midnight Hawk in second, and Irish You Well finishing third. In the Coolmore Lexington Stakes, Mr. Speaker defeated Divine Oath, who was a head in front of Supermonic. Cairo Prince, once considered a top Derby contender, is at Rood & Riddle Hospital, being evaluated by Dr. Larry Bramlage. He is lame in his left fetlock, but X-rays are clear; it's up to Dr. Larry to work his miracles and decide what's wrong with the colt. Another promising colt, Bond Holder, was an early entrant on the Derby trail; he has succumbed to laminitis.
Now that entry into the Kentucky Derby is determined on racing points, we have few horses in the race who do not belong there. Currently, there are 25 colts with enough points to run the race; 20 points are needed, and the following colts have between 150 and 20 points. No more than 20 starters are allowed to run in the race since 1975. Here are the names of the colts:
California Chrome
Vicar's In Trouble
Dance With Fate
Wicked Strong
Samraat
Danza
Hoppertunity
Intense Holiday
Wildcat Red
We Miss Artie
Ride on Curlin
Chitu
Tapiture
Midnight Hawk
Ring Weekend
General a Rod
Medal Count
Candy Boy
Uncle Sigh
Vinceremos
Harry's Holiday
Commanding Curve
Pablo Del Monte
Bayern
Social Inclusion
(I'll be looking into their bloodlines later this week...)
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