Upcoming....

Tomorrow is Hallowe'en in the Christian world - or All Hallows Eve(ning).   We have three metal owls with witches' hats and bat buddies on our balcony, plus a giant spider web (with purple lights on the strands) and a huge orange spider on it, five holographic bats with green eyes, and two strands of black and orange cobwebs that have silver and black spiders crawling up them.  We have four jack-o-lantern orange and black bells, and a green, purple, and black spider, hanging from the wreath holder.  We have a very large pumpkin outside the door, too.    We have a large bag of candy that Beatrice chose to hand out to anyone who comes to our door.  No one came last year.  Our friend Valerie might bring her daughter by, and Sonia might bring her grandsons over - so we're "kind of" expecting 4 to 6 small children to ring the bell tomorrow night.  
    And a client's daughter decided she needs to go out and party with her boy friend rather than stay at home and hand out candy tomorrow night, so while Bea stays home, I'll be two miles away with a dog, a young puppy, and two cats.  I'll probably take some candy over there, as I know there are usually 20 to 150 kids going through that neighborhood.  I'd much rather read quietly than have to answer the bell after calming down the dog and puppy!
   Tuesday is All Saints Day, and Wednesday is All Souls Day - or the Day of the Dead (again, in the Christian world).....   My rent is due on Thursday.
    Friday and Saturday are the 2017 Breeders Cup Horse races, held this year at Del Mar Racetrack - where the turf meets the surf.   Nyquist, the Kentucky Derby winner this year, was expected to run in the Classic on Saturday, but has been scratched due to swelling in one ankle.  Several other horses that were thought to be running this year have been retired - but California Chrome looks to run in the Classic again this year, and his owners have announced that he might continue his racing career next year, as well.
    Next Tuesday, 8 November, is the national election day in the United States of America.  There are seats in our Senate and Congress that will be on the ballot; seats for state representatives; judge approvals; amendments to state, county, and city laws; voting on taxes to be used for specific purposes; and, of course, the really important question for the world at large - who will be elected President of the United States?  Hillary Rodham Clinton or Donald John Trump?  Or will one of the other 20 parties win?  Or a write-in candidate?  It's pretty sure that either the Republicans or the Democrats will have the most votes, and not the others - but....   It's still making me very nervous.
    I voted, and I know my ballot has been accepted and counted.  Beatrice starts working for the Boulder County Elections Office on Tuesday, as a temporary information assistant.  She'll be employed six, possibly eight days, answering voters' questions regarding this years ballot - when and where they can turn it in, or where to go to vote, verifying that a ballot was sent, etc....   I've volunteered for one day of getting handed ballots for collection next Monday, at one of the drive-up locations.   'Twill be interesting, I'm sure!

November One; Breeder's Cup Picks for Friday

November first. The Solemnity of All Saints. All Hallows. Hallomas. The Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertes). Undas. Samhain. And there are many more names for this particular date on the calendar...Most of them are Christian designations; Samhain is Celtic. Such a wide variety of beliefs make up our world; I just wish all the peoples of the earth could get along in peace, with a live and let live attitude... But we are all human and have human failings...

Tomorrow the first 6 of the Breeders Cup races will be run at Santa Anita - a quite of few of the 2-year-olds and imported horses don't have photos to go with their pedigrees; several foreign horses have no info at all, except sire and dam names... So I'm doing some of this "handicapping" without any information, other than the horses name, sire and dam, trainer, jockey, and what country or state they were bred in.

  In the Juvenile Sprint, there are 7 entries - 4 colts, 2 fillies, and a gelding; the course distance is 6 furlongs; the two fillies carry 119 pounds, while the boys back 122. I believe that Merit Man is the early betting favorite. I have seen photos of Merit Man, Hazardous, and Sweet Shirley Mae. D Wayne Lukas trains Hightail. Based on breeding, I like Hightail, Super Ninety Nine, and Sweet Shirley Mae. As a wildcard, I'll toss Hazardous, the chestnut gelding into the mix...

  The Marathon covers 1 and 3/4 miles; boys and girls race together; ages range from 3 to 9 years. There are 14 entries, and weight carried is based on age and sex; the 3-year-old colt Atigun will carry 122 pounds, the two mares (Almudena and Sense of Purpose) carry 123 pounds, and the other 11 horses carry 126 pounds. There is no information on two of the South American horses, Almudena and Calidoscopio; and photos are available of nine of the runners... Four entrants trace back to *Forli: Fame and Glory, Grassy, Sense of Purpose and Juniper Pass. I like the looks of Atigun, Jaycito, Worth Repeating. I like the pedigrees of Fame and Glory, Balladry, Not Abroad, and Eldaafer. I guess I'll go with Fame and Glory, Balladry, Jaycito and Sense of Purpose.

  The Juvenile Filly Turf covers one mile, with all the girls carrying 122 pounds. There are 16 entries, and there are photos of only 6 of the fillies. There is no information on Flotilla from France, or The Gold Cheongsam from Ireland, nor on Infanta Branca... Seven of the 16 go back to *Forli: Kitten's Point, Summer of Fun, Watsdachances, Nancy O, Flashy Ways, Sustained, and Infanta Branca. I like the looks of Spring Venture and Moonwalk. I like the breeding of Oscar Party, Waterway Run, and Moonwalk. With this limited info, I'll pick Summer of Fun, Watsdachances, Moonwalk, and then it's a toss-up between Sustained and Infanta Branca...

  There are 8 entries in the Juvenile Fillies covering 1 and 1/16 miles and with all the girls toting 122 pounds. The only filly without a photo is Broken Spell, who is trained by D Wayne Lukas. Renee's Queen, Dreaming of Julia, and Almost an Angel are descendants of *Forli. I like the breeding of Beholder, Kauai Katie, and Spring in the Air. Spring in the Air is a bay filly who has gotten the nickname of "Little Zenyatta", as she likes to perform the Spanish Walk just like the great Z always did. In this race, I'll have to go with Almost an Angel, Kauai Katie, Spring in the Air, and Dreaming of Julia.

  There has already been a scratch due to injury in the Filly and Mare Turf; Nereid is out, leaving a field of 11 to cover the 1 and 1/4 miles. This is a weight for age race, where the 3-year-olds carry 120 pounds, while the older ladies carry 124 pounds. The five mares carrying 124 pounds are: Star Billing, Zagora, Nahrain, Marketing Mix, and I'm a Dreamer. The only information I have on the filly Up is that she was bred in Ireland, and is a 3-year-old daughter of Galileo. I like the looks of The Fugue and I'm a Dreamer. I like the breeding of Stormy Lucy, Up, I'm a Dreamer, and In Lingerie. From my reading, I'll choose The Fugue, I'm a Dreamer, Marketing Mix, and Ridasiyna.

  Friday's final Breeder's Cup race is the Ladies Classic. The course is 1 and 1/8 miles. There are 8 entrants: three 3-year-olds who carry 121 pounds, and five 4-year-olds who carry 124 pounds. All of the ladies are bays or browns; Awesome Feather is a Florida-bred, and Questing was bred in Great Britain. Grace Hall, My Miss Aurelia, and Questing are the 3-year-olds. In this race, I like all of the ladies' pedigrees; and I like the looks of My Miss Aurelia and Class Included. Grace Hall comes from Unbridled. My Miss Aurelia has Mr. Prospector on top and bottom. Class Included has Broad Brush on top, and Nijinsky II on top and bottom. Questing has Danzig on top and Seekig the Gold on the bottom. Awesome Feather has Awesome Again on top, Gone West on the bottom. Royal Delta has Unbridled and A P Indy. Include Me Out has Broad Brush on top and Phone Trick on the bottom. Love and Pride has A P Indy on top and Storm Cat on the bottom - Who to choose, who to choose..... I'll go with Include Me Out, Awesome Feather, Class Included and My Miss Aurelia.

***WARNING: These are my own, completely unreasonable choices for these races. I do not say any single one of the horses named will actually win a race. I just like to post my thoughts.... Do not bet and blame me if you lose money wagered. You are the responsible person, not me. ***