Race for First AND for Last in OLD MAN Series!

The Old Man of the Mountains Series II – Race 3
A mile and three quarters on Fast Dirt
$50,000
All horses, 8 years old and up, Non-Winners of ONE within the last 6 months

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If you don’t know about this great series, it started last year with Sunnybank hating to see the end of MEAT LOAF LOOP’s career come about too quickly so he set up a ten race series where “MEATY” would host the races with his conditions and any fellow old codgers could join in the fun and gather points during the series for scoring first through third in the races. The twist to this series is that if you win, you have to wait for the Host to win too or you won’t qualify for subsequent races until he does. It proved to be great fun last year and went down to the wire with the final race deciding the winner of the series. This year our host will be trainer LilBitFarms and his grand old horse, T. LOCK who has had a nice long career and is ready for one last hurrah.

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Thanks for joining us at the Pastures of Green here in Vermont, for a wonderful and truly fun series. This week we are running an eight year old NW of ONE in Six months. There are some “very” old faces in this race a few new ones as well. The last race started on Saturday and finished sometime on early Tuesday as the last horses struggled across the finish. It is always a fun series and a great opportunity for some of our elder statesmen. It is just as prestigious to finish near the back as on the board!

Here are the leader boards for the top and bottom of the barrel:

The Leader Standings in the series:
• IRON GOLEM (Novajoe) 6 Points
• SILVERISH ECHO (Larbare) 6 Points
• BEER RUN (Greenirish) 4 Points
• THE COWS MOO (Eml1) 3 Points
• PRESTO(GB) (ErnieMan) 1 Point

Sun Dial Standings in the series:
• BELL COGNAC (Cabin) 12 Points
• A. CONTENDER (WindHmHill) 3 Points
• T. LOCK (LilBitFarm) 3 Points
• SECOND STRIKE (NoraNadia) 1 Point
• CATS MY BOY (Prufrockja) 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 – HELPER BOP	ODDS	OWNER	AGE	RACES	WINS	TOP SPEED	LAST WIN	EARNINGS
	9/1	TBTA	8 YRS	44	7	103.92	7 Back	$190,372

You would think that finishing more than 24 lengths back would put you in the running for the end of the pack but BOP proved in the last race that he is going to have to slow down much more than to end up at the rear. Trainer TBTA may have to feed him extra oats to either give him energy to get toward the front or weigh him down to finish further back or this guy will just be taking a stroll in the park with nothing to show for it but blisters and bunions. He is still capable at his advanced age to pop a big one and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that here.

2 – T. LOCK	ODDS	OWNER	AGE	RACES	WINS	TOP SPEED	LAST WIN	EARNINGS
	14/1	LilBitFarm	8 YRS	70	19	106.48	8 Back	$ 339,811

Well our Host really shook up the OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN Series last time out with an SPF of 40 and a finish just a few steps ahead of last. He was so far back, they used a cell phone to tell his jockey when the first horses crossed the wire. I don’t think that trainer LilBitFarm had any plans to run for the Sun Dial award instead of the Old Man Award. It will be interesting to see if he took a race off to rest up for this one or has finally worn out the old bones. Some say he was just trying to fly under the radar after the controversies of the first race. Stay Tuned!

3 – PINEWOOD	ODDS	OWNER	AGE	RACES	WINS	TOP SPEED	LAST WIN	EARNINGS
	6/1	KittyCats	8 YRS	40	5	101.34	8 Back	$106,966

After taking a two and a half year layoff and later a one year hiatus, this guy has plenty of spring left in those old legs. Of course if he gets so tired out during the race that he has to take another one of those vacations, he would miss the rest of the OMOTM series anyway whether he qualified or not. Trainer KittyCats is the rare one stable owner in this game so should be able to give full attention to any rubdowns or linaments this “young” eight year old may need after the race.

4 – THE COW’S MOO	ODDS	OWNER	AGE	RACES	WINS	TOP SPEED	LAST WIN	EARNINGS
	7/1	EML1	8 YRS	33	4	90.57	11 Back	$149,008

This old gal just missed scoring points for the second time in the series with a fifth place finish in the second installment of the OMOTM series. If she can keep batting her eyes and swinging that tail at the old guys, she will be sure to cause a few of them to lose focus and move aside for her. She is still on the leader board and trainer EML1 would love to see her move up but stay out of first so she can keep on racing in the series.

5 – BEEF TOOTH	ODDS	OWNER	AGE	RACES	WINS	TOP SPEED	LAST WIN	EARNINGS
	27/1	FaerieBad	8 YRS	39	2	97.99	7 Back	$48,185

After dipping his toes in the OMOTM waters last time out, this old guy decided to return to the well again. He certainly ran an interesting race for trainer FairieBad last time as he visited most of the spots in the field. He was as high as fourth and slipped to eleventh at the end. Perhaps he was just playing the room as veterans are known to do and give a quick hello and handshake to as many in the race as possible. Now that he knows them all, he may be more confident!

6 – BELL COGNAC	ODDS	OWNER	AGE	RACES	WINS	TOP SPEED	LAST WIN	EARNINGS
	29/1	Cabin	8 YRS	57	9	111.14	14 Back	$177,722

Two tries and two last place finishes in the Series. This old guy is making a sham of the Sun Dial series by finishing so far behind that the race officials are having a hard time staying awake until the finish. In the OLD MAN series it is almost as prestigious to finish last as first so the BELL is ringing up quite a following. There is a rumor that trainer Cabin is feeding him some herbal sleep aids to make sure he is near the back. With this guy, that might put him to sleep in the gate and we would really have a problem! His two SPFs in the first installments of the series were an amazing 35 and 36! Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

7 – BEER RUN	ODDS	OWNER	AGE	RACES	WINS	TOP SPEED	AVG SPEED	EARNINGS
	4/1	GreenIrish	8 YRS	44	10	102.35	9 Back	$205,965

You always seem to find a horse in this kind of series that is wise beyond his years. In this case that would have to be pretty wise but the bottom line is that this guy knows how to play the game. In the first two races he finished second and third, gathering points but staying eligible to run again. The only two on the scoreboard ahead of him have to wait until our host wins again and after the last race it looks more likely that Bill Clinton will run again. GreenIrish has to have a twinkle in those eyes with his planning for the series so far.

8 – MISTER INNOCENT(IRE)	ODDS	OWNER	AGE	RACES	WINS	TOP SPEED	LAST WIN	EARNINGS
	15/1	PazFarms	8 YRS	78	8	111.14	23 Back	$189,526

I know for a fact that this wise veteran has been shipping all over the country trying to get closer to the Pastures of Green to gain an entry into this race. Now the real question is whether he couldn’t squeeze in the entries or just couldn’t find his way or forget where he was going. Hopefully he can remember where the finish line is and with nearly 80 races to his credit you would think that he could put it on autopilot and find his way around. We will see if he got what he was looking for in this one.

9 – LOUD DIGGER	ODDS	OWNER	AGE	RACES	WINS	TOP SPEED	LAST WIN	EARNINGS
	40/1	WV	8 YRS	77	16	104.85	16 Back	$ 182,370

This elder statesmen kind of surprised me last race with a seventh place finish. There is a rumor that he had heard that the first ten finishers got extra dessert back at the Horsey Nursing Home so he was hustling to get there. Trainer WV may tell him more of the same and see if he can’t get into that top three and score some points in the series. Of course he may have to do a little more than whispering after a lifetime of “LOUD DIGGING” with this guy.

10 – SAL’S GIFT	ODDS	OWNER	AGE	RACES	WINS	TOP SPEED	AVG SPEED	EARNINGS
	9/2	LGBost6	8 YRS	65	7	111.15	7 Back	$213,469

Here is a guy that has been in the money in thirteen of his last fourteen. I’m afraid that he may be “one and done” in this series and go sit on the sidelines with IRON GOLEM and SILVERISH ECHO. If trainer LGBost6 can keep him off of the lead he has a chance to be a challenger in the series. With 65 races under his belt he may have a trick or two under the old saddle pad that will help him to finish wherever he wants. Not that this experience vet has ever seen anything but a try for the win, “wink, wink!”

11 – LYNCHBURG LEMONADE	ODDS	OWNER	AGE	RACES	WINS	TOP SPEED	LAST WIN	EARNINGS
	13/1	Ravin	9 YRS	59	5	102.53	20 Back	$73,868

This Southern Gentleman likes to sit on the porch and spin tales about that last win way back in the summer of ’05. That is if he can still remember it after sipping all of that Lemonade. Trainer Ravin has decided to stretch him out from his usual sprints for a bit of extra exercise. That may translate into contention for the Sun Dial award but there is some mighty tough competition wheezing around the track for that last place spot.

12 – CHARISMATIC DANCE(GB)	ODDS	OWNER	AGE	RACES	WINS	TOP SPEED	LAST WIN	EARNINGS
	70/1	Pagasus	10 YRS	89	8	98.89	36 Back	$93,795

This holdover from the first OMOTM series was so tired after the first race that he had to skip the second altogether. A perennial challenger for the Sun Dial award, he is even slower at this longer distance but was a disappointing 10th which won’t get you points at either end of the standings. Trainer Pagasus either needs to tell him to speed up or slow down although I have a feeling that this old dinosaur is pretty set in his ways and will probably DANCE to his own music anyway.

13 – SKUNK OF NEWCASTLE	ODDS	OWNER	AGE	RACES	WINS	TOP SPEED	LAST WIN	EARNINGS
	15/1	FritzTown	8 YRS	24	4	90.93	11 Back	$ 100,311

Okay, I’ve got to get a job like this guy. In eight years he has run a grand total of 24 times. Let’s see, that works out to an average of about three races a year. Not bad work if you can get it. Talk about a lightly raced eight year old! He is surely an unknown quantity as it will not only be his first trek at this distance but his very first turn in eight years on the DIRT! Of course if you only work three times a year it is really hard to try everything. It should be an interesting experiement.

14 – NIJINSKY LOVESGOLF	ODDS	OWNER	AGE	RACES	WINS	TOP SPEED	LAST WIN	EARNINGS
	6/1	Titleist	8 YRS	59	6	106.78	14 Back	$257,425

After a long Stakes career, it must be frustrating for this elder statesman to be competing but just missing out on the scoreboard. He finished fourth in our second chapter of the OMOTM. I know how much he hates it when he not only doesn’t win the race but misses his tee time too! He should be more determined than ever for trainer Titleist as I’m sure he would love to talk of his exploits back in the clubhouse with the rest of the guys.

Morning Line = 7-10-3-14-4
Paz Picks = 10-4-7-3

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In this series it is almost as important to pick the last place as the first. I am choosing BELL COGNAC as he has been amazingly slow in the first two races. I’m not sure if it would help if he lost the walker but it might. He could be challenged by CHARISMATIC DANCE and possibly by SKUNK OF NEWCASTLE to finish about a day and a half behind the field. I always like to mention our host, and T. LOCK has been an enigma in the first two chapters. One really nice race and one really bad one. With a bit of luck he could have points in both the top AND the bottom. I’m going to take PINEWOOD to wheeze his way to fourth place. I like BEER RUN , who once again will try to play the game right and take third place to make sure he stays in the series. Then I like this young eight year old lady THE COW’S MOO to battle it out for the win but fall just short. I am going with newcomer, SAL’S GIFT to win the third race in the series and then sit back and watch until the settings change in the OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN series.

Good luck to all runners!

Email your comments to pazjazz.btb@gmail.comI love to hear from you!