Thoroughbred Horses

The Grey Gatsby defeats Australia in the Irish Champion

Black Caviar and her new Exceed and Excel filly

Zenyatta and ZPrincess

ZPrincess

Ziconic

Cozmic One on the Belmont Park training track

Black Caviar's Brother

When I think of Australian horse racing, I remember the great Phar Lap, and, more recently the fantastic mare, Black Caviar.  Black Caviar has been retired and is getting ready to assume her duties as a broodmare - one that was never beaten in 25 races.  The racing world was intrigued when Black Caviar's half-brother was sold for $5 million Australian dollars ($4.65 million American).  Now the racing world is waiting to see if the colt will be able to survive.  The two-year-old hasn't been officially named, but is called Jimmy in the barn.  The colt was bitten by a poisonous white-tailed spider about two weeks ago; he was treated with antibiotics.  Jimmy was allergic to the antibiotics, and had to undergo a lot more therapy; now he has developed laminitis in both of his fore feet.  The veterinarians say his chances of surviving are about 50%.

Please send healing thoughts and prayers to this magnificent young horse who is fighting for his life.

Black Caviar ... and Spirits?!?

It's snowing outside. Isn't this April? Isn't it Spring time? I'm actually quite happy that the snow is falling - our snow pack up in the mountains has increased to 93% of the norm, so we might not face water rationing this summer.

   The big news today in horse racing is that Black Caviar is being retired. The mare has won 25 straight races, and will become a broodmare. She was purchased, as a yearling, for $210,000 (Australian); her current purse winnings are $7.498 million (Australian). My best wishes to the owners of this fantastic mare!

   Were I living in the Dark, or even Middle, Ages, I could easily state that my house has spirits within it. I don't believe in spirits, myself, but it was very unusual to see my jeans "breathing" yesterday afternoon - I literally did a double-take when I saw them. Being lazy, when I returned from shopping eaterday, I had removed my jeans and bunched them up and placed them on the counter next to the bathroom sink. I spent the rest of the day in sweatpants.

   Nedi had gone out and played in the snow for a couple of hours, and had come back inside with little balls of snow attached to his pantaloons, belly, and forelegs. He immediately leaped into my lap and dripped snow all over me. I toweled him off, as much as he would allow, and closed the door. I didn't think about it again. Several hours later, I went into the bathroom to use the facilities - and was amazed to see my jeans lying in the bathroom sink. I started to pick them up, and found that it seemed there was a large rock in the seat of my pants. I released them and stepped back. That's when I realized that my jeans were "breathing" - I could see them rise and fall rythymically. I gingerly peeked into the waistband, and found a very fluffy, warm, and sound asleep Nedi. Then I had to laugh... Spirits, indeed!

Go, Black Caviar!

Chilly, just above freezing, with 87% humidity.  The weather folks said we'd have a sunny weekend, with highs in the 60s... Unless something changes drastically I don't think it's going to happen.  Now they are calling for rain tonight, rain showers Sunday, and snow Monday through Wednesday.  We'll see; weather is extremely unpredictable here at the eastern foot of the Rockies.  I've taken care of Maggie May, Boo, and have already been home to my kits.  Promised the kits they'd see me again today, as I have to take home a lot of my spices, clothes, and work materials.  Tonight, I'll stay at Boo's and then all day tomorrow, returning home to the kits tomorrow night.  Mike has posted some photos on Facebook from his current trip to Moab - the scenery is gorgeous! - And, of course, I think my nephew is handsome, too.  

  Besides losing comedian Jonathan Winters this week, the world also lost a beautiful, gifted ballerina - Maria Tallchief.  Winters was 87 years old; Tallchief was 88.  Jonathan made us laugh until we cried, while Maria left us breathless with her grace and skill.  Both will be sorely missed.

  Yesterday, the US Horse of the Year for 2012, Wise Dan, ran his first race of this year.  The 6-year-old chestnut gelding did not disappoint his fans, winning the Makers 46 Mile with ease.  And, down under, Black Caviar won her 25th race in a row today in the J. T. Smith Stakes.  The 6-year-old dark bay mare won easily by 3 lengths, distancing the other ten runners at the top of the stretch. I don't think anyone will contest the statement that Black Caviar is a champion.

Snow - and Black Caviar

We received nearly 14 inches of snow yesterday, and awoke to a temperature of 5 degrees this morning. I read and played on the computer and quilted throughout our snow day. I'm back home visiting my kits, having fed Maggie and myself at her house. When I arrived here this morning, I loved and fed the kits, opened the patio door for them to check out the cold and the snow, fed the outside critters, and cleaned the kits potty boxes.

  I'm looking forward to the re-run of Sunday nights' episode of Vikings tonight on the History Channel. Last night I totally enjoyed the new NCIS episode on CBS.

  Not much going on around here due to the snow... In horse racing news, jockey Ryan Mania was released from the hospital yesterday, after his fall Sunday at Hexham; he has a small fracture in one of his vertebrae and has torn and damaged ligaments in his neck. ..... In Australia, the half-brother of Black Caviar, a yearling, sold at auction for $5 million (Australian). It's the highest price ever paid at auction for an unraced colt (in Australia). .... And Black Caviar is scheduled to run Saturday at Royal Randwick in Sydney in the $1 million Darley T. J. Smith Stakes. Ten competitors are set to challenge her 24-race winning streak. Black Caviar likes a dry race course, and there has been rain early this week. If the course is deemed "too soft" by her trainer, she will be scratched. If she runs, it's her 25th try to stay undefeated. A true record.

Around the World

Black Caviar winning her 24th race today in Australia

 

Coastal Ireland

 

Home on a Norwegian fjord

 

Sunrise under the St. Augustine, Florida pier

 

Weather, Sports, & Critters

It's chilly out this morning - 28 degrees - but the sun is shining. We had a ten minute rain shower yesterday afternoon, but that was all that happened; more wind than rain. The news services are still going crazy here about the killing of our Prison Systems head, a Denver-area pizza delivery man, and the man in the wild chase and shoot-out in Texas. Besides that, Colorado has just approved Civil Unions for same sex couples, and we have more stringent gun laws that will take place on 1 July. We are expecting rain or snow tonight, with up to 10 inches of snow falling during the weekend. Even if we get that amount, it won't make a dent in the amount we need to get our snow and water levels up to the accepted normal....

   Black Caviar cruised to her 24th straight racing win in Australia today. She won easily by 4 lengths, and goes into another thoroughbred racing history entry. .... The CSU Rams (Fort Collins) won last night in their first "March Madness" round and they will play again tomorrow night. The CU Buffs, from here in Boulder, are scheduled to play this afternoon. .... And a rare baseball card, printed in 1909, has a current bid of $1.4 million.... And, if you live in a state that has the Power Ball lottery, tomorrow's drawing is expected to be for about $320 million. I think I'll buy a couple of chances...

   I slept with Skippy last night; wasn't the same as sleeping with Lovey and Nedi. They were very happy to see me yesterday evening and again this morning. I miss them - and I've become used to sitting at my desk, using my PC, and having the TV on, so I can listen to it and glance up and watch it. I can't do that at Finn and Skippy's - the computer is in one room, and the TVs are in other rooms, while the fireplace, which I might use over the weekend, is in another room (the parlor), where the only thing I can do is sit and think or sit and read.... Decisions, decisions...

Look! Up in the Sky, It's....

Black Caviar raced in Australia today, and won her 23rd straight race, in a race named after her - the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. The sprinter started slowly in her first race since Royal Ascot, but she won by 2 1/2 lengths, setting a new course record for 5 furlongs. The mare tore muscles and ligaments in her back during her single race in England, and it was not known if she'd be able to race again. Well... Black Caviar is back in impressive style! ..... Former Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra is still in serious condition at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital. She is still listed as being in "serious" condition, but her attending vets said that she had "brightened" yesterday, and actually wanted a mint as a treat, which she hadn't before. Best wishes to Rachel A. and her filly, now on a nurse mare at Stonestreet Farm.
  Look, up in the sky! Wow. Three "close encounters" yesterday between our mother Earth and errant space debris - that was quite a surprise for the day after Valentine's Day! We all knew about the asteroid that passed between the Earth and our GPS, etc. satellites at 2:24 EST - I watched it live on NASA, myself. The surprise encounters occurred in the Ural Mountains in Russia Friday morning, and in northern California Friday evening/night. The most frightening event happened above the city of Chelyabinsk: The meteor was a once-in-a-century event, NASA officials said, describing it as a "tiny asteroid." The space agency revised its estimate of the meteor's size upward late Friday from 49 feet (15 meters) to 55 feet (17 meters), and its estimated mass from 7,000 tons to 10,000 tons. The space agency also increased the estimated amount of energy released in the meteor's explosion from about 300 to nearly 500 kilotons. By comparison, the nuclear bomb the United States dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 released an estimated 15 kilotons of energy. The whole event, from the meteor's atmospheric entry to its disintegration in the air above central Russia, took 32.5 seconds, NASA said. Reports from Russia have said that up to 1,200 people have been treated for cuts and abrasions caused by flying glass and the pure concussive force of the blast. More than 4,000 buildings received damage, and the roof of a zinc manufacturing plant collapsed from the force of the blast.
  What freaked me out, was a headline that appeared a few hours after the blast, stating that US fighter jets had scrambled when two Russian bombers had appeared over Guam's air space. The last paragraph of the story explained that this had happened during President Obama's State of the Union Address on Tuesday evening, and not after the blast over Chelyabinsk. I guess I still haven't out-grown our Kindergarten and first grade training during the Cuban Missile Crisis - just goes to show how old, remembered drills and training can jump into life again.
  The third encounter was seen and recorded in northern California last night - The fireball was seen around 7:45 p.m., by witnesses as far north as Fairfield and as far south as Gilroy. It was also reportedly seen in Sacramento and Walnut Creek. Folks in Monterey said it was visible along California's Central Coast, too. NBCBayArea.com said Candice Guruwaiya gave this account on Facebook of seeing it in San Jose: "I was leaving Safeway on Branham and Snell when I saw it. ... It was a bright green when it first appeared, then it went to a bright yellow. It was awesome!" An astronomer at the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland told NBCBayArea.com that Friday night's event wasn't related to the asteroid's passing: Gerald McKeegan, an astronomer at Chabot, said he did not see it, but based on accounts he thinks it was a "sporadic meteor," which can happen several times a day but most of the time happens over the ocean, away from human eyes. Sporadic meteors bring as much as 15,000 tons of space debris to Earth each year, according to McKeegan. He explained that meteors, which are hunks of rock and metal from space that fall to Earth, burn up as they go through Earth's atmosphere, which is what apparently caused last night's bright flash of light.

Horse Racing and Weather

It's chilly (14 degrees) but sunny here in Boulder today. My kits have been running in and out, doing their usual chases. Lovey is curled up in the cat tree, soaking up sun right now, while Nedi is playing with the raven family. I'm still recovering from bronchitis - supposed to call and schedule an appointment for a chest X-Ray today because I'm still coughing stuff up. Over all, I feel better - just tired and I would love to stop coughing. I have to start sprucing up the apartment today - we've been warned the City is doing it's 5-year inspection for apartment certification; and I must admit I've been letting my recyclables pile up, so I'll have to make several trips out to the "Green" dumpster. I also need to clean out my refrigerator, so that'll be one trip to the regular (brown) dumpster. The weather folks are now saying we're going to have snow on Valentine's Day and Friday... we'll see. And the good news is that my cousin Aleda, on Chincoteague Island, has finally received the results of all her tests back - she does not have cancer - just a huge, nasty ulcer and a very worn-down immune system. That is such good news!!!
  I have always been a fan of horse racing, even though I don't like what it does to a horses muscle and skeletal systems. Chincoteaguers had a lot of Standardbred racers, and Dad grew up in farm country where families raced their horses and mules for fun; so I had a lot of background information, and acquired information from reading, as I was growing up. I was always puzzled by the way people not involved in racing or training horses (of any type) frequently looked confused when I spoke to them about racing. It was as though I was speaking a different language. Well, today, with my mind elsewhere, I read some of the headlines at The Bloodhorse - and I had to laugh - just glance at the following headlines:
"Golden Mystery Cruises in Hurricane Bertie"
"Channel Lady Flows in Suwanee River"
"Slim Shadey Shines in San Marcos"
  Luckily for me, I knew that the first two words in each headline was the name of a horse, and the last two words were the name of a race, and I smiled at the playful use of the verbs used to describe the horse's win. But how many other people, stumbling upon those headlines, would understand the import of each statement? I know that The Bloodhorse is a thoroughbred racing magazine, newspaper, and website - but for someone just finding the site, some of the headlines and terms used seem strange. Perhaps there should be an easier to read and understand website for those uninitiated to The Sport of Kings? ... It's just a thought.
  Black Caviar, the undefeated Australian mare, will race on Saturday down under, looking for her 23rd win. Her half-brother, All Too Hard, won the Orr Stakes last weekend. And Gary Stevens, who will be 50 next month, rode stakes winners on both Saturday and Sunday this past weekend. Your return to riding is going great guns, Gary! I hope you continue to succeed!

Aleda; Debby; A Dozen Wildfires

Cousin Aleda is back at home on Chincoteague Island, but is requesting that she have no visitors. This is from her latest Facebook Posting: the doctors said, "Double pneumonia, parasite infestation, bacteria infection, ulcers, and much more testing to see what else is causing all my symptoms." Docs also said: "You're lucky, 1 in 20 people with your condition dies here in the states." I was like WOW. Then he continued, "1 in 4 die with the combination of illnesses you have, you are a very lucky girl."  Aleda, Barry and the entire family are very lucky and blessed that she is still with us.
  We were in triple digits again yesterday, with 4% humidity, and are expecting the same again today.  I see that Tropical Storm Debby (not a Hurricane, like I wrote yesterday) is dumping large amounts of rainfall along the west coast of Florida - I'd love to have that rain here!

This photo is of the Mayor of Cedar Key standing on top of a floating dock that broke loose from the fishing pier yesterday....
   The kits and I have been trying to stay cool and laid back...  I've read all my library books and need more.  We did have a thunderstorm around 7:30 last night, and it blew a transformer nearby, causing Nedi to hide under the bed for two hours.  Lovey just kept following me around and talking, as usual.  Power was out, but even after the rain, we only had 16% humidity.  And I was pretty bummed out to read that Alex Trebek, my favorite TV show host, had had a mild heart attack on Saturday, as well.
   There are now 12 wildfires burning in the state - two, the Springer fire near Lake George and the Estes Park (Woodland Heights) fire, are completely contained, and should not be able to spread any further.  The High Park fire burned another 57 homes yesterday, and has now burned over 130 square miles of land.  There is a wildfire out in the eastern plains, burning along County Road 102.  Then there is the cluster of fires in southwest Colorado - the Little San fire has burned over 21,600 acres, the Weber fire has burned over 6,800 acres, and the Stateline fire is completely out of control.  The Waldo Canyon fire  is out of control; the Treasure fire near Leadville is 25% contained.  Then there is the Sunrise Mine, Trout Creek, and one other fire...  And, of course, there is extreme heat, low humidity, and winds expected around 40 mph for most of the afternoon.
  I see my therapist today and get to tell her how upset Aleda's illness has made me - dredging up all the things that happened with Mom, Aunt Ruth, etc.  Thank goodness this appointment was made long ago - I had no idea I'd need it now!
   And Black Caviar, the wonderful racing mare from Australia, might be retired after her win on Saturday.  She tore muscles in her back during the race, and was "coasting" home because the jockey had misjudged the finish line - then she was put back into a hard run for a couple of strides just before the real finish line.  However, her jockey said that she just didn't feel like her normal self during the first half of the race - normally she's pulling at the reins, wanting to run harder, and on Saturday, she was content just to do what the jockey asked of her.

Black Caviar Is Undefeated!

Black Caviar just won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.  She has now won 22 of 22 races.  Her jockey is coming under criticism for not riding the mare harder, but they won by a head...   And she won in front of the Queen!  Yippeeee!!!

Continuing Heat

Not yet 8 a.m. and it's 75 degrees outside. Yuck. Normally our high temperatures at this this time of year are in the low 80s; we're expecting 103 today.  The heat and winds yesterday caused the High Park fire to jump the Poudre Canyon and head north again. Ten homes were lost yesterday, and the fire is estimated at almost 70,000 acres, only 45% contained...  
  My kits spent most of the time yesterday inside - either sprawled on the cool tile floor, or on the cat tree, catching the "wind" from the fans I have running.  Both went out into the back yard about 5:30, but came in willingly when I called them at 9:30.  I had problems getting to sleep due to the heat, and Lovey's announcement that it was time to get up (at 5 a.m) was not welcome.  Then she insisted on talking to me continuously until I did get up, at 6:30.  Nancy came over last night, because Ramsah, her black cat insisted on visiting us.  Ramsah  just walks into the apartment and helps herself to any food that appeals to her.... 
   A 19-year-old CU student was declared missing Thursday night, after a friend became concerned because the young man hadn't been in class all week.  He couldn't get the friend to answer his cell phone; so he went to the Boulder police.  The boy's family hadn't heard from him since Sunday, when he said something to them about hiking the ridge behind NCAR.  His body was found yesterday by a search and rescue team.  An autopsy will be done today.
   I am about to turn on TVG so that I can see the great Black Caviar run at Royal Ascot, in her debut in English racing.  She is facing another Aussie-bred, and horses bred in Kentucky, France, Great Britain and Ireland.  I hope she's had time to acclimate!
   Hoping you have a nice weekend....

102 Degrees; Fires; Bears; Thoroughbreds

We certainly broke the record high today - it's currently 102 degrees outside and the humidity is at 6%.  The record we broke was set in 1874.  We're expecting record-breaking heat for the next 4 days, too.
  The High Park fire has exploded again - 733 more homes were evacuated this afternoon.  The current number of homes lost to the fire is 190.  -  And in Utah, the Dump fire, about 35 miles south of Salt Lake City, has doubled in size in the last couple of hours.  3200 people have been evacuated there.
  Here in Boulder, the drought and low humidity are making normal bear foods disappear.  Last night, there were break-ins into two different cars on Hurricane Hill - both break-ins were committed by hungry black bears.
  I'll Have Another, the winner of this year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness, will be standing at stud in Japan.  ....  And, on the final day of racing at Royal Ascot, Black Caviar, the phenomonal mare from Australia, will face 14 opponents in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (at 6 furlongs).  TVG will broadcast live from Royal Ascot between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. EDT tomorrow (Saturday).  I'm putting my money on Black Caviar - she's undefeated in 21 races, and I have to root for the girl.