I am pleased that trainer Shug McGaughey finally had a horse that was able to win the Kentucky Derby. He has been training thoroughbred horses for the Phipps and Janney families for 34 years. Yesterday he watched his sixth entry run in the Kentucky classic. He came close with Easy Goer, but Sunday Silence was able to win that contest. Yesterday, Orb fulfilled his owners' and trainer's dream by winning the race that all Kentuckians want to claim - the Kentucky Derby. Joel Rosario was on board the colt, who dropped way back at the beginning of the race, raced about 6 or 7 paths wide (away from the inside of the rail, making a greater distance to be run), and came roaring up in the homestretch to win by 2 and a half lengths. Golden Soul finished in second place, with Revolutionary a head in front of Normandy Invasion for third. The track was rated as "Sloppy" - it had rained most of the day, but the rain stopped about 20 minutes before post time - so there was a pretty nice sealed track under standing water. Considering the 19 horse field, the mud, and the fact that Orb ran wide the whole race, the time of 2 minutes 2.89 seconds was astounding.
As I stated in yesterday's wrap-up, the horses I chose ran dismally, and I lost $40. Oh, well... That's what happens when you bet on a horse race; you win some, you lose some...
I was awakened by a loud crash of metal at 4:15 this morning - it came from my closet (which is a walk-through, without a door), and I could hear my cats talking. I had a dark-eyed junco inside my closet, and my kits were on the hunt. I managed to get the bird inside the bathroom without the kits, and I caught and examined it. It had one loose feather on a wing, but no broken bones and no puncture wounds, so I stepped back into the main apartment area with it cupped in my hands. Then I realized that I had a dilemma - (a) I couldn't open the back door with the bird in my hands, (b) I didn't have my glasses on (so I was quite blind), and (c) I was wearing only a white night-shirt with holes in it. I prayed that no one else was up and wandering around the building that early in the morning. I was able to open my front door locks and slip through the door without letting the kits out. Then I hurried down the hall, crossed the atrium, and opened the double glass doors outside the building. The little junco was fluttering quite a bit in my hands by that time, so I settled it on the edge of the flower bed and backed away. I could hear the cheeps of early-rising birds, and was happy when the little grey bird flew away without difficulty. I ran back into my apartment and went back to bed. - I guess if I hear any tales of a ghost in white wandering the building in the early hours, I'll know it was me.
