Derby Day Scratch - And the Chincoteague Seafood Festival

I wish I was in Virginia today - more specifically, I wish I was on the Eastern Shore, on Chincoteague Island.  Today is the 47th annual Seafood Festival - you buy a ticket, and you eat all you can of any offered seafood - oysters, clams, crabs, shrimp, scallops, mussels, and fish - served fresh, raw, or cooked in an infinite number of ways....  The Chincoteague Seafood Festival is four hours of heaven on earth, from noon until 4 p.m.   I hope you can enjoy this delectable delight at some point in time!
   My betting choices stunk yesterday for the Kentucky Oaks, so I don't think you should trust my judgement on today's Derby.  Today's post time is at 6:24 p.m. (EDT), and, with the scratch of El Kabeir yesterday, and the unexpected scratch of International Star this morning, there will be eighteen colts running for the Roses in the 141st annual Kentucky Derby.  With the scratch of El Kabeir, Calvin Borel is without a Derby mount for the first time in years.  Kerwin "Booboo" Clark, who won the Oaks aboard Lovely Maria, has never had a mount in the Derby...  Maybe next year Booboo will have a chance.  What is interesting about the scratch of International Star, owned by the Ramsey family, is that three of their other horses were scratched from running today....
  Most handicappers agree that this will end up being a two-horse race between betting favorite American Pharoah, ridden by Victor Espinoza, and trained by Bob Baffert, and Dortmund, ridden by Martin Garcia, and also trained by Bob Baffert.  Everything depends upon racing luck, and, in reality, this race is wide open...  And I don't know how the scratch of International Star will affect the starting gate positions  - will they be shifted one over, again?  Or will they run with the twelve gate empty?  Three Hall of Fame trainers have entries:  D Wayne Lukas has Mr. Z, Nick Zito has Fragment, and Bob Baffert has the two favorites, American Pharaoh and Dortmund.  Todd Pletcher has four colts running for three different owners:  Carpe Diem and Stanford for Stonestreet Stables, and Itsaknockout and Materiality.  Two of the colts have fathers that won the Derby: Ocho Ocho Ocho, and Dortmund.
  Looking at the dam's pedigrees, Ocho Ocho Ocho is the descendant of the great Personal Ensign; Carpe Diem is related to Unbridled's Song, and Materiality is related to Langfuhr.  Danzig is on the bottom of the pedigrees of Materiality, Danzig Moon, Dortmund, and Firing Line.  Roberto is represented by Keen Ice and Firing Line.
  And then there is the big question mark - Mubtaahij.  Bred in Ireland, the bay colt is owned by Arab Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, trained by Michael de Kock of South Africa, and his jockey is Belgium born Christophe Soumillon.  This colt has race the mile and a quarter distance before, and won.  He has defeated horse that were one and two years older than he.  Will he be able to do his best at Churchill Downs today?
  Will there be a speed duel on the front end, opening up the finish for a closer? Will someone take the lead and stay in front all the way?  Will War Story, the gelding  by Northern Afleet win?  In truth, I have no idea how this race will run out...  I'd like certain jockeys to have a winning ride; I'd like for certain trainers to win; I'd love for certain owners to win.  But there can only be one winner - unless we have an unusual dead heat.  Just looking at the list of names, I like six; looking at photos, I like five.   I'm just going to throw some names out there - Tencendur, Danzig Moon, Firing Line, Far Right, Keen Ice and Frosted - just because I'm not crazy about placing bets on favorites.
  Good luck with your bets!  And here's hoping there are no accidents or missteps on the track!

May Day - Kentucky Oaks Day

Today is traditionally May Day which celebrates the arrival of Spring throughout Europe and North America.  In the past, young  people would go out and gather the new flowers, decorating themselves with woven crowns of blossoms; young men would do their best to find a wild rose to present to their sweetheart that still had the morning dew nestling among the petals.  It was a time of celebration of the renewal of nature...
   This year, the United States and the thoroughbred racing world are celebrating May Day with the running of the Kentucky Oaks - a championship grade race for the young three-year-old fillies.  Tomorrow, we'll celebrate with the running of the 141st Kentucky Derby for three-year-old colts.  Unless there is a late scratch, there will be fourteen fillies in the starting gate this afternoon, and the morning-line betting odds have five entries at less than 15 to 1.  Those fillies are Stellar Wind, the betting favorite, followed by Condo Commando and I'm a Chatterbox at four to one, Lovely Maria is listed at five to one, and Birdatthewire is six to one.  The other nine entries are starting at odds of fifteen to one, up to fifty to one.  I still believe, just from paper, that Condo Commando will win by a head or less over Stellar Wind.   - My dream result would be Forever Unbridled as the winner, with Include Betty in second, Puca in third, and either Oceanwave or Shook Up in fourth...

   And, just a reminder - tomorrow, May 2, is the 47th Annual Chincoteague Seafood Festival...  tents are already being set up.  The Festival is scheduled from noon until 4 p.m.

Bits And Pieces

Today's a bits and pieces day - little bits of left-over and follow-up news -
  If you haven't yet looked at the Kentucky Derby entries, there's a great article that touches on every runner at:  http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/84795/kentucky-derby-preview-bring-it-home-chrome
and, if you'd just like to look at photos, pedigrees, and racing or sales history, check out the main page of The Bloodhorse and scroll down to the listings of the 19 entries (I always look at the expanded 5 generation pedigree, myself) at:   http://www.bloodhorse.com/
   The two attacked ducklings here in Boulder are doing better, but must still get much stronger and heal well to actually recover.  Wildlife and police officers are seeking the two boys who threw stones at the babies.
   Denver is celebrating Cinco de Mayo today, with all kinds of activities.   Today is also the day of the Furry Scurry, a 5 or 10 kilometer walk/jog with your dog.  A small entry fee is requested; but all proceeds are divided between our local no-kill animal shelters,.
   Chincoteague is celebrating the first Saturday in May with their Chinco de Mayo festival.  Today is also the day of the annual  Chincoteague Seafood Festival.
   I can't conceive of tubing in Boulder Creek at the moment - with it being early May, and with the snow melt beginning, the water temperature in the Creek is at 43 degrees...  But Boulder Creek is now open for tubing, kayaking, canoeing, and swimming between Boulder Falls (a couple of miles to the west in Boulder Canyon) to 38th Street (here in Boulder, just west of the new hospital).  I can understand wanting to jump in the water when the outside temperature is in the 90s, or 100s...  I just can't find enthusiasm to freeze on the first day with a temperature of 80 (hopefully).
   And I am very sleepy today.  I stopped reading and turned out my light at 10:30 last night, and fell asleep almost instantly.  I was awakened at 11:03 by neighbors coming home and, apparently, switching their party area to their apartment and balcony.  There was no loud music, but, just as I was about to drift off to sleep again (and again and again and again...), the folks would hoot and holler, or all the women would squeal - and that kept waking me up.  At 1 a.m., I dressed and stepped out onto my patio.  I ascertained which apartment was having a party above me, and then I called the non-emergency police number, and asked them to shut the party down.  They responded in less than 10 minutes, and, after a lot of loud cursing on the balcony, people became quiet (and, I assume, left).  But I awoke as usual at 5, and couldn't go back to sleep.  Rats.