Breeders Cup recap
Nov 6, 2013 14:35:43 GMT -5
Post by afleettreet on Nov 6, 2013 14:35:43 GMT -5
HI All,
From the look of things people here don't like the BC and could care less about it so I initially thought I would refrain from posting this but alas I thought I would share on the chance that maybe one or two people here would enjoy the recap from someone who was there.
It was a very nice weekend...met some really good friends (we go every year) and met even more new friends (a couple from W2W and FB and elsewhere)...it was a GREAT weekend with friends and racing and despite the lows it was still a thrill. I was so happy for Kathy Ritvo and her team...the vindication they felt after a heartbreaking loss (of which Kathy wouldn't even replay all year) last year to Fort Larned was a joy to see. Kathy was at Clocker's Corner on Sunday while we were having breakfast and I congratulated her and her team. SUCH a nice lady and she has the MOST adorable Cavalier King Charles puppy I have ever seen!
Spent time with the Bafferts on Sunday and visited all the horses...they were still very sad about their filly as it was evident walking by her empty stall pained both Bob and Jill...they didn't think I was looking but I caught it out of the corner of my eye. I felt bad for them...I ran into Jill shortly after it happened and she was DEVASTATED and desperately trying to keep her composure knowing she would have to be in front of the cameras for the next few races. It was sad...I felt bad for them and the connections of the filly as I knew they saw such promise in her and now she is gone. They were also equally devastated and worried about Johnny V and I know Bob spoke to Angel (Cordero) several times getting updates on his condition. But enough about that too because I know you guys dont' like Bob either. LOL!
I have to say the call to the post by "rock and roll icon" (WHAT??? not very often you hear the words Rock N Roll Icon together in the same sentence with Richie Sambora but I digress...) SUCKED...sounded NOTHING like it to me and was WAY too distortion infused for my taste...would have rather seen Zakk Wylde or Santana or any number of other guitarists play it. Didn't really care for Kristin Chenoweth either but LOVED Toni Braxton and Shae Leparoux. Didn't get to the infield at all despite wishing I would have...got some AMAZING pictures though of all the horses. I also got a neato torpedo picture of John Shear, the SA paddock guard who was injured last year at 90 years old...I got pictures of him guarding the paddock just as Big Blue Kitten walked by so it is a GREAT shot of John with the saddled sloth in the background.
Spent Monday morning and early afternoon on the backside at Hollywood Park...for all the denouncements of this track and problems it has had I am VERY sad to see it go. Having spent time on the backside of some of the country's best racetracks I can tell you with affirmative conviction that Hollywood Park's barns are among the best built and kept I have ever seen anywhere and it is truly too bad that they have to crumble because they are rock solid and in perfect shape for the most part. The backside at Hollywood is awesome. After spending ALOT of time snuggling Gemster (Awesome Gem) and Lava Man, both of which I can never go to SoCal and not see I wandered alone and took pictures for an upcoming blog and posterity memories. A perfect hoof print in the dirt....Bougainevilla growing up the sides of the buildings...a lone horse getting a pedicure (farrier work) in darkened shedrow....a stray equine face peeking out at me as I wandered by...a stable pony dropping to roll in his makeshift stall...clumps of alfalfa dropped into the bright yellow straw...a padded horseshoe casually dropped in the sand...and the barn kitties!! Snapped a cute shot of Zen's barn kitty (he has been there the last 3 years I have visited) sitting alone in front of Barn 55. All the signs are gone...no more Lady's Secret Drive...No more Zenyatta Way...NO more winning Landaluce Street...etc...etc...all the signs have been removed. It was like a ghost town since it was late morning early afternoon and works had been completed, baths had been given and horses and grooms were relaxing in the quiet. The solitude of it was almost surreal and before I headed to the airport I wanted to soak up as much of it as I could for my own memories sake. I even bumped into Mario Guiterrez on my way in...such a nice kid! I will always cherish all the time I have spent back there and wish I could transport those barns to places nearby for the operations to continue...I worry about all those people living back there and where they will go...hundreds of people will be laid off when the track closes and it is just sad. I heard whispers that barns will disperse to Fairplex, Los Alamitos and Santa Anita but SA doesn't have much more room I don't think. I wish they could transplant the barns and space of Hollywood to the backside of SA because those barns are the best I have seen anywhere.
Aside from the backside visits, the racing was a total blast with my friends. Managed to drive down to San Juan Capistrano on Sunday for lunch with a dear friend. LOVE that town. The races were awesome and the food they did at SA this year was phenomenal...so good...I swear despite my trying so hard to resist I must have gained a solid 2 lbs from all that great food. I had a homemade ice cream sandwich that was TO DIE FOR! LOL!
The weather WAS great but on Friday it was BRUTAL. They forecasted it to be in the lower 80's but it was pushing 90 with some nasty humidity...not like the South but bad just the same. ALOT of horses we saw were washed out and despite their attempts the track was VERY fast...luckily the tempts dropped on Saturday and diligent track watering helped it ALOT on Saturday. But trust me that heat on Friday was brutal for the track and the horses. I was soaking it up because Hubby told me it was COLD and that at home we were having some screwy windstorm with widespread power outages...I guess weather patterns all over North America were weird!
As for the horses...I was thrilled to see so many amazing horses...Flat Out looked incredible pre-race...Declaration of War was striking as was The Fugue....Dank had a beautiful head and shoulder carriage about her. Groupie Doll looked amazing...Will Take Charge was very feisty in the paddock. Royal Delta looked like her usual beautiful self and despite losing she got an ovation on the walk back. I gotta say though I know most were locking in on Princess of to upset her but I had Beholder all along...she looked awesome and ran amazing! Interestingly enough it was that "te3n year thing" for Richard Mandella which also kept me firmly on board...and If he is still training in 2023 I'll be there and betting on his horses! LOL! I was SOOOOOOOOOOOO happy for Gary Stevens! What a weekend he had and a nicer guy you will never meet. Being a Northwest boy it was like rooting for the "home team" and Gary has been riding so well lately in his comeback that it was awesome that he got such a big win on Friday AND Saturday. I KNEW Mucho Macho Man would be a factor...I KNEW IT! After his Awesome Again win and also the way he has been training I was so excited to see how he would do. He looked great in the paddock and warm up and then when they were coming into the stretch for a brief moment it looked like a rematch of last year with MMM and Fort Larned out front. I met Ian Wilkes wife waiting for the Classic horses and she shared a couple up and coming stars in their barn to hopefully watch for...a colt Named Neck and Neck and a promising young filly named Playful Love for anyone interested.
All in all it was a great weekend and after having such a roller coaster year of our own here at home (laid off in September...both HUbby and my mom's are sick...his with advanced ALS and mine with Alzheimer's...just diagnosed a month before the BC) it was a welcome respite fomr daily life...I am forever grateful for my HUbby. I resigned myself that I wouldn't or couldn't go but he KNOW how hard I work to promote this sport and my own website and he quietly came up to me and handed me his credit card and said simply, "you can't NOT go...Hoof Hoof Hooray!" so alas I stayed at the Hilton, rented a Mustang and had a blast for a few brief days. The only thing missing was our British friends who couldn't make the trip this year (but griped that they didn't come the whole time and are now looking into to booking for net year) and Hubby himself. Next year for sure.
I know many decry the BC and want it gone or moved but I have to say I had a FABULOUS time..I have had a fabulous time at every one for the last 6 years and wouldn't miss it for anything no matter where it is held. It may be far from perfect in the eyes of everyone but alas it is a chance to spend a glorious couple days watching some of racings biggest equine and human stars and for that I wouldn't change a thing. One interesting thing they did this year was the final race on Friday...it was an Arabian race, of which I have never seen one before, and it was AWESOME. I read up on it prior to the race and hear of only one horse so that's who I picked...the horse won. Watching them in the paddock and warm up was an experience for sure...they look like yearlings with sway backs! LOL! TINY little horses with high flying tails but it was so cool to watch!! They truly are beautiful little horses.
I hope everyone found something to like about it anyway...I KNOW I did. I took some GREAT pictures...not as many as in former years but great nonetheless....when I get them all sorted, edited and uploaded I will share a link as I cannot figure out how to post attachments here (it never works for me).
From the look of things people here don't like the BC and could care less about it so I initially thought I would refrain from posting this but alas I thought I would share on the chance that maybe one or two people here would enjoy the recap from someone who was there.
It was a very nice weekend...met some really good friends (we go every year) and met even more new friends (a couple from W2W and FB and elsewhere)...it was a GREAT weekend with friends and racing and despite the lows it was still a thrill. I was so happy for Kathy Ritvo and her team...the vindication they felt after a heartbreaking loss (of which Kathy wouldn't even replay all year) last year to Fort Larned was a joy to see. Kathy was at Clocker's Corner on Sunday while we were having breakfast and I congratulated her and her team. SUCH a nice lady and she has the MOST adorable Cavalier King Charles puppy I have ever seen!
Spent time with the Bafferts on Sunday and visited all the horses...they were still very sad about their filly as it was evident walking by her empty stall pained both Bob and Jill...they didn't think I was looking but I caught it out of the corner of my eye. I felt bad for them...I ran into Jill shortly after it happened and she was DEVASTATED and desperately trying to keep her composure knowing she would have to be in front of the cameras for the next few races. It was sad...I felt bad for them and the connections of the filly as I knew they saw such promise in her and now she is gone. They were also equally devastated and worried about Johnny V and I know Bob spoke to Angel (Cordero) several times getting updates on his condition. But enough about that too because I know you guys dont' like Bob either. LOL!
I have to say the call to the post by "rock and roll icon" (WHAT??? not very often you hear the words Rock N Roll Icon together in the same sentence with Richie Sambora but I digress...) SUCKED...sounded NOTHING like it to me and was WAY too distortion infused for my taste...would have rather seen Zakk Wylde or Santana or any number of other guitarists play it. Didn't really care for Kristin Chenoweth either but LOVED Toni Braxton and Shae Leparoux. Didn't get to the infield at all despite wishing I would have...got some AMAZING pictures though of all the horses. I also got a neato torpedo picture of John Shear, the SA paddock guard who was injured last year at 90 years old...I got pictures of him guarding the paddock just as Big Blue Kitten walked by so it is a GREAT shot of John with the saddled sloth in the background.
Spent Monday morning and early afternoon on the backside at Hollywood Park...for all the denouncements of this track and problems it has had I am VERY sad to see it go. Having spent time on the backside of some of the country's best racetracks I can tell you with affirmative conviction that Hollywood Park's barns are among the best built and kept I have ever seen anywhere and it is truly too bad that they have to crumble because they are rock solid and in perfect shape for the most part. The backside at Hollywood is awesome. After spending ALOT of time snuggling Gemster (Awesome Gem) and Lava Man, both of which I can never go to SoCal and not see I wandered alone and took pictures for an upcoming blog and posterity memories. A perfect hoof print in the dirt....Bougainevilla growing up the sides of the buildings...a lone horse getting a pedicure (farrier work) in darkened shedrow....a stray equine face peeking out at me as I wandered by...a stable pony dropping to roll in his makeshift stall...clumps of alfalfa dropped into the bright yellow straw...a padded horseshoe casually dropped in the sand...and the barn kitties!! Snapped a cute shot of Zen's barn kitty (he has been there the last 3 years I have visited) sitting alone in front of Barn 55. All the signs are gone...no more Lady's Secret Drive...No more Zenyatta Way...NO more winning Landaluce Street...etc...etc...all the signs have been removed. It was like a ghost town since it was late morning early afternoon and works had been completed, baths had been given and horses and grooms were relaxing in the quiet. The solitude of it was almost surreal and before I headed to the airport I wanted to soak up as much of it as I could for my own memories sake. I even bumped into Mario Guiterrez on my way in...such a nice kid! I will always cherish all the time I have spent back there and wish I could transport those barns to places nearby for the operations to continue...I worry about all those people living back there and where they will go...hundreds of people will be laid off when the track closes and it is just sad. I heard whispers that barns will disperse to Fairplex, Los Alamitos and Santa Anita but SA doesn't have much more room I don't think. I wish they could transplant the barns and space of Hollywood to the backside of SA because those barns are the best I have seen anywhere.
Aside from the backside visits, the racing was a total blast with my friends. Managed to drive down to San Juan Capistrano on Sunday for lunch with a dear friend. LOVE that town. The races were awesome and the food they did at SA this year was phenomenal...so good...I swear despite my trying so hard to resist I must have gained a solid 2 lbs from all that great food. I had a homemade ice cream sandwich that was TO DIE FOR! LOL!
The weather WAS great but on Friday it was BRUTAL. They forecasted it to be in the lower 80's but it was pushing 90 with some nasty humidity...not like the South but bad just the same. ALOT of horses we saw were washed out and despite their attempts the track was VERY fast...luckily the tempts dropped on Saturday and diligent track watering helped it ALOT on Saturday. But trust me that heat on Friday was brutal for the track and the horses. I was soaking it up because Hubby told me it was COLD and that at home we were having some screwy windstorm with widespread power outages...I guess weather patterns all over North America were weird!
As for the horses...I was thrilled to see so many amazing horses...Flat Out looked incredible pre-race...Declaration of War was striking as was The Fugue....Dank had a beautiful head and shoulder carriage about her. Groupie Doll looked amazing...Will Take Charge was very feisty in the paddock. Royal Delta looked like her usual beautiful self and despite losing she got an ovation on the walk back. I gotta say though I know most were locking in on Princess of to upset her but I had Beholder all along...she looked awesome and ran amazing! Interestingly enough it was that "te3n year thing" for Richard Mandella which also kept me firmly on board...and If he is still training in 2023 I'll be there and betting on his horses! LOL! I was SOOOOOOOOOOOO happy for Gary Stevens! What a weekend he had and a nicer guy you will never meet. Being a Northwest boy it was like rooting for the "home team" and Gary has been riding so well lately in his comeback that it was awesome that he got such a big win on Friday AND Saturday. I KNEW Mucho Macho Man would be a factor...I KNEW IT! After his Awesome Again win and also the way he has been training I was so excited to see how he would do. He looked great in the paddock and warm up and then when they were coming into the stretch for a brief moment it looked like a rematch of last year with MMM and Fort Larned out front. I met Ian Wilkes wife waiting for the Classic horses and she shared a couple up and coming stars in their barn to hopefully watch for...a colt Named Neck and Neck and a promising young filly named Playful Love for anyone interested.
All in all it was a great weekend and after having such a roller coaster year of our own here at home (laid off in September...both HUbby and my mom's are sick...his with advanced ALS and mine with Alzheimer's...just diagnosed a month before the BC) it was a welcome respite fomr daily life...I am forever grateful for my HUbby. I resigned myself that I wouldn't or couldn't go but he KNOW how hard I work to promote this sport and my own website and he quietly came up to me and handed me his credit card and said simply, "you can't NOT go...Hoof Hoof Hooray!" so alas I stayed at the Hilton, rented a Mustang and had a blast for a few brief days. The only thing missing was our British friends who couldn't make the trip this year (but griped that they didn't come the whole time and are now looking into to booking for net year) and Hubby himself. Next year for sure.
I know many decry the BC and want it gone or moved but I have to say I had a FABULOUS time..I have had a fabulous time at every one for the last 6 years and wouldn't miss it for anything no matter where it is held. It may be far from perfect in the eyes of everyone but alas it is a chance to spend a glorious couple days watching some of racings biggest equine and human stars and for that I wouldn't change a thing. One interesting thing they did this year was the final race on Friday...it was an Arabian race, of which I have never seen one before, and it was AWESOME. I read up on it prior to the race and hear of only one horse so that's who I picked...the horse won. Watching them in the paddock and warm up was an experience for sure...they look like yearlings with sway backs! LOL! TINY little horses with high flying tails but it was so cool to watch!! They truly are beautiful little horses.
I hope everyone found something to like about it anyway...I KNOW I did. I took some GREAT pictures...not as many as in former years but great nonetheless....when I get them all sorted, edited and uploaded I will share a link as I cannot figure out how to post attachments here (it never works for me).
Damn!