On Friday around noon I heard RHT was scratched, and called Ro (Parra, Millenium Farm, owner of Super Frolic. He is one of the guys-- maybe the guy-- who runs Dell computers). I left him a message that began "You must be the luckiest guy in the world", because I had already told him we lucked out on the draw, with all the real contenders except RHT drawing outside us in a race starting on the turn.

So Saturday morning he calls me, and begins by saying "Maybe I am the luckiest guy on earth". Seems the commercial flight he was on from Texas to get here for the race was up at 38,000 feet when something happened and it went into a deep dive-- oxygen masks dropping, people screaming. They finally pull out of it, but they have reduced power of some sort-- they have to make an emergency landing in Shreveport, but the radio isn't working, they can't notify the airport they are coming in. They just have to go straight in, and they do. Everybody's okay. But there are no more flights, so he has to watch the race on TV. (By the way, we were finally supposed to meet-- this guy has been my main client over the last couple of years, and I've never met him).

So I talk to him after the race, and he's upset at not being there, and the horse getting left at the gate. I said, listen pal. You're a lot better off watching it on TV and running fourth, than having SF win the race and the plane nose down in a field somewhere.

Catherine-- you're a horseplayer now? My live view, and the only replays I have seen, were from behind the gate, so it's hard for me to tell. But yes, it's clear it cost him third (and me the difference between a big losing day and a good winning day betting, aside from the purse commissions), maybe second, hard to tell without a different angle. Ro says 3 lengths, I don't know.

The inside trip was not an accident, it was by design. I was watching the rail all day, it was fine-- first 2 in the second race were rail, Shug's filly was rail until the quarter pole (ride of the day, although it didn't matter). The jocks were avoiding the rail, we figured we could get through and pick up a couple of lengths. We did, I don't think the steadied hurt much. But getting left probably did.

My day was similar to those of Richie and HP-- I beat the horses I was playing against, but didn't cash. Keyed Artie, didn't bet him to win, etc. Didn't play supers in the Classic. Very annoying.

Jimbo-- I can't be objective just because I'm involved with a horse? If that were true, my advice wouldn't be worth much. I want to do the figures first, then I'll look at and comment on the California question-- I knew someone would raise it, and I figured it would be you. I'm more concerned about Captain Squire than Stevie, who had an explosive pattern and figured to run a new top, as I said in the seminar, although he certainly was faster on Ragozin. Congratulations on the big day.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2005 04:00PM by TGJB.