No Triple

Florida-bred Affirmed is still the last (1978) Triple Crown champion. Super Saver just didn't have a win in him yesterday, finishing 8th. I'd love to see a re-play of the stretch run, as I remember seeing SS suddenly veer to the outside and slow - now I can't remember if it was to avoid clipping heels with someone in front of him or for some other reason - but there was a definite lessening of momentum. Lookin at Lucky had a super ride from new jockey Martin Garcia, and was positively the best in yesterday's field. First Dude was a surprise to me, leading for most of the race, and hanging in there, fighting for second from Jackson Bend. It was a very good race.
I got a note from my cousin Sarah, asking me why I hadn't mentioned the great Dan Patch during the past three days, when I've been talking about "Super Horses" - that will be remedied today. All harness horses, or Standardbreds, registered in the US are traced back to four foundation stallions, each of them the son of Hambletonian 10 (as he is listed in the stud book), but he is popularly known as Rysdyk's Hambletonian. He was born in Sugar Loaf, Orange County, New York in May of 1849, and died in 1876, having sired a recorded 1336 foals. People made fun of William Rysdyk's colt - his withers were lower than his croup (a point on the hindquarters) - but he was the fastest trotter of his time. ... Dan Patch was a pacer, a dark bay or brown stallion, born in 1896. He was undefeated in all of his races, and was acknowledged the fastest pacer in the world, having established a record of pacing a mile in 1 minute and 55 seconds in 1906. That record was not broken until 1960, when Adios Butler paced the mile one-quarter of a second faster. Dan Patch was so fast and so well known, that it was difficult for him to find other pacers to race; he usually ended up just racing the clock. He passed away in 1916 at the age of 20. ... Greyhound is my favorite trotter; he was a grey gelding, and he was known as the world record holder of the fastest trotting mile from 1938, when he set the record (aged 6) of 1 minute 55 and 1/4 seconds. That record stood until 1969, 4 years after his death. The Grey Ghost was a great favorite with visitors, and his stable door was always open to the public from his retirement until his death.
Today is beautiful. It's sunny, the sky is blue, and we're expecting a high of 70 (with 75 tomorrow). Indi and Steve have given me a great many laughs in the past few days, and they are totally adorable. Yesterday, Indi brought me her stuffed black cat and begged me to wrestle with it and her. Steve is just a little love bug. I can see why Aussies are known as "wiggle butts" and I have found out how much they respond to their Mom's term of "little monsters" - they adore it and come scrambling for love and treats. Such sweeties!

More Super Horses

Personal Ensign, undefeated in 13 starts

Passed away this April, aged 26, of natural causes

Zenyatta, undefeated in 16 starts, struts in front of a crowd

Born 1 April 2004, she is a granddaughter of *Forli,

and is still racing

Skip Away, award winning race horse and stallion
Won 18 of 38 races, placed second 10 times, 6 times third
Winner of $9,616,360.00

Another Grey Day

We had sunshine for a couple of hours yesterday morning, showers in the afternoon and evening. It's grey again today, with a fifty percent chance of showers until tomorrow morning. Supposedly, we'll reach 55 degrees today and 70 tomorrow; warmer on Monday and then the rain moves back in... Yuck. I'm used to sunnier days in May. - But the forecast for Baltimore this afternoon is sunny, warm, and 75, with a fast track. I'm looking forward to the Preakness. If I chose my winners by faces, I'd be picking Super Saver and Yawanna Twist; I'm still not positive who I'll root for, other than Super Saver. The colts are due in the gate at 6:18 (EDT). Tidal Pool, who ran third in the Kentucky Oaks, ran third in the Black-Eyed Susans yesterday. The winner was Acting Happy, with No Such Word second. Central City won the Jim McKay Turf Sprint. ... Thursday, racing was held up between the 5th and 6th races at Delta Downs, outside of Vinton, Louisiana - due to a large alligator on the track near the rail. It took both out-riders, on foot, to convince the gator to move back into the infield. ... And the thoroughbred world lost another top stallion this week. Skip Away, 3-year-old champion of 1996, and Older Male champion in 1997 & 1998, plus Horse of the Year in 1998, passed away from a heart attack. He was 16 years old.
Indi and Steve have been constant, loving companions. We've had a walk this morning, in the mist, and played tag in the backyard. I've brushed their coats today, but will brush their teeth after lunch. I need to take photos of the gorgeous tulips in the front courtyard, too, if it clears up just a bit. Everything else is fine and dandy.... Enjoy today's racing, as well as the Rolex Three Day Event from the Kentucky Horse Park, being broadcast today for the 90 minutes before the NBC coverage of the Preakness!!

Super Horses

Man o' War: 20 wins from 21 races

Chestnut, born 1917

War Admiral, Man o' War's son, 1937 Triple Crown winner:

21 wins out of 26 races

Brown, born 1934

Seabiscuit, grandson of Man o' War: won 33 of 89 life-time races

Bay, born 1933

Steve and Indi

The yard guys came yesterday afternoon, so I ran around like a madman, picking up toys and poop - after the head guy had checked out the few snow patches in the backyard and said they would be easy to deal with. It rained several times during the evening and night; and that's what the weather folks say will happen today and tonight, as well. It certainly keeps watering down, and we've already exceeded the month's usual amount of precipitation, so the summer supply of water shouldn't be rationed. Steve and Indi have been a joy to be with - we've strolled the neighborhood, wrestled on the floor, played chase, slept together, and they both get their teeth brushed, and at least one full body/coat brush each day. They are super kids. - And their Mom e-mailed me from Dulles, to let me know they'd seen Rocky Carroll (Director Leon Vance on NCIS) while they were there, and he'd had on his NCIS cap. - How cool!
Pimlico Racetrack. "Old Hilltop." Baltimore, Maryland. Today is the Black-Eyed Susans; post time is 5:50 (EDT), with expectations of leaving the gate at 6:00. It's the 12th race on the card. There are 9 entries, with only Tidal Pool (trained by D. Wayne Lukas, jockey Calvin Borel) having run in the Kentucky Oaks. The other fillies are (by post position) No Such Word, Seeking the Title (with Kent Desormeaux in the irons), Khancord Kid, Acting Happy, Harissa, [insert Tidal Pool here, as she is post number 6], Patriot Miss (trained by red-headed Rodney Jenkins of show jumping fame), C C's Pal, and Diva Delite. Patriot Miss was bred in Virginia, C C's Pal and Diva Delite in Florida, and the other six are Kentucky-bred. At this time, the dirt course is described as "fast."... The 8th race, scheduled to leave the gate at 3:45 (EDT) is the Jim McKay Turf Sprint Stakes, to be run for 5 furlongs. There have been three scratches, leaving a field of nine 3-year-olds, each carrying 118 pounds, except for Ju Jitsu Jax, who carries 120. - The Preakness is tomorrow - will we be looking at a possible Triple Crown champion in Super Saver? (And if you want to look at bloodlines, etc. regarding these races, horses, whatever... here is where you can look: www.bloodhorse.com , www.pimlico.com , www.equiline.com , www.pedigreequery.com )
Hope you have a super weekend!

Burdies

A green violet-ear hummingbird

Royal terns in mating dance

Great blue heron catches lunch

Dinosaur Search

Cory is allergic to cats, so Lovey is off to Kathy and Jim's today. I'll miss her, but she'll have good company with Suki and Boo and Kathy and Jim; plus, she loves the backyard, and has a ball running up and down the stairs, so I'm not worried. Got up early and said "Bon voyage" to Laura and Cory, then crawled back under the covers. Steve and Indi had gone outside when their folks left, but I awakened 90 minutes later to find both of them in bed with me. They are adorable - and love attention. They've had breakfast, we've romped in the backyard, and they've been brushed. We'll go out for our stroll around the neighborhood in a few minutes. I gathered up about a dozen stuffed toys from the backyard, and have placed them on the patio to thaw out from yesterdays snow and last night's freeze. I had to find Steve's triceratops, as it's the only toy that he likes (it was frozen to the ground underneath one of the ponderosa pines in the backyard). I hope to make meatballs tomorrow - found all that I need pots and pans-wise, and brought the rest. And I saw Ann and Marty ride by on their horses a few minutes ago - it took me a minute to figure out how they were so much taller than the privacy fence (-duh!).
There will be 12 runners in the Preakness on Saturday; Hurricane Ike injured a hind leg and came back lame after yesterday's jog. Super Saver has drawn the 8th post position. I feel that I have to root for Super Saver because I'd love to have another Triple Crown winner. Of the horses he ran against in the Derby, I like Dublin and Paddy O'Prado. Of the horses he did not face in the Derby, I like Caracortado, Jackson Bend, and Pleasant Prince. At the moment, I have no idea how I'll place my imaginary bets on Saturday. ....