The Good, the Bad and the Hungry

Tweet Is there a badder dude in movie history than Teddy KGB...I think not. One of my favorite movies of all time...so he'll be my category sponsor for the Bad....

I took a little hiatus from the blog trying to get back on East Coast time after the trip west for the Breeders' Cup. What a whirlwind trip it was so I figured I'd share my thoughts on the good, the bad and the hungry (Top Chef Pool update).


The Good (sponsored by the sun):

- Zenyatta. What more can be said. The girl was crazy good. Can't wait for the match race.

- Santa Anita Park. Coming from Buffalo you forget what that blur in the sky looks like and my goodness it was beautiful out there. The mountain backdrop, the shrubbery, the paddock, I could go on for days. It's a must see for you East Coasters that have never made the trip.

- Ernie Munick's vlogging. Top notch stuff. The cat kills me.

- Bench handicapping. Hangin' under the trees near the paddock in the early morning handicapping was super cool. Nice and breezy in the morning and there was quite a buzz in the air on both mornings.

- Two Days. Making the long trip for one day just wouldn't do it for me. It reminded me of my first Derby trip where we had a blast on Oaks Day (Filly Friday) with great anticipation of the big event of the Derby (Classic).

- My guest. Being with a horse guy and friend for the three days was tremendous. The things I learned from him over the weekend were invaluable. Let's hope his star mare La Chica Rica has a good comeback this winter.

- The Roar. The crowd went bananas during the stretch drive of the Classic. One of the coolest things I've ever encountered at a sporting event.

- Conduit and Goldikova. Back to back championships for these two turf horses. Was fun to see.

- The Fountain at the Americana. We were mesmerized by it, and any fountain that can do its thing with Sinatra playin' works for me.

(Honorable Mention: Flight from LA to Midway - sub 3:59...sweet.)

The Bad (Sponsored by Teddy KGB):

- LA Traffic. I hate the overuse of the word fail. Do I need to say more?

- Midshipman. Watching my NTRA Dirt Mile pick wash out in the paddock; I knew it was a bad omen (although he finished a respectable third). Going back and re-reading my thoughts on Furthest Land, I can't believe I chickened out picking him: ("I love this horse’s pedigree on the all-weather and he comes in second off the layoff. I’m very high on this horse and will be playing him in the exotics.")

- Handicapping. Many lessons learned.

- Colonel John. When I'm on him, he loses. When I throw him out, he wins. Go figure. Tried to play the sire card in the Classic (thought it was the year of the sire - see Summer Bird's Belmont), but he flattened in the stretch for the second straight year. Keyed him and Gio Ponti in a trifecta wheel over Twice Over, Zenyatta and MTB...so close.

- Picking the wrong betting line. Is it me or does everyone else always get behind the 5 minute wager guy? Cost me seeing Zenyatta's parade prance. Memo to all, don't get behind me in any line (food, DMV, toll, border crossing, etc.)

The Hungry:

This is where you racing fans can tune out. Thanks for coming.

Our Top Chef pool of $200 (winner/survivor take all) is down to five of the original nine contestants and oddly enough the top five selections are still alive. I thought for sure my boy Eli was going home this week for his popcorn/caramel apple/peanut soup (aka The Space Kid's tray after most meals). So we're left with #1 selection Jen (one of the Space Gal's Smo's), #2 selection Kevin (Saratoga Resident), #3 selection Michael Voltaggio (mom of fellow alumni), #4 selection Bryan Voltaggio (Space Gal) and yours truly had the #5 pick, and went with Eli after much deliberation with the Space Gal (looks like it's panned out so far). Personally I think it's going to come down to the V brothers (with the Space Gal coming away with the big V), as I think Jen will wilt under pressure, Eli's gone as far as he can and Kevin will choke ala Richard Blais last year. Of course you all know how my handicapping is. For more Top Chef hilarity, check out the weekly podcast or follow this top chef list in twitter (they are some funny folk).