Old Man of The Mountain Series Returns!
The Old Man of the Mountains Series – Race 5
A mile on Fast Dirt
$50,000
All horses, 8 years old and up, Non-Winners of TWO within the last year
If you don’t know about this great series, check out the link: HERE.
Thanks for joining us at the Pastures of Green here in Vermont, for a wonderful and truly fun series. We are back for the fifth race in the OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN RACE SERIES. We had a first time runner take the win last time out and amazingly, because he hadn’t won previously in the past year, Deputy Wood qualifies to run again in this race and is in a perfect position to gain on series leader Eminent Minstrel who is waiting in the wings. If he can pull off another win he will not be qualified for this race until our host Meat Loaf Loop can win another. There are several other horses with points in the series running today. We have lots of new oldsters participating though and a couple are up there in age. It should be fun and interesting as always so let’s take a look:
- The Standings to date in the series:
- Eminent Minstrel 12 Points
- Meat Loaf Loop 6 Points
- Deputy Wood 6 Points
- Wally’s Count 4 Point
- Rasputin 3 Points
- Greek Judge 3 Points
- Brother Hot 3 Points
- Australia Mat 1 Point
- Brother Metro 1 Point
- A. Contender 1 Point
No disrespect meant to these truly respected veterans but I’ve tried to write this preview with a bent toward having some fun with this series. I hope that you enjoy it and accept it with that in mind. We’ve got a nicely matched field of old codgers so let’s take a look before one of them expires!:
1 – ARGENTINE DOVE ODDS OWNER AGE RACES WINS TOP SPEED AVG SPEED EARNINGS 7/1 PutItBack 10 YRS 57 9 93.4 87.4 $209,807
Does teenager of 10 years old is trying his second outing in the Series. He made an appearance in volume three of the OMOTM series and finished in the middle of the pack. He immediately went for a nap and is still a bit worn out. He tends to like the shorter distances as the longer ones tire him out. You know, like the guy that drives around until he finds a parking spot close to the store. Trainer PutItBack is hoping that this parking spot is just right.
2 – THEIR FIGHT ODDS OWNER AGE RACES WINS TOP SPEED AVG SPEED EARNINGS 99/1 DarkFaerie 11 YRS 23 0 64.1 57.4 $2,834
This one blows my mind… an eleven year old maiden horse. This old guy was sired by A.P.Indy himself, and has won $2,834 dollars. His Daddy made more than that just by signing autographs. The morning line has this old vet at 99/1 so I’m assuming that he will still be looking for that first win after this race as well. It’s kind of like those old guys that lose the remote! Never can find the darn thing. He finished with the treasured last place in the last race and should battle for that again.
| 3 – HIS TRAPS | ODDS | OWNER | AGE | RACES | WINS | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | EARNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34/1 | SixesPlus | 10 YRS | 61 | 9 | 76.3 | 68.4 | $71,960 |
Stopping by for his second try at the OMOTM series is this 10 year old with consistency. He consistently finishes in the mid 70s speed wise and that may be good enough to get a good seat at the bindo hall back at the nursing home but won’t win many races out here. Trainer SixesPlus would love to see him get as many wins as he has years on this old body. He is running out of time before he needs two wins to match his age!!
| 4 – BROTHER HOT | ODDS | OWNER | AGE | RACES | WINS | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | EARNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/1 | Panther27 | 8 YRS | 24 | 4 | 94.0 | 88.7 | $89,629 |
Fourth race in the series for this grizzled vet. He could have been in all five but he slept right through race number two. How dare they schedule a race during his afternoon nap time!! Trainer Panther27 knows that with only 24 races under his ample belt, there may be a little energy left in this guy that isn’t fueled by Geritol. He is actually one of the horses on the leader board in this series and if he can keep awake he may be able to move up near the leaders.
| 5 – RASPUTIN | ODDS | OWNER | AGE | RACES | WINS | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | EARNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/1 | Browns2 | 8 YRS | 33 | 5 | 97.0 | 94.0 | $141,165 |
This elderly horse based on the historical figure has now races twice with speeds in the 90s. Trainer Browns2 wonders what got into the old guy. Have there been some young fillies hanging around his stable or something? He sure is trying to impress someone and doing a good job of it as well. He just missed winning last time in the series and that is actually the preferred plan as you get to stay in the series if you don’t win more than the host. Pretty smart!!
| 6 – MR. NINER | ODDS | OWNER | AGE | RACES | WINS | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | EARNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/1 | Sparcon | 9 YRS | 42 | 9 | 95.6 | 88.5 | $212,701 |
In our last race in the OMOTM series we had an interloper jump in as a first time runner and take the crown. This upstart nine year old is trying to do the same thing as the Morning Line favorite. That’s like someone coming into the nursing home and stealing all of our Social Securtiy checks! This guy actually ran a 100 SPF a few races back! Most of these age challenged challengers are wondering if that is how many years they feel in Horsey Years. One consolation, because he’s already won this year, he would have to sit out for a while if he won though.
| 7 – DEPUTY WOOD | ODDS | OWNER | AGE | RACES | WINS | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | EARNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/1 | JeslanFarm | 8 YRS | 36 | 5 | 98.7 | 93.6 | $109,547 |
Our winner from the last race in the OMOTM series is back to raid the henhouse again. Trainer JeslanFarm said that his old guy hadn’t had so much fun since his early dinosaur races so many years ago. If he’s smart, he will tell his jockey to ease back into second place this time to gather more series points and still be able to continue racing in the series by staying qualified. Ah, the added strategies of 10 race series are so taxing on the elderly!
| 8 – A. CONTENDER | ODDS | OWNER | AGE | RACES | WINS | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | EARNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/1 | WindHmHill | 8 YRS | 42 | 5 | 97.1 | 88.2 | $130,656 |
A fourth time entrant in the series, he only missed the second race when he couldn’t remember where he misplaced his AARP card. He’s been A Contender not only in name but in practice as well as he was in every race of the series that he entered but has only received points one time. He is not far removed from being a series contender for every race he was in and whispers around the stable mention that there may be a jolt of something else besides Geritol in that bottle they see him drinking from all the time!
| 9 – MEAT LOAF LOOP | ODDS | OWNER | AGE | RACES | WINS | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | EARNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/1 | SunnyBank | 8 YRS | 82 | 19 | 96.2 | 85.4 | $511,015 |
Our illustrious host seems to be content to sit at the rear of the party and hand out hors ‘d ouerves! Pretty nice for the other senior citizens but pretty costly for our party thrower, trainer Sunnybank. He has been seen in the barn brewing all kinds of concoctions to get his prized “Meaty” back on the mark. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him jump up here like they just opened the doors to the Bingo Hall and get near the front of the line for the bingo cards.
| 10 – DYNA VACUUM | ODDS | OWNER | AGE | RACES | WINS | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | EARNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15/1 | PazPrayer | 8 YRS | 25 | 4 | 92.4 | 85.7 | $47,697 |
A first time visitor to the OMOTM series, he flew in from Europe to join in the fun. There are rumors that he was trying some Swedish fountain of youth formula over there but there are also whispers circulating that the flight took so much out of him that he’s slept constantly since his landing! He has a habit of only running every other race and this is the week that he generally takes a nap during the race. It may take a race or two for the Swedish stuff to kick in anyway!
| 11 – BROTHER METRO | ODDS | OWNER | AGE | RACES | WINS | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | EARNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/1 | StormRun | 8 YRS | 21 | 2 | 93.1 | 88.2 | $22,818 |
The second half of our old “Brother” act is what we in the series like to call a Lightly Raced Eight year Old. You know the type…he averages a little over two races a year for eight years then jumps in and takes advantage of the senior citizen set by entering all of the “Eight Year and Over” allowances to capture the easy money for retirement. The only problem here is that we really have some tough challengers in these races. Don’t you hate it when your long range planning doesn’t pan out?
| 12 – CHARISMATIC DANCE(GB) | ODDS | OWNER | AGE | RACES | WINS | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | EARNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99/1 | Pagasus | 9 YRS | 81 | 8 | 80.2 | 67.9 | $92,420 |
AH, my favorite entry in this series, he has run in all five including this one. He has tried so hard to capture the elusive LAST place spot in this series. This is the only race where that is a sort of Badge of Honor. He has come so close too, with finishes twice in next to last to go with his 11th and 12th place spots. He has captured both the hearts of the fans of this race along with the actual spirit of the race itself. I know that I am sure rooting for him to finally get that last place finish. He sure has a chance here, especially after his snail-like 55 SPF last time out. Unfortunately, the horse that beat him to the caboose, THEIR FIGHT is back for more…it should be quite a race.
| 13 – GENERAL FAST | ODDS | OWNER | AGE | RACES | WINS | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | EARNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22/1 | Run4Fun | 9 YRS | 66 | 13 | 74.2 | 74.0 | $419,641 |
Well the old General may have been Fast back in the days when he was a raw recruit during the World Wars but he hasn’t won a race since back when General Patton was winning battles! You have to give him credit though for coming out to the battlefield instead of just hanging out with the old boy club back at the Pentagon. A welcome addition to the series.
| 14 – BURG GROOVING | ODDS | OWNER | AGE | RACES | WINS | TOP SPEED | AVG SPEED | EARNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/1 | FuzzyCat | 8 YRS | 51 | 8 | 95.7 | 92.1 | $206,163 |
Parked way outside, in the handicap lot is this eight year old with over 50 races. Trainer FuzzyCat wants to know what his horse has done to deserve the outside post for BOTH of his entries into this foray against the Geriatric Set. It’s hardly fair that he has to weave all the way through that crowd of fading old fogies to get to the front. Have you ever tried to maneuver through a crowd with a walker?!? It isn’t easy folks. He needs to get up a little earlier next time to get near the front of the pack for the post drawing.
Morning Line = 6-5-7-8-14-1
Yoss Tipsheet = 7-6-5-11
Paz Picks = 6-7-5-8
Always a tough race to pick as we never know who might stop to take a nap part way through. One thing I do know, it should be one whale of a race for last place between CHARISMATIC DANCE and THEIR FIGHT . Especially with THEIR FIGHT drawing that inside post putting him at a disadvantage. We have a couple of tough looking newcomers to this party along with some of the series vets. There is more experience in this race than the entire sum of all the other races on the card. Our host, MEAT LOAF LOOP has his work cut out for him but he always puts forth a good effort. He may struggle to make the board here though. I’m looking for A. CONTENDER to contend but just fall short of scoring series points by finishing fourth. I like RASPUTIN to look at the lead but run out of gas at the end. I figure him to fall just short in third place. That leaves our winner from the last race in the series, DEPUTY WOOD to play it smart and gather second place points but stay qualified for remaining races in the series. The Old Grey Horse just ain’t what he used to be but MR. NINER should be good enough to beat these retirement home horses and proudly rest up to race another day.
Good luck to all runners!
Email your comments to pazjazz.btb@gmail.com. I love to hear from you!
