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We all can’t wait for this snow shit to melt here in Massachusetts.

Howdy everypony! I’m here to break the Sunday lull with several updates!:

• A big thanks to Derby Handicappers for making the first two rounds of the contest super interesting and entertaining! Round 3 will be this coming Saturday with the Risen Star (II) at Fair Grounds! I will try to have the submit form go live Wednesday and the analysis up by Thursday afternoon so you all have ample time to get your picks in. I will have the 2nd prize image up by Saturday on the Contest tab.
• Pony documentary update: Still slowly being setup, but I will announce the super cool fundraising method in a few weeks. I’m sketching out equipment needs right now, but projected costs are a modest, doable $1500-$2000. For the web series, I am trying to decide on the format I think will work best, but hope to shoot this week.
• Other upcoming posts: Memories of Winter Memories, a post about Tapit’s Derby contenders (waiting on how Mudflats runs today), You Comment I Respond, and the next alternative handicapping method suggested by a follower: my folks have a bunch of leftover fortune cookies!
• Life update: I might slow up a bit some days on updating the blog due to some changes. I am giving up my rented room in Fitchburg and moving back home so I can take up another (better) part-time job here. I will have to commute a LOT while working 40+ hours a week and going to school full-time. It’s all a necessary evil.

High hoof!

Dawna

Gee… should I keep Winter Memories as the Racing Beat mascot horse? I need to revamp the image anyway.

WinStar has announced plans to stand Take Charge Indy when he is retired. Now there’s a horse I fear will retire by the year’s end if he doesn’t step back up again soon.

I gotta admit… cool names have to do a lot with how much I like a certain horse. If it’s a dumb/lazy name, I probably won’t like him as much.

Gosh… I can’t really decide on a select few favorites at Keeneland September… HOW DO THE SHEIKS DO IT? Oh yeah, they have oil barrels of money… surprisingly enough, a lot of big favorites of mine aren’t by Big Brown or Henrythenavigator like I thought!

Shackleford never had a chance on the off-track of the Vanderbilt (I), but could have probably done better in the previous day’s Whitney (I) where the track was fast and speed held well. Derp moment, much?

Stayclassysandiego, wherever did you go?

You know you’re a nerd when… you pronounce Kauai Katie’s name (and would have preferred it to be) Kawaii Katie. Uguu~

I picked Wise Dan for the Fantasy Handicapping Challenge because a) it was off the turf and b) he reminds me most of Fourstardave.

Can an American win the Arlington Million (I) on Saturday? How about it, Reinier?

Azeri must be real proud of her kids, though I don’t know how I feel about Take Control yet.

There’s no good reason why Suffolk Downs shouldn’t get that casino license (this is a very big hot issue right now in Massachusetts as casinos have now been legalized). They’re the only ones to formally apply for one on the eastern side of the state not to mention they can probably have a real nice outfit when all is complete… AND MAYBE THEN THE MASS CAP WILL RETURN!

Shack’s little bro Stephanoatsee is coming back soon! AND O’Prado Again! AND Awesome Feather will run again soon.

My insides sank a little with Know More’s victory out west. I would really prefer not to have another I’lll Have Another scenario next year.

The Travers is beginning to feel like last year’s where there isn’t much of a headliner fronting the race. All the Triple Crown winners and runners-up are out/retired. I’m particularly miffed because with no Paynter, I probably won’t get very good odds with Street Life OR Nonios. I might have to work Hansen in there somehow, I’m hoping people are doubting him after that West Virginia Derby. (Also, I’m hoping Called to Serve goes in… I got some fan-freakin-tastic show odds on him!). Heart bet goes to Teeth of the Dog or Street Life, though I will of course have to wait and see how the field shapes up…

If the Breeders’ Cup is the “Superbowl of horse racing,” why are we repeating venues, hmm? Looks like I’m not the only one who is pissed and truly believes it will result in biased outcomes.

I hate to say it, but I kind of saw Awesome Maria’s injury-induced retirement coming. Looking at you, Todd Pletcher.

Tweet o’ the Week

If anyone’s going to be at Saratoga on Saturday, if you see this goofy umbrella on the apron (it’s going to be HOT and sunny), that is me trying to keep my skin from frying off. What, it was too cool to pass up and wound up being $2.22 at Sears! BARGAIN HUNTRESS! I will again be wearing the gray Union Rags & Hansen tee.

Edit: Ohhh never mind… cat umbrella must stay in the car. Umbrellas aren’t legal on the apron according to the NYRA website :’(

I’ve got my snacks (which I have yet to devour, hope that lasts), my little cooler, my chair in case I want to skip the grandstand, and my camera’s charging. Next things to do: gather my travel itinerary, get cash out of the bank, pack, and put gas in the car. I’m itching to leave so I can have a little relaxing “me time” before I get slammed by doing school and work full-time, all while fulfilling one of my childhood dreams of visiting Saratoga. I’m a little sick of home life and now work after I got screeched at in front of everyone this morning for no good reason… THERE SHALL BE JUSTICE FOR THIS DICKERY BEFORE I DEPART.

It’s still too early for me to say for sure, but I’m feeling Hymn Book… OH, AND LA CLOCHE BECAUSE IT’S WINTER MEMORIES’ SISTER! I’m finding that one of the best Saratoga strategies is to just run with your favorites, it’s anyone’s game!

Feel free to challenge me in the free Equibase Saratoga-Del Mar Challenge ($500 in real money prizes) this weekend as well as the Breeders’ Cup Fantasy Handicapping.

High hoof!

Dawna

Bridgejumpers unite! Someone bet $200k on a horse to show at Canterbury Park (the total card’s handle that day was $146,000 to give you an idea) to make $10k off that bet. Cha-ching!

I feel like it would be an awesome idea to see horses/jockeys dress up like past legends. I don’t know how they would exhibit this to the public, but it would be a cool publicity stunt. I’d fangirl over some Man o’ War nostalgia.

Teen Pauline made me excited to see the future Tapit-Zenyatta foal a whole lot more than I already did.

YEAH COIL!!! LET’S BRING HIM BACK TO THE TOP!

The two-year-old fillies are officially making a bigger splash thus far than the boys. Bob Baffert trainee Maker or Breaker (an Empire Maker daughter) ran down her stablemate while breaking her maiden, running one of the fastest final 1/8s in the country!

The only reason Ramon Dominguez managed to get 6 wins at Saratoga in one day was because Johnny V was absent. I don’t think that’ll happen again!

HOLD THE PHONE! I thought Belmont was confirmed for the 2013 Breeders’ Cup… why are we still discussing the location?! Put it there so I can actually go!

So You Think [IRE] and Black Caviar should get married…

Best pre-Travers prep race? I missed watching the Haskell (I WOULD HAVE HAD THAT EXACTA!) but as of right now I’m leaning on Street Life to hash it out with Bodemeister.

I was pronouncing Dullahan correctly for months before getting confused watching the Blue Grass Stakes (II) where it was pronounced “DOOL-la-han.” UGH.

I would go off on a tangent right now about how much I dislike Taco’s registered name (Jess’s Dream), but I think Afleetalexandra already wrote it down for me. I pray to God “Bernyatta” isn’t next #killme

I’m hopeful that Winter Memories will make it to the Breeders’ Cup this year. Or at least finishes the year off sans injury… I am so wary of this happening to my favorites.

Tweet o’ the Week is from the Triple Crown’s race caller Larry Collmus!

Not the best of weekends, but you can’t win ‘em all. The Suburban (II) proved indeed to be a hard race to figure out, though I was glad to see the DRF’s ridiculous pick in Buffum not work out. SWEAR TO GOD, they could say anyone could win and that horse will be bet to death far more than they should have been. Notable victorious wagers were spreads on Game On Dude, Richard’s Kid, and Kettle Corn in the Hollywood Gold Cup (I) and Marketing Mix in the Dance Smartly. Most regrettably, I missed an opportunity I would have definitely taken betting on Winter Memories’ sister, La Cloche (Ghostzapper), who won the Voodoo Dancer Stakes at Belmont on Sunday. Aw!

This coming weekend I hope to change things up a bit by making some Pick 3s and Pick 4s, going horizontal instead of vertical. I might try that repeatedly-carried over Belmont Pick 6 on Thursday, who knows!

The best race of the weekend was arguably one of the toughest to handicap. The Suburban Handicap (II) has a storied tradition of producing greats, and this year, it attracted a nice field of 8 with three G1 winners and for the most part, a ton of good value all around. Favorite To Honor and Serve broke better this time from the far outside, and as predicted, speedy Trickmeister set a solid early pace with closer Hymn Book tracking in the rear. I got a little excited that Endorsement (who had ridiculously good odds at 18-1!) was on the verge of a big breakthrough with his pacestalking trip, but unfortunately, the non-Lasix’d entry faded as Hymn Book and Mucho Macho Man surfaced late to pass a defiant Trickmeister. I wonder if Hymn Book had been closer, if the results would have been different, but all in all, Mucho Macho Man ran a deserving winning race as the only Florida-bred in the field, a boy who used to lose his shoes to a man who wins with heart. I’m also wondering what is to be done with Stay Thirsty, who unlike some, I never gave much of a chance. Race replay below

As I mentioned, I had a pretty terrible start to Saturday and after the Suburban fell through for me, I just decided to take a walk, even after looking at some promising odds for Turbo Compressor (at the time 6-1, at post 5-2) in the United Nations Stakes (I). Yes, I was going to bet on him, a rail horse bent on pace-setting a 1 3/8-mile grass race, but I didn’t. Agh, I should have! While Slim Shadey [GB] was debatably the horse to beat at this type of race with a potential upsetter in Arch Support, Turbo Compressor set up cozy fractions while being too far out in front to be caught at the end— a setup far too perfect for him, and in a nice G1 that gives him a free pass into the Breeders’ Cup Turf (I). Now whether Pletcher can keep him fit, that’s another question. Watch race replay here.

I’ll Have Another is certainly living up to his name… winning 4 races in a row, all graded stakes!

The Bernardini spam continues: dam of Mine That Bird and Dullahan, Mining My Own, was bred to the big brown beast as announced by Darley. What happened to breeding to the obscure?! Starting a pool now that it won’t make the Derby/Oaks field.

Get well soon, Paddy O’Prado. We need pretty ponies.

Emirates Park Stud in Australia bought half of BC Mile winner Artie Schiller from WinStar. I wonder which half.

Chantal Sutherland could learn more than a thing or two from Rosie Napravnik.

Ten in a row for Frankel, firing me up for what might be one of the most memorable Royal Ascot meets ever.

Now this is the people’s horse!: Il Vilano let several children pet him in the paddock before winning the Chick Lang Stakes.

I’m a bit sad I likely won’t get to see the legendary Kent Desormeaux at Belmont. His fault, not mine.

Would it be okay for the racing gods to let Nehro win a stakes?

I’m going to marry Mario Gutierrez, just so you all know.

Preakness Day aka D. Wayne Lukas Is Back From the Dead Day: I was going for the two horses who finished second to Skyring and Hamazing Destiny, but dang. Is this a sign of the end of the world, or the beginning of beautiful things for the legend?

Tweet o’ the Week:

It would probably be considered bad juju if I started rooting for I’ll Have Another in the Belmont. Therefore, I will keep hollering for Union Rags like the blind ignoramus I am!

OH MY GOD WINTER MEMORIES IS GOING TO BE RUNNING ON BELMONT DAY. Note to self: bring extra clean underwear.

The Racing Beat is back after a Derby-influenced hiatus! And Winter Memories won her first start of the year!

Reason #12000 why I would make a good horse racing spokeslady: I’ve been around Spanish communities and people long enough to know how to pronounce the jockeys’ names properly and understand their broken, heavily-accented English. It’s not Mar-tin Garcia, it’s Mar-teen Garcia.

The Derby broadcast was not as delicious as I felt it could possibly be. Couple that with the obvious lack of expertise by NBC Sports (camera pans to talk about a specific contender and films El Padrino getting his tongue tied) and I feel slighted.

I keep hearing that people supposedly all supported Union Rags because they thought he was the next Barbaro. Nope, not for me anyways. I supported him on paper, sight unseen, because I have such tremendous faith in Matz as a trainer. He doesn’t have a super popular pedigree i.e. Bernardini, A.P. Indy, Giant’s Causeway, Empire Maker. He was bred in Pennsylvania on a small-scale farm. He’s big, magnificent, and always tries hard. Barbaro had nothing to do with it.

I am absolutely crushed that Pluck is not returning to racing, even more so they’re sending him to stand in Australia.

GO BODE GO!

One more month until the mighty Belmont Stakes and I could not be more excited about going. Possibly Union Rags and Alpha… Dullahan… I really wish Team Valor had saved Went the Day Well for this specific race, as well.

Tweet O’ the Week:

Stanley Gold is back at his stomping grounds at Calder doing what he does best: winning! Great job to a horse who had a rough spring, Fort Loudon!

Mark Valeski has a new fan: me! Rosie’s going to have her best year yet with Larry Jones’ horses.

Yummy With Butter has some competition as the best racehorse name ever: Hastings standout Spaghetti Mouse.

I’m in the process of reading as much as I can about the usage of furosemides (Lasix/Salix) in horse racing. As of right now, I am all for a gradual pull-out from race-day medications, but would like to learn as much as possible as I continue to form a personal opinion on the matter.