Loved ones in other stables, embedded poetry reading, some vinaceous favorites, and a curious predigree
This article is inspired by and adapted to the lecture of the poem “Kentucky Derby Day, Belfast, Maine” from poet Stephen Dobyns(born 1941). All quotes are stolen there. The poems takes part on Kentucky Derby Day 1981 crossed over with memories dating back to 1953. You will find the whole thing in the book:
“Velocities: New and Selected Poems, 1966-1992” published 1994 by Viking Penguin Books.
“When I was twelve, I happened to guess the winning horse
of the Kentucky Derby. It was on the sixth-grade
field trip to the Henry Ford Museum where we learned
that plain common sense is the key to the moral dominance
of the United States. The man on the car radio discussed
the horses and when he came to the name Dark Star, I said,
That’s the horse for me. I mean, it seemed clear that any
horse named Dark Star had to win; and when Dark Star won,
I said, Sure-because in sixth grade life was like that.
My teacher said, Hey, you could have won a bundle.
I thought, What could be more simple? From that event
I date my readiness to be stupid about racehorses.”
Maybe the Japanese breed KANTIA, the second favorite at 6/1in the F & M Turf. Named after the Caribbean phantom island, itself named after the German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Trained by the Spanish winemaker zambaygo(Rafa stables) in his stable with the Italian appeal bellissimo.
Pretty international, playing on multiple cultures and a short and sweet name.
Maybe CARNIVAL OF LOVE or PROUD SOULS. The shared favorites in the next race with 6/1 each for the mile and one half Turf, both with outstanding pedigrees. I’m sure, the first one mentioned(Giant’s Causeway x Kingmambo x Danzig) and ranked number one too was bred by the simulation wide famous sommelier whirlwind for the super’s, and the other one(Awesome Again x A.P. Indy x Northern Dancer) obviously by desperado3.
In the six and one half furlong Turf Sprint maybe the 5/1 favorite TATSU(sired by Ghostzapper out of the incredible Storm Cat x Mr. Prospector mare Mother of Dragons), meaning Dragon in Japanese, trained by popular given.
“On the TV the announcer is predicting how the race
will be run and famous people are asked their opinions.
I wait for a twinkle in my brain but nothing happens. Still
it’s all so exciting I want to talk to someone about it-
say how making a bet is like falling in love or that
the horses and jockeys look like centaurs before the rape
of whoever-but the bartender is learning to make a Pink Lady,
while the five chicken processors are deep in their sadness.
No Lady, none simulated Goldikova is in the gate for the Breeders’ Bowl Mile Turf.
“The bartender
look up from his little red guide. I like gray horses best,
he say, it makes them look sad.”
In the Turf Mile lennystc’s number one classical ranked 3 years old colt INFINITE BLING is in the gate at the valuable odds of 12/1. Take a look at his turfy pedigree, Medaglia D’Oro x Kris S. x Danehill, his color and at his race record of 9 wins from 14 starts, he does not look too sad! And I can not ignore a horse with “Infinite…” in its name, just reminds of my favorite novel “Infinite Jest” by David Foster Wallace.
Now we are coming to my favorites, the races full of hope, our first race for 2 years old, the Filly Juvy Turf about a mile and we are going back to the breeding, I bet, inspired by or done after at least one bottle of good vine-Roys icebox usually filled with beer is empty anyway, furthermore although being German I have an allergy against it; but, as some of you may have noticed, wine and cocktails, racehorses and literature, that’s right up my alley-so, here we have a very close relative to the above mentioned Carnival Of Love as the 5/1 favorite, this time we have Giant’s Causeway x Kingmambo x Deputy Minister, called THE LIBERTINE, you guess Simply……..SUPER!
Those sf of 96 in her last race about the requested distance looks really impressive.
But she faces nonetheless than ROTARIAN(Pivotal x Rock Of Gibraltar x Storm Cat) as the second favorite at7/1 from stable enforced(=Pedro’s Racing Empire), herself unbeaten in seven starts, shall we already call her the simulated Zenyatta?
The next one is for the colts 2 years old on turf; it’s loaded with loved ones…, the super’s alone have two SAN JACINTO(Giant’s Causeway-again!- x Street Cry x Danzig) at 9/1 and 5 wins in 6 starts, and THE SEVEN SEAS(Montjeu x Seeking The Gold x Seattle Slew).
And the winemaker from Spain sends one too into the race ADJUDGE(Bernardini x Sadler’s Wells x Nashua) at 8/1 from his stable har. He is out of the graded A mare Puentalarra with the older sister being a grade 1 winner at 2.
Well, we have to switch our contemplating to the Dirt Marathon; and we have two shared favorites again, both at 6/1, but my preference are: michaelo’s THIRTY FOUR IN RED(Empire Maker x Kris x Pleasant Colony), brother to two graded winners already and with Pleasant Colony leading me back to Dobyn’s poem:
“Then the bell and they’re off!
Right away the horses string out rounding the first turn as
the favorites take an early lead. But oh-oh here comes the girl
with the dog collar with about five bucks for the jukebox.
Hold up, I tell her, this is a big race and it’s almost over.
She’s indifferent but polite so she waits. What’s your horse?
She asks. Maybe Bold Ego, I say, unable to see him. I love
those country songs, says the girl. She stands beside me
and when I look down, I find I can look down her blouse.
But on the TV terrible things are happening: all the heroic
names are falling behind and coming up fast the finish
is Pleasant Colony, while the number two horse, Woodchopper,
pays over twenty dollars and I’ll bet they never announced
his name, because I spent half the damn winter chopping wood.
And if I’d put a thousand on Woodchopper or even a hundred,
then right now I’d be winging my way south to better times.
…”
The Sprint should be the most interesting race for me, but with the experience of two consecutive defeats in my only participation in Breeders’ Bowl races, I’ll just grab my Bourbon and skip to go fast forward to the Juvenile Filly Dirt.
Sorry, guys, it’s nearly 6’o clock in the morning and slowly I have to finish and take a nap.
Anyway I have stretched the deadline once again.
It was really an unfortunate and ambivalent task to start my series about loved ones in other stables just on bb days. There are to many excellent horses racing on the same day, and I am just indecisive.
It did not finished like I expected myself, nevertheless, I hope you had some fun, too.
Let’s just try to concentrate for one last moment on tazdevil‘s entry in the Juvenile Filly Dirt.
His entry is the obscure bred HOMUNCULUS. She is bred by the 12 point(credit available) sire Gold Avenue standing in VA, I assume it’s what, Virginia, probably? And even more curious she is out of the H ranked mare Cemetery Winter albeit with the exceptional pedigree of A.P. Indy x Mill Reef x Quadrangle, which never won a race in only two attempts. Without any active previous owner, those mare is open to anyone in the simulation and she is already the mare of graded winner Johanna and via Johanna she is also the dam-dam of a stakes winner and one graded winner. Nice catch, taz!
Good luck to all trainers, runners and othewise involved in this years breeders bowl’!