The biggest crowd of the season came out, the rain stayed south and east as an overcast threatening morning turned into a very nice afternoon.
Who knows what the real attendance is anymore? I was informed yesterday that in an effort to compete with past numbers enhanced by the spinners on give away days, the new regime counts the 6,300 plus season passes sold every day. Yeah, you can\'t make this stuff up if you tried. So I have a season pass, have been to track 10 of the 14 racing days but per NYRA I have been counted everyday.I knew the opening Saturday there was no way the announced attendance of 22,000 was accurate, I\'ll guess real people 32-34,000 yesterday, it was crowded.
Sean from CT was the winner of the TG open on Friday with a stellar 91 and Richiebee had no Michael Dickinson like results off a 7 year layoff.
The 3rd straight miserable wagering Saturday for yours truly and the rest of the deck crew. Other than Granny Mc\'s Kitten TGJB and the rest were on the wrong end of the stick for the day. Yours truly caught the Matz 27/1 for 2ND with Granny but managed to turn a $96 exacta 15 times into an empty voucher in no time.
Competitive races in the Test and Vanderbilt, Moreno stole the Whitney and the Ortiz brothers continue to show they can ride with the big boys. Every thing Graham Motion sends out on the track looks like a million dollars and is running like it as well. Strong Coffee in the 3rd looked like a monster, Maggie commented he looked like a 4 yr old. He came out on the track without a lead pony and stormed up and down unleashing a powerful stretch run. Chuck Simon Sr commented it was the most impressive turf debut at Saratoga since Big Browns.
The usual cast of Saturday suspects was joined by Magic Night, Moosepalm, Just Win, Michael D and Bandit Beau making his yearly pilgrimage to the Spa from Minnesota and going into the last race he hadn\'t cashed a ticket!
I won\'t be around next Saturday, TGAB is up, good thing its a long meet.
Good luck,
Frank D.
Yes, it was good to see many of the usual suspects again. As for handicapping, it was, as they say, one of those days. Not only did horses who looked very live not run like it, the ones who looked like solid \"bet againsts\" rubbed our noses in it.
As for golf, Sean from CT opened up on the field with a putter that was draining them from Ballston Spa and the Wilton Mall. Yours truly and Dick Powell broke slowly, made no middle move, and flattened out. Unlike Sean, I couldn\'t sink a putt in the Atlantic standing at the end of the boardwalk pier. Richiebee turned in a respectable performance off the seven year layoff, but I think he needs to work on his spacing. Richie can put the hurt on a ball when he connects, which is even more remarkable when you consider he was probably using Walter Hagen autographed clubs. I\'m not talking about the brand. I think the old master actually put his John Hancock on those vintage sticks. As for TGJB, we didn\'t get the audited final report as he played in the second group with Susan, but we did see him repeatedly in the woods. If you\'ve ever played with JB, this is not an unusual occurrence, and probably the strongest part of his game is hitting out of there, almost a guaranteed bogey with some kind of Mickelsonian rescue shot.
On a side note, Frank, it was a pleasure meeting your friend. As they say in another context, it looks like you outkicked the coverage.
I\'ll take the eve of a dark day to comment on the TG Open:
Sean from CT steadied himself after a rough start and played solid golf, three
putting only one green. Sean refrains from posting on the TG board but has an
admirable attendance record at the Spa over the past years. His prize for winning
the TG Open ... lifetime free admission to TG Saratoga seminars ... was well
earned.
Dick Powell was paired with me in the cart and it probably cost him 5-7 strokes
as my casual mention of topics such as Chris Kay and PJ Campo and Euros at the
Breeders Cup (Mr. Powell would not miss them if they did not participate) put
Dick in various states of apoplexy which probably detracted from his game.
Certainly was nice to talk to an old time Staten Islander, albeit one who long
ago escaped to greener pastures.
Moosepalm has a laid back appearance and demeanor which belies the pointed humor
of some of his posts, which I can enjoy even when the point is directed at me, or
should I say at my equipment. Yes, Moose, I did notice that my playing companions
had bags filled with sleek looking graphite shafted hybrids.
As Moose pointed out, JB apparently spent a good part of the day off the beaten
path, but re-emerged on the 18th hole to make a nice sand save from a greenside
bunker with a small gallery of T-generate golfers looking on.
At a brief nineteenth hole gathering, some of Racing\'s problems were identified,
discussed and solved. I am sure the conversation could have lasted long into the
evening, but priorities ruled and JB announced that it was time to study on the
Del Mar Pick 6.
richiebee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Moosepalm has a laid back appearance and demeanor
> which belies the pointed humor
> of some of his posts, which I can enjoy even when
> the point is directed at me, or
> should I say at my equipment. Yes, Moose, I did
> notice that my playing companions
> had bags filled with sleek looking graphite
> shafted hybrids.
>
Richie, I hope you recognized that as a side door compliment to your ability to spot us five pounds and the rail, and still get more mileage with some of your shots.
I forgot to make mention of our post-round confab in which it became abundantly clear that Dick Powell should be given the keys to the NYRA car, and Chris Kay sent back to the toy box. As for JB, I think some form of drug testing omnipotence would be the appropriate spot, or at least Nasal Strip Czar.