Hi Frank. It killed me to miss Jim Dandy Day. It's the best day of the meet for hanging out with you and Richie and Shanny and any number of T/Generates, and always lots of great racing. Happy to hear that all the familiar faces were once again gathered around the old Carolina BBQ grounds. I was hoping to make it up there today, what with a Rising Graph and a Covello horse both entered, but I'm scratching out again.

My excuse? It's not the back porch calling, it's ... the "Turf Club". I've spent Friday and yesterday (and will spend today and Monday) working on my version of a "man cave". So, I've been moving things around and taping and painting and painting some more. But when I'm done, the magicnight race and sports book will be a great upstate place for watching and playing the races, done up in Mellon Turf Course Green (actually, "Bonsai", from Benjamin Moore), with comfy leather seating, a flat TV screen, reliable wifi, portable bar, and no "no-smoking" signs.

I am suffering this weekend, so that future racing weekends (outside of the Saratoga season) may be spent mostly upstairs, where the dogs and the spouse don't roam, and I can lose myself in the thoroughbred world of grace and charm and ease and leisure.

While the day job will prevent me from making the TG Open, I will be there next Saturday, and then lots of Saturdays and Mondays (for the relative peace and quiet) after that. Looking forward to making the Saturday seminars, and seeing all the T/Generates once again. Good luck to JB and Michael and David (et al) of the Rising Graph crew, and to Covello in the 8th, and to T/Generates everywhere.