Space Invasion: Big A (The Spaceman Cometh Again)

Tweet I selected quite a day to visit the Big A last week. Little did I know when making plans for my annual January business trip to the Big Apple that Mother Nature would dump 16-18 inches of snow into the area.


I had booked a Delta flight into nearby JFK which would get me in by noon so I could catch most of the card. When that flight canceled first thing in the morning, I scrambled to get on a JetBlue flight that would land me at Aqueduct sometime around Race 4.
Somehow we made it and I arrived in time to watch the 4th. I was disappointed I didn't get to see the 3rd which had a number of decent 3-year old fillies, won by It's Tricky ($3.20). Last year's Schuylerville winner Le Mi Geaux finished third. I only made two wagers on the day so I could walk around and enjoy the day. I spent a lot of time perusing the old photos on the wall from Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct.
I scored an Aqueduct ski hat, the last one left in the NYRA store for a bargain $2. That was worth the trip for me. Well, that and hitting the late Pick 4 with a 5x3x2x1 sequence that paid $59. I also had a 25-1 in the first race that came in second, but doubling your money is better than a sharp stick in the eye, no?
The 7th (2nd leg) of the late Pick 4, was won by Awesome Bull ($7.20), who impressed me with a solid victory. Don't you hate when your three horses in the Pick 4 complete the trifecta and you don't play it? Oh well. He kept me alive and I was happy to see him run...here's a picture of him in the snowy paddock:














I wrapped up my day spending time with TRNY pal Ernie Munick who is always great to catch up with everything going on in his world. We watched the last two races together, including a brilliant ride by Eddie Castro on Inherit the Gold in the Mr. International S.

I didn't check out any of the construction and only went outside to watch the Awesome Bull victory as the temperature was hovering around 10-15 degrees. The place was pretty crowded for a Wednesday afternoon, I'm having trouble finding the actual attendance figures. I'm glad the card actually went off as they canceled racing for Thursday. As for this Buffalo guy, a little snow didn't hamper my spirits or my time at the Big A.

Speaking of Buffalo...here's my latest Post Time blog on the initial trek down the 2011 Derby Trail in The News.