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PhantomOnTour
05-14-2015, 07:56 AM
Arrived with father and brother yesterday for our annual retreat of gambling and carousing. Staying ina new location this year, Canton, a far cry from our usual suburban confines of Owings Mills.
From the way things have started out, this trip may be less about the horses and more about time w family and Baltimore nightlife.
Went to the Orioles game last night... Camden Yards is a great venue.
Going to some sort of Grateful Dead tribute show tonight downtown featuring some surviving members and my favorite band, Widespread Panic.....I have a song of theirs quoted in my sig.
Oh yeah, almost forgot....the horses, Pimlico and all that.
We will be there for the next three days, hoping to meet up w some folks from PA, notably Whiffle Whizz and Proximity.
Love the Goldberg runner in the 8th today; or maybe that's tomorrow...?
Hell, I don't know...guess I better get studying......right after I finish this Best Western hotel breakfast.

Big Peps
05-14-2015, 08:40 AM
The line up for that show looked fantastic, going to check out Panic at Jay Peak next month. Haven't seen them as much the past several years, since Houser passed. Enjoy

PhantomOnTour
05-14-2015, 04:08 PM
Gorgeous day out here today...only made three bets so far and lost them all. Waiting for Goldberg in the 8th

LottaKash
05-14-2015, 04:51 PM
Gorgeous day out here today...only made three bets so far and lost them all. Waiting for Goldberg in the 8th

POT, I hope you make a score !!!...Enjoy... :jump:

Cholly
05-14-2015, 05:34 PM
.....I have a song of theirs quoted in my sig.

That's where that line comes from? Damn. Ever since I saw it here at PA I've tried to use that phrase at least once a week in a conversation. I thought I was being Old South folksy--didn't realize I was quoting a rock band. Oh well, it's still a great line...and oh so true.

RunForTheRoses
05-14-2015, 08:44 PM
Arrived with father and brother yesterday for our annual retreat of gambling and carousing. Staying ina new location this year, Canton, a far cry from our usual suburban confines of Owings Mills.
From the way things have started out, this trip may be less about the horses and more about time w family and Baltimore nightlife.
Went to the Orioles game last night... Camden Yards is a great venue.
Going to some sort of Grateful Dead tribute show tonight downtown featuring some surviving members and my favorite band, Widespread Panic.....I have a song of theirs quoted in my sig.
Oh yeah, almost forgot....the horses, Pimlico and all that.
We will be there for the next three days, hoping to meet up w some folks from PA, notably Whiffle Whizz and Proximity.
Love the Goldberg runner in the 8th today; or maybe that's tomorrow...?
Hell, I don't know...guess I better get studying......right after I finish this Best Western hotel breakfast.

I really wanted to go to the Remember Jerry Show or whatever it is called, just didn't get it together, time flies. Great lineup, Core 4 (just started reading Kreutzmann's book), Jorma...Widespread is good, I saw them a couple of times around '00 with their old, RIP, guitarist, haven't kept up with them but like them a bunch. Here's to sippin on a TallBoy (no gay sex reference, not that there's anything wrong with that lol)...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I251wLQXIaM

Saw Furthur a few years ago at the Jerryweather Post. Cool venue, the GD rocked that place back in the 80s see the ScarletFire 7/1/85.

tanner12oz
05-14-2015, 09:55 PM
Lot of deadheads here...travelled with bob weir and ratdog for a couple years in the mid 2000's..will go see panic in Pittsburgh this summer and on my way to pimlico tomorrow...birds of a feather flock together I guess...box 44a Saturday who the hell knows tomorrow..ive met whizz before so if I bump into him maybe I'll see yall

PhantomOnTour
05-15-2015, 07:04 AM
What a night....
I'm getting too old for this shit

Swore the Goldberg runner was a sure winner when they turned for home yesterday, but hung and got passed by a few...ran 3rd.
Be at it again today, hopefully I will see a few of you folks out there.

Back to my BestWest breakfast.....where's the grits around here
?

charm city whizz
05-15-2015, 07:49 AM
See you guys today!!!!!

PhantomOnTour
05-15-2015, 03:51 PM
Absolutely stunning day here at Pimlico.
Cajun boy Carmouche brings home the Miss Preakness!

PhantomOnTour
05-16-2015, 10:09 AM
Let's get it on!!!
Just arrived at our common folk seats way up the grandstand, couldn't be better.
Gonna be hot, but a southern boy like me doesn't mind a little heat.

PhantomOnTour
05-16-2015, 03:46 PM
Plumbing problems in the grandstand, the Laurel lovers have a point. I must concede that it may be the right thing to do w this race...what a mess

charm city whizz
05-16-2015, 04:13 PM
Plumbing problems in the grandstand, the Laurel lovers have a point. I must concede that it may be the right thing to do w this race...what a mess

Wait a minute.....what about the secret bathroom???

Sold my tix this morning

PhantomOnTour
05-16-2015, 04:40 PM
Secret bathroom is now Grand Central Station. Line out the door 20 deep :(((

Tom
05-16-2015, 05:09 PM
Hey POT, was that you and Charm City Whizz they were showing racing on the tops of the porta-potties in NBC?

gheuks
05-16-2015, 05:12 PM
Just heard on nbc telecast about a water main break in the area affecting bathrooms... Ugh!

Tall One
05-16-2015, 05:20 PM
Just heard on nbc telecast about a water main break in the area affecting bathrooms... Ugh!



:eek:

PhantomOnTour
05-16-2015, 06:00 PM
Hey POT, was that you and Charm City Whizz they were showing racing on the tops of the porta-potties in NBC?
I ain't sayin nuttin
-Johnny tight lips :))

badcompany
05-16-2015, 06:12 PM
The poor bastards are getting soaked out there :(

proximity
05-17-2015, 07:15 PM
POT, I hope you make a score !!!...Enjoy... :jump:

was down Friday and phantom on tour did make a nice score with keen Pauline in the black eyed susan!! :jump:

it was great to see him again and it was also nice to meet tanner12oz towards the end of the card!! :cool:

tanner12oz
05-17-2015, 09:47 PM
Plumbing problems in the grandstand, the Laurel lovers have a point. I must concede that it may be the right thing to do w this race...what a mess

wasn't pretty..thats the main bathroom on the first floor. I'm getting the feeling like laurel is coming sooner rather then later. I understand the place needs a major overhaul that costs a fortune but they could at least slap some paint on the place and fix the broken glass windows scattered everywhere. They also had flooding on the 1st floor when the rains came.

nice bumping into everyone.whizz, proximity, wise Dan

. Wish the rains would have held up on Saturday. Felt like I did post BC cup with the gate break incident, all the buildup about the showdown with Dortmund and firing line...soon as it started raining I knew it was game over. Oh well

ultracapper
05-17-2015, 10:50 PM
That's where that line comes from? Damn. Ever since I saw it here at PA I've tried to use that phrase at least once a week in a conversation. I thought I was being Old South folksy--didn't realize I was quoting a rock band. Oh well, it's still a great line...and oh so true.

It's a derivative of an old Arab proverb...."The dogs will bark, but the caravan passes on."

PhantomOnTour
05-18-2015, 04:25 PM
I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but I gotta lot to say! :D

After a few years of slumping returns we did fantastic in the betting department this year (well, I did...while my father and brother drank themselves senseless. Gee, wonder why New Orleans folk get labeled as drunks). Had two really nice scores on Friday:
Irish Jasper in the Miss Preakness and Keen Pauline in the Susan. Also had a small score in the Skipat with Galiana.
Missed the Pim Special betting Transparent...a mistake I will NEVER make again, to hell with that horse. Runs brilliant numbers, but never in a GrStk race against good competition...done with him.
Needed that speedster to hold off Bens Cat in the McKay Turf Sprint but he tired, drifted and got nailed. Congrats to Hall of Famer King Leatherbury, you have one serious pro on your hands with Bens Cat :ThmbUp: :ThmbUp:

Saturday was absolute glory, and it began in R2.
My humble numbers (HumNums as I call them) ranked the 30-1 bomb #6 as a serious contender and she held 2nd for a very nice exacta in the $350 range.
In R4 I finally gave Jamie Ness some begrudging respect when I used him over my Goldberg runner who got 2nd, decent exacta.
Next came the Md Sprint, where I was determined to beat defending champ Happy My Way, who just wasn't the same guy as last year. Joe Sharp got it done and things got even better when a longshot closer nailed HMW for 2nd to complete a nice exacta.
Missed the Sir Barton
Race 9 was the Gallorette and I admit to getting a bit lucky, settled on the 2nd place horse in a very competitive race. Castellano ran me down late but I caught the exacta...whew.
Race 10 was the Chick Lang, where I really liked the winner, Street Boss, off a strong race at OP. Even singled him in P3's which I managed to miss. In fact, the top two runners were the top two figure horses by my humnums....the runner up was a Nevin colt coming off a huge performance and getting little respect at the windows.
Race 11 was The Very One...whaaaaaatever, these turf sprints get me every time. I stayed loyal to Goldberg and used the #3 heavily. He acted up in the gate, broke badly and that was that. The winner, Ageless, was deserving of favorite status, having been very close in the BrCup Turf Sprint last year.
And now for the Dixie....and what a rewarding one it was. I really liked Ironicus who stormed home at 7-1 in a strong performance. He made one of those "get the hell out of my way" moves up the rail and was absolutely loaded. The sweet part was the runner up, Cage Fighter, whom I was going to bet on Thurs or Fri at Belmont but he scratched for this race. He is the model of consistency, and ran a heck of a race in his own right to hold 2nd at 25-1. Win and ex bets paid well. Made a big daily double with the winner, using Pharoah and Divining Rod in the Preakness.
The bet on the big race was a $20 ex 1-7 and $20 win on #7...dammit!
Divining Rod was my solid key in this race and I was confident he would be in the top two, esp when the rains came. I told my brother in law that there would be a war up front with the track being sloppy, and the losers of that war would fade badly. No war developed, and when Victor cleared I said he'd win by 10 lengths.
DR made a nice rail move and crept right up there, and then Javier did what jockeys are supposed to do...he tried to win the race. Went after Pharoah hard, who was just toying with them, and got weary late...drifted about a bit and TOV got him. My only question is; where the heck was the 1-all-7 trifecta!!?? Been having a very good day, just spend the extra $$$ and nail a very nice paying tri :bang:

PhantomOnTour
05-18-2015, 04:48 PM
It was great to see Proximity and Whiffle (now Charm City) Whizz on Friday afternoon. They saw me win big and lose big in the BE Susan and DuPont Distaff...I liked Aix en Provence there, she did okay and got 4th at 25-1 or so, but def not good enough.
I evened the beer score with Whiffle Whizz from last year...your turn next year dude. I stood by Apron Box 44a a few times Saturday but didn't want to look like an idiot by going down there and yelling "Tanner 12oz!!!" :lol:
Wish I could have met you and Wise Dan...lets try next year.

My sister and her husband are empty-nesters and moved to Canton, which is near downtown on the harbor. It's a few blocks from the old NattyBo brewery btw O'Donnell St and Boston St....what a cool neighborhood. Parks, marina bars, shopping center, and coeds jogging in those obscene yoga pants.
Life is good.
Took in an O's game Weds night. Oriole Park is fantastic. My nephew lives literally across the street from Camden Yards and we had few drinks with him after the ball game. What a tragic night for Md sports though...within a half hour or so the Caps got eliminated by the Rangers and Al Horford of the Hawks had a put back late to beat the Wizards. We left shortly after that :)

A few friends of mine from New Orleans made last minute arrangements and came to Baltimore also. Then they sat upstairs at the Inner Rail Bar (or is it Outer Rail?) all day Friday watching the races on TV. Fellas, you could have done that at home....get downstairs and experience the track!
Maggie Wolfendale, Bossinakis and a few of the ladies from the handicapping seminar were hanging out up there, so I can kinda forgive them in some small way.
By the way, they own First Whipporwill now, who is in the 3rd or 4th at Belmont on Weds...they say he will win. Owner is listed as Harry Bruns, one of the guys of the former NOAH Stable (New Orleans Ass Holes). Great to see them.

Don't move this race to Laurel! I said different earlier in this thread before knowing the cause of the problem. A broken water main is hardly the fault of Pimlico...from what I understand, the track wasn't the only place affected, and it was only one bathroom...the big one by the pizza place where the old grandstand meets the even older wooden grandstand.
So much for my super secret men's room; it was packed 30 deep out the door. :bang:
Pimlico is a real racetrack: complete with history, that old school look and feel, and a few scars n bumps n bruises to show...love her just the way she is.

PhantomOnTour
05-18-2015, 04:58 PM
As always, this trip is a reunion of sorts for my brother and father and myself. Don't get to see them as much anymore and these times are near and dear to me.
My dad is getting up there (75yrs old) and i'm not sure how many more of these he can make. He had knee replacement last year and has really struggled getting around on Preakness day....those sloped floors and tunnels are a nightmare, but he toughs it out despite the challenges.
Maybe it's time we moved into one of those infield tents for the big day. The turfside terrace (or whatever they call it) looks half full every year.

I also use this trip as a mental springboard for the upcoming busy summer racing schedule. Going to big events like this really energizes me and motivates me to do the hard work necessary to win, esp playing New York racing.
It is a yearly affirmation that horse racing is the greatest game around, and no one can tell me otherwise.
Bring on the summer !

tanner12oz
05-18-2015, 05:36 PM
As always, this trip is a reunion of sorts for my brother and father and myself. Don't get to see them as much anymore and these times are near and dear to me.
My dad is getting up there (75yrs old) and i'm not sure how many more of these he can make. He had knee replacement last year and has really struggled getting around on Preakness day....those sloped floors and tunnels are a nightmare, but he toughs it out despite the challenges.
Maybe it's time we moved into one of those infield tents for the big day. The turfside terrace (or whatever they call it) looks half full every year.

I also use this trip as a mental springboard for the upcoming busy summer racing schedule. Going to big events like this really energizes me and motivates me to do the hard work necessary to win, esp playing New York racing.
It is a yearly affirmation that horse racing is the greatest game around, and no one can tell me otherwise.
Bring on the summer !

mix in the rain, booze and sloped floors and I can't believe there hasn't been a fatality...lol

the light rail shuttle bus moved a little better then last year. Coming in they really need to create a shuttle only lane switch lights to blinking yellow on the main arteries. Workers were great this year and it sure seemed like they were told to be super friendly cuz it was really overwhelming how nice they were. 2 thumbs up in that regard to pimlico

horses4courses
05-18-2015, 05:41 PM
Very nice posting, POT :ThmbUp:

Sounds like you had a great time,
and it's always good to catch up with family.

NJ Stinks
05-18-2015, 10:41 PM
I enjoyed reading your recap too, Phantom. It must have been thrilling to watch and win all those races in person!

But this is the part I especially enjoyed reading:

Pimlico is a real racetrack: complete with history, that old school look and feel, and a few scars n bumps n bruises to show...love her just the way she is.


I couldn't agree more. :ThmbUp: