Hangin' With Haskin | A Response to "I Lied"

[andymays]

Hangin' With Haskin | A Response to "I Lied"

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/horse-racing-steve-haskin/archive/2010/12/20/hangin-with-haskin-a-response-to-i-lied.aspx

Excerpt:

The following essay by retired Quebec English teacher Abigail Anderson was written in response to my last blog on Zenyatta. Although it is quite long, it is so brilliantly written and researched I felt it should be shared it with everyone.

By Abigail Anderson

"Nostalgia is like grammar, you find the present in the past perfect."(Unknown)

I have been passionate about horses most of my sixty years on the planet. My grandfather, who was born in the late 1880s, introduced me to Thoroughbreds as a young girl when it became apparent to him that I, too, had “the bug.”

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/horse-racing-steve-haskin/archive/2010/12/20/hangin-with-haskin-a-response-to-i-lied.aspx

[BluegrassProf]

I mentioned this piece (aptly labelled by another member given its...ahem...brevity) in another thread. Haskin is using the whole "voice of the people" argument to great effect lately - this time, it's literal.

A friend of mine thinks someone should do a caricature of ol' Stevie as William Wallace, complete with teal & pink war paint, surrounded by a legion of scowling middle-aged women toting signs and spears.

"ZENYAAAATTTTAAAAAAAA!"

Fantastic.

[JustRalph]

I kind of like that piece.

That lady knows how to write. Best use of a comma I have seen in a long time. And I am not joking.

I wish I could write like that........

[BluegrassProf]

I kind of like that piece.

That lady knows how to write. Best use of a comma I have seen in a long time. And I am not joking.

I wish I could write like that........Note for the record that I don't necessarily disagree w/ the above - my prior comment shouldn't be construed as a critique of the writing nor its gifted writer (apart from the glaring ommission of some important equine characters of late), but rather of the context and continuum in which the writing appears...in case that wasn't obvious. ;)

[keithw84]

When I first started reading, I was rolling my eyes, but by the end, I was engrossed. It's well-written, and I like that she tells a bigger story and ties in the history of the breed rather than saying trite, ridiculous things like "Millions who wouldn't cross the street to watch a race would run through traffic at rush hour..."

[ceejay]

That lady knows how to write. Best use of a comma I have seen in a long time. And I am not joking.

Very well written. I am kind of partial to proper colon use myself, and was quite satisfied.

[DJofSD]

I kind of like that piece.

That lady knows how to write. Best use of a comma I have seen in a long time. And I am not joking.

I wish I could write like that........
May I recommend Lynn Truss' book: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Eats-Shoots-Leaves/Lynne-Truss/e/9781592402038/?itm=1&USRI=shoots+eats+leaves ?

[Sugar Ron]

And it is this heart, bred in the blood, that accounts for Zenyatta's capacity to "show up" in each and every race she ever ran.


Nothing emotional about that sentence ... it's a stone-cold fact.

The great mare had the heart of a champion.

Right there every single time regardless of distance, surface, pace, level of competition ... or what the 'numbers guys' thought.

Next stop ... Saratoga Springs...

[DJofSD]

And it is this heart, bred in the blood, that accounts for Zenyatta's capacity to "show up" in each and every race she ever ran.


Nothing emotional about that sentence ... it's a stone-cold fact.

The great mare had the heart of a champion.

Right there every single time regardless of distance, surface, pace, level of competition ... or what the 'numbers guys' thought.

Next stop ... Saratoga Springs...
Gag.

Breeding is not deterministic. If it was then that winner Lucas had in Derby 114 would have produced some black type. At most you can say her breeding gave her the potential to become what she achieved. She is one of the great ones for sure, but there are a lot of horses that looked great on paper but never ran a lick. How about Green Monkey?