Friday's Breeders Cup Races Breakdown (My Picks)

First, Handsome Mike is a scratch from the Dirt Mile race on Friday - he has a swelling in his near fore leg and is lame.  Second, American Pharoah, the Juvenile betting favorite on Saturday, is also a scratch; he, too, is lame, and it's believed to be a deep foot bruise in his left fore.
  I have to admit I haven't been keeping an eye on the races this year - other than a few major stakes races - and I'm completely in the dark about the 2-year-olds who are racing this year.  (I guess I've been too focused on Cozmic One, Zenyatta's first foal, who is in training at Belmont Park.)  There are not many photos available of many of the juvenile race contenders, so all of my decisions this year about the juvies are based on past racing and their pedigrees.  And, since I know that people choose to bet on horses for all sorts of reasons, I always add in birthplace information, color, sex and age. And, if one of my favorite jockeys is riding the horse, you'll be aware of that, also.  As always, if you want more information about any entry, I suggest you visit The Bloodhorse website at   http://www.bloodhorse.com/ .  I am also going to ignore the designated alternate entries that are waiting in line for someone to scratch...
   The first race is the Juvenile Turf; all 2-year-old boys carrying 122 pounds for one mile.  Wet Sail and Hootenanny are geldings; Daddy D T is a ridgling.  Eight were born in Kentucky, three were born in New York, two were born in Great Britain, and Conquest Typhoon was born in Ontario, Canada.  Danny Boy is the only grey (roan) in the field; horses in post positions 2, 3, and 4 are chestnuts; and the rest are bays or dark browns.  Half of the field traces back to Hyperion (and/or *Forli), my favorite bloodline.  (My other favorite is Man o'War, and he is in most American-bred lines.)  I have only seen photos of five of the fourteen entries; the most photogenic is #11, Imperia, a dark brown colt, bred in Kentucky, and at 6 to 1 odds.  Imperia will have Javier Castellano in the irons.  The betting favorite is Hootenanny, a bay gelding, bred in Kentucky, and ridden by Frankie Dettori.  The seond betting choice is War Envoy, a bay colt from Kentucky. Mike Smith is riding Luck of the Kitten, a chestnut Kentucky-bred; Corey Nakatani is aboard Daddy D T, another Chestnut Kentucky-bred; and Julien Leparoux will be in the stirrups aborad the grey, Danny Boy.  Not having seen any of these colts run, and just looking at their pedigrees, these are my choices: Aktabantay (bred in Great Britain), Danny Boy, Imperia, and Wet Sail.  But I also have the feeling that Hootenanny will run a huge race....
   With the scratch of Handsome Mike in the Dirt Mile, the longest shot on the betting board is gone, leaving a field of nine.  Two three-year-olds (Tapiture and Vicar's in Trouble) will carry 123 pounds; the other horses, two 4-year-olds,  four 5-year-olds, and one 6-year-old will each carry 126 pounds.   Pants On Fire is the eldest, and the bay horse is still going strong.  Goldencents, the winner last year, will start from the #1 post position and is the early betting favorite.  Bronzo was born in Chile; Big Bane Theory was born in California, and Vicar's In Trouble was born in Louisiana; the others were born in Kentucky.  Bronzo and Carve are geldings; the other boys are intact.  Tapiture, who will have Rosie Napravnik in the irons, is the only chestnut in the field; all other runners are bay.  Tapiture is also the only horse in the field that does not have Hyperion in his pedigree.  Carve will have Mike Smith in the saddle; Joel Rosario will be riding Golden Ticket; and Joe Talamo is aboard Big Bane Theory.  My picks are:  Vicar's In Trouble (because he's such a small guy), Bronzo, Pants On Fire, and Tapiture.
   Gary Stevens returns to the saddle (14 weeks after a total knee replacement) in the Juvenile Fillies Turf; he'll be aboard Irish-bred Sivoliere.  Each of these two-year-old fillies will be carrying 122 pounds in the one mile race.  Again, there were very few photos for me to look at, so don't expect much...  Of the fourteen fillies entered, Sunset Glow is the only grey or roan; there are three chestnuts - Partisan Politics, Isabella Sings, and Rainha Da Bateria; and the other ten runners are bay or dark brown.  Three fillies were bred in Ireland - Osaila, Sivoliere, and Qualify; one was bred in Great Britain, Prize Exhibit; Conquest Harlanate was bred in Ontario, Canada; Quality Rocks was bred in Florida; the other fillies are Kentucky-bred.  Three of the fillies do not have Hyperion in their pedigree - Tammy the Torpedo, Rainha Da Bateria, and Quality Rocks.  The betting favorite is Sunset Glow, ridden by Victor Espinoza; Lady Zuzu has Julien Leparoux aboard for trainer D Wayne Lukas; and Frankie Dettori is in the irons on Osaila.  I like:  Prize Exhibit, Sivoliere, Lady Zuzu, Osaila, and Nicky's Brown Miss.
   The Distaff for fillies and mares, running 1 and 1/8 miles on the dirt for $2 million....  Eleven females; all bred in Kentucky, except Valiant Emilia, from Peru.  The three 3-year-olds (Unbridled Forever, Ria Antonia, and Untapable) will carry 121 pounds; the eight older mares will carry 124.  Don't Tell Sophia is the eldest racing, at age 6; there are three 4-year-olds (Tiz Midnight, Iotapa, and Close Hatches) while the other four entries are 5 years of age.  L'Amour de Ma Vie is the only grey or roan in the group; Belle Gallantey is the only chestnut; and the rest are bays.  Five of the ladies are descendants of Hyperion; six are not.  Rosie Napravnik is riding Untapable, and they are the betting favorite.  Corey Nakatani is aboard Stanwyck; Jose Rosario is on Close Hatches; and John R Velasquez will ride Unbridled Forever.  My picks:  Untapable, Valiant Emilia, L'Amour de Ma Vie, Close Hatches, and Belle Gallantey.

  As always, know that I do this for fun.  Do not place wagers on my choices and expect to win.  Sometimes my picks are good, and sometimes they stink.  Betting (and any type of gambling) can become an addiction.  Do not spend any money needed for food, housing, or other necessary payments "playing the ponies."  It is not a good idea.

Monday Heat

I went to bed last night re-reading The Last Camel Died At Noon, and, after I dropped the book on  my  face the third time, I decided to turn off the reading light and go to sleep.  It was after 10:30, and I sighed gratefully into the pillows and relaxed.  Then the bongos began, followed by my friend Nancy's voice laughing and chatting at full volume while finishing her move out with a friend assisting.  I had just fallen asleep when Nancy came to my patio window and started repeating my name... I asked what she wanted and said she had "just a few things" that she needed to leave on  my patio overnight - that she would move them tomorrow (that is, today).  I said OK and then tried to get back to sleep while she and her friend were giggling and moving items onto my patio.  It was a weird night.
   We are expecting a high of about 90 degrees today -  with gusty winds today and tomorrow.  I'm sitting here in jersey knit shorts and a T-shirt and already have my hair pinned up off my neck because it's so warm.  The kits, Lovey and Nedi, are running out and about this morning, and visiting with Harvey, the Belgian Giant rabbit, next door.  Erwin is curled up asleep on the sofa, and Bob is asleep in my clothes hamper in the closet.  I'm home for the rest of this week, and will only be walking Rosie these weekday mornings - a semi-vacation for me!  But on Saturday, I'll move into Lynn Thore's house for two weeks, and will be caring for her dog, cats, koi, and gardens...  At least I can read in her hammock in the back yard while Tess is outside with me - and I can bring Rosie and Boo over to visit Tess.  The big thing will be to keep the cats out of Rosie's sight - but she's (finally) getting calmer about seeing them through the windows and French doors.
   Speaking of Rosie, the top female jockey of our time, Rosie Napravnik, will be unable to ride horses on the track for the next 4 to 6 weeks.   She was riding a filly name Socialbug, who had a catastrophic breakdown, and Rosie was catapulted from the saddle.  She has a separation between her clavicle and shoulder that needs time to heal.  This happened after she rode Tapiture to victory in the Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs.

   You may have noticed the blogs of State Parks photos that have appeared on  my site.  I find the different views and topography of of 50 states fascinating, and I'm sharing a few of my favorite shots from each state with you...   Besides, pretty soon I'll be writing about almost nothing except Chincoteague and Assateague Islands in Virginia, and posting photos of the islands and the local wildlife; I thought a wide variety beforehand might be nice.

Happy May Day!

Just to be silly, I went out just before dawn and gathered a small nosegay of local wildflowers - I figured that I ought to follow at least one of the old traditions today....   I'd love to see a traditional May Pole dance and Morris Dancers on the village green, but I'm afraid that I'll see the usual homeless contingent asking for a handout at Central Park instead.
  Bits and pieces today....
  Tonight is the season two finale for Vikings on the History Channel.  Nine episodes last year, ten episodes this year.  They've been renewed for a third season, and the writer, Michael Hirst, says he'll cover the sack of Paris in it.  I hope that we get twelve episodes next year!  If you know the saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, you pretty much know how tonight's episode will play out...
  Sam Carter, the ex-Boulder Police officer, was charged with killing Big Boy (aka Edward the Elk) on 1 January 2013.  He has yet to go to trial.  Yesterday, it was reported that in 2008, he responded to a call for Wildlife officers.  A multi-point buck was tangled in a wire fence; the buck was frightened, but not injured.  The man who placed the call was surprised that a BPD officer arrived, and immediately drew his weapon, stating the buck was injured and needed to be put down. (This was the same story Carter gave about the elk.)  The man argued with him until wildlife officers arrived, and the buck was helped out of the fence, emerging with a slight limp.  Both wildlife officers and the citizen who reported the buck stated that the buck had a huge rack - definitely a set of trophy antlers...  Does this sound familiar?
  After the Derby has ended, and before the Preakness fever hits, I think I'll write about the Koch brothers and their astonishing empire...  It's amazing how much this family owns.
  Rosie Napravnik, the very good female jockey, is riding in both the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby.  She will be riding two of the horses that are her usual mounts.  However, she has been given a three day suspension for "rough riding" in the Derby Trial Stakes while on Bayern.  She "allowed" him to drift into and bump another horse, while whipping him, near the end of the stretch.  The other horse lost the race by a nose.  That jockey filed a complaint, and the stewards decided that Rosie had compromised the other horse's run.  However, since she is a top-name jockey, and because she does have mounts in the two best known races this weekend, she will be allowed to ride - but then must serve a four day suspension, beginning Sunday.
  Trainer Steve Asmussen, and his friend and top assistant-trainer, Scott Blasi, were hit with very nasty allegations and undercover film footage 43 days ago.  Just before the big coverage began for the Triple Crown races.  The footage was shot by a member of PETA, and is said to show the use of illegal medications and the use of an electric shock device to make the horses run faster.  I have not seen the footage, nor do I wish to.  Steve has had a few bumps in the road about medication.  But I am amazed over the allegations of the electric shock device...  Scott Blasi  left Asmussen's employment the day after the film and report was given to The New York Times.  One has to wonder about the timing...
   Personally, I don't believe in harming any animal for any reason.  But.  I do not believe in the extremes that PETA goes to, and expounds.  If we follow the reasoning of the PETA guidelinesall the way to the end, then all animals, domesticated or not, should be allowed to run free, breed freely, and look after themselves. Humans should never touch nor feed them.  In this day and age, with highways, cities, airports, etc., turning all animals loose is a completely idiotic idea.  PETA needs to re-think their goals.  I totally agree there should be "Ethical Treatment of Animals," but one must also use common sense.