OTM Al
11-07-2006, 02:04 PM
Went to Louisville for the Cup this year in what is becoming an annual tradition in my household and thought I'd share some of my thoughts and impressions.
Friday: Leave around noon from NYC. Am flying Northwest with stopover in Detroit. Jet Blue has spoiled me. The seats are tiny on NWA (If Eazy-E was still alive he would have popped a cap in the mutha's for using that name...) and upolstered in late 70's style fabrics. I see many forms and Equibase printouts being studied. I try to convince a fellow passenger that Gorella will not win the mile, but he's buying none of it.
Arrive in Louisville in the early evening. Mapquest instructions turn easy 10 minute ride to hotel into overland adventure. If you use Mapquest, it is best to also have a map.....
The girlfriend loves those ghost hunter shows on TV and Louisville is home of the Waverly Sanitorium, which is supposed to be one of the most haunted places in the US. Something like 63,000 people died there of TB. It is very hard to find at night, but after passing the entrance 4 times, we get there and take the tour. These guys have been on TV a lot lately and seem to have an operation that is just printing money. Must have been 50 people there for the tour and they had 2 more scheduled for later at $20 a head. It is some interesting history, but I see little more than darkness and shadows....
Saturday: The day is here at last. Mapquest has been discarded. Churchill is well marked and easy to get to. We park a couple blocks away and walk to the entrance, arriving about a quarter to 9. They won't let me bring my backpack in. It is not nearly as large as some of the totebags some women are lugging in, but security is unbending. I take it back to the car feeling naked without my man-purse. I feel even more violated as we are almost strip searched going in. To make it up to me my GF buys me the child's horsey backpack in the gift shop. He serves me well. He is a valiant looking horse despite the straps attached to his body and has that eagle eyed look of a $10K claimer. I dub him Purseman.
Opening ceremonies are ok. Having all the jockies come out and announcing their names and nationalities was pretty cool. I am growing weary of hearing the national anthem sung with a country twang however. Musically, I don't like the song at all and spiritually I think there are many more songs that represent this country better than a converted British drinking song about a battle in a war that need not have happened, but having it performed by a country singer just sends chills down my spine. Oh well, make due with what we have....Did anyone else find the fact that an all black (well except for the one little blond kid) boys choir sang "My Old Kentucky Home" somewhat ironic? Don't know what I'm talking about? Here's the original song.
http://www.ingeb.org/songs/othesuns.html
Needless to say some of the words have been changed to protect the guilty.
Okay! Race time! Hang on 12 hang on! Not. Have the winner in the first, but my exacta is split. I will never learn to win bet. Okay though. Decent price in the P3 first leg though, except that I don't get the second leg, or 3rd for that matter.
By the time of the Juvenille I have already decided to stick to inside horses. Use the 2,3,4,5 and 6 on my tickets. What comes in? 1,7 and 9. D'OH!!!!
Okay. Time for the F&M turf. If there is one single on the day, it is Ouija Board. This is the best horse on the grounds today and probably just about any day. It is a pleasure watching her just glide up to the lead pack in the back stretch and then effortlessly go on by. I just key her on top of a triple. Of course I don't use Honey Rider. Being that I was proclaiming that she and Film Maker, who I did use, were about the most evenly matched horses I'd seen in some time a month before when cleaning up with them, I feel like an idiot. One word. Loser.
Sprint. Okay. I know I have to use Thor's Echo here, but I've really liked War Front a lot lately. Loser.
Mile. This and the sprint seem to be the yearly crap shoots. I don't like Gorella to win at all. I use most of the Euros. Gorella beats all the ones I used. At least I had Miesque's Approval as a B horse. Yeah, that and 2 bucks gets me a subway ride at home. Loser.
Distaff. Did see Fleet Indian pull up and am glad I didn't see Pine Island go down. I had boxed them up with Round Pond because it looked like a day for 1s. Needless to say I still haven't figured out how to make a win bet, but that's not the sort of race I would have felt good about winning.
Turf. Have a good feeling about the Euros here, and am realling looking forward to seeing Huricane Run. He flops. Loser.
Classic. Last chance. Funds low. This race got me most of the way out of the hole last year. Only 2 possible winners in my book, Bernardini and Invasor. Box them up in an exacta, but only $10 and put them on top with my secret weapon Premium Tap underneath in a tri (I also used David Junior and Perfect Drift underneath for the record). Out of the hole!!!!!! End up $50 for the day!!!
I like Churchill and really want to go back so I can actually see some of it. BC day is not a good day to visit a track for the very first time, but a good experience all in all.
Go back to the hotel. Order Dominos pizza. Watch some TV. Indiana and Ohio campaign ads are viscious!!! New York's got nothing on that mud slinging. Pass out.
Sunday: Slept in. Headed out to brunch at Old Friends. If you haven't read my other post about a good cause, forget reading this drivel and go there and read something important. Found a place called Texas Roadhouse to eat dinner afterward. Kinda TGIFridays-ish chain, but very tasty. Highly recommended if you are hungry and see one.
Monday: Early flight back to NYC. Plane late into Detroit so have only 20 minutes to get to connecting flight. Connecting gate moved from right down the hall to nearly the other end of terminal. Feel like I'm going to puke getting there but make it. Fernando Jara's mom is sitting next to me. She is very proud of her son. I have a feeling she won't be riding in coach much longer.
A great trip all in all. Looking forward to Monmouth next year. Will only have to rent a car for that one!
Friday: Leave around noon from NYC. Am flying Northwest with stopover in Detroit. Jet Blue has spoiled me. The seats are tiny on NWA (If Eazy-E was still alive he would have popped a cap in the mutha's for using that name...) and upolstered in late 70's style fabrics. I see many forms and Equibase printouts being studied. I try to convince a fellow passenger that Gorella will not win the mile, but he's buying none of it.
Arrive in Louisville in the early evening. Mapquest instructions turn easy 10 minute ride to hotel into overland adventure. If you use Mapquest, it is best to also have a map.....
The girlfriend loves those ghost hunter shows on TV and Louisville is home of the Waverly Sanitorium, which is supposed to be one of the most haunted places in the US. Something like 63,000 people died there of TB. It is very hard to find at night, but after passing the entrance 4 times, we get there and take the tour. These guys have been on TV a lot lately and seem to have an operation that is just printing money. Must have been 50 people there for the tour and they had 2 more scheduled for later at $20 a head. It is some interesting history, but I see little more than darkness and shadows....
Saturday: The day is here at last. Mapquest has been discarded. Churchill is well marked and easy to get to. We park a couple blocks away and walk to the entrance, arriving about a quarter to 9. They won't let me bring my backpack in. It is not nearly as large as some of the totebags some women are lugging in, but security is unbending. I take it back to the car feeling naked without my man-purse. I feel even more violated as we are almost strip searched going in. To make it up to me my GF buys me the child's horsey backpack in the gift shop. He serves me well. He is a valiant looking horse despite the straps attached to his body and has that eagle eyed look of a $10K claimer. I dub him Purseman.
Opening ceremonies are ok. Having all the jockies come out and announcing their names and nationalities was pretty cool. I am growing weary of hearing the national anthem sung with a country twang however. Musically, I don't like the song at all and spiritually I think there are many more songs that represent this country better than a converted British drinking song about a battle in a war that need not have happened, but having it performed by a country singer just sends chills down my spine. Oh well, make due with what we have....Did anyone else find the fact that an all black (well except for the one little blond kid) boys choir sang "My Old Kentucky Home" somewhat ironic? Don't know what I'm talking about? Here's the original song.
http://www.ingeb.org/songs/othesuns.html
Needless to say some of the words have been changed to protect the guilty.
Okay! Race time! Hang on 12 hang on! Not. Have the winner in the first, but my exacta is split. I will never learn to win bet. Okay though. Decent price in the P3 first leg though, except that I don't get the second leg, or 3rd for that matter.
By the time of the Juvenille I have already decided to stick to inside horses. Use the 2,3,4,5 and 6 on my tickets. What comes in? 1,7 and 9. D'OH!!!!
Okay. Time for the F&M turf. If there is one single on the day, it is Ouija Board. This is the best horse on the grounds today and probably just about any day. It is a pleasure watching her just glide up to the lead pack in the back stretch and then effortlessly go on by. I just key her on top of a triple. Of course I don't use Honey Rider. Being that I was proclaiming that she and Film Maker, who I did use, were about the most evenly matched horses I'd seen in some time a month before when cleaning up with them, I feel like an idiot. One word. Loser.
Sprint. Okay. I know I have to use Thor's Echo here, but I've really liked War Front a lot lately. Loser.
Mile. This and the sprint seem to be the yearly crap shoots. I don't like Gorella to win at all. I use most of the Euros. Gorella beats all the ones I used. At least I had Miesque's Approval as a B horse. Yeah, that and 2 bucks gets me a subway ride at home. Loser.
Distaff. Did see Fleet Indian pull up and am glad I didn't see Pine Island go down. I had boxed them up with Round Pond because it looked like a day for 1s. Needless to say I still haven't figured out how to make a win bet, but that's not the sort of race I would have felt good about winning.
Turf. Have a good feeling about the Euros here, and am realling looking forward to seeing Huricane Run. He flops. Loser.
Classic. Last chance. Funds low. This race got me most of the way out of the hole last year. Only 2 possible winners in my book, Bernardini and Invasor. Box them up in an exacta, but only $10 and put them on top with my secret weapon Premium Tap underneath in a tri (I also used David Junior and Perfect Drift underneath for the record). Out of the hole!!!!!! End up $50 for the day!!!
I like Churchill and really want to go back so I can actually see some of it. BC day is not a good day to visit a track for the very first time, but a good experience all in all.
Go back to the hotel. Order Dominos pizza. Watch some TV. Indiana and Ohio campaign ads are viscious!!! New York's got nothing on that mud slinging. Pass out.
Sunday: Slept in. Headed out to brunch at Old Friends. If you haven't read my other post about a good cause, forget reading this drivel and go there and read something important. Found a place called Texas Roadhouse to eat dinner afterward. Kinda TGIFridays-ish chain, but very tasty. Highly recommended if you are hungry and see one.
Monday: Early flight back to NYC. Plane late into Detroit so have only 20 minutes to get to connecting flight. Connecting gate moved from right down the hall to nearly the other end of terminal. Feel like I'm going to puke getting there but make it. Fernando Jara's mom is sitting next to me. She is very proud of her son. I have a feeling she won't be riding in coach much longer.
A great trip all in all. Looking forward to Monmouth next year. Will only have to rent a car for that one!