Going Postal, Volume 2

Tweet In early December of last year I rolled out the first edition of Space Mail, so based on the level of emails I've received over the last quarter we have enough for a quick blog post to answer a few of your questions. There's been a lot of fodder to chew on over the last three months so here goes....

Q: So your first Space Bag talked about Top Chef All-Stars, who did you end up with in your gambling pool and are you still alive? My guess is you went down in flames (no pun intended). ~Nick from Saratoga.
A: Sorry, Nick, we're alive and kicking with bad ass Richard Blais. That nitrogen-toting chef has been lighting up the quickfires and he only needs to outlast Carla to reach paydirt for the Space Gal and I. Know when you have a problem? When you gamble on a reality TV cooking show.

Q: Rachel/Curlin foal or Zenyatta/Bernardini foal, who will be the better racehorse? ~Carl from Altoona.
A: I'm no pedigree consultant so this is purely from a fan perspective. If you look in the top right corner, you'll see Bernardini (winning the Travers) is my profile pic...so you can guess who I'm leaning towards. Zendini, of course.

Q: What do you think of NBC picking up the Belmont? ~Hammerin Hank from Vegas.
A: To be honest, even with the very good Breeders' Cup production by ESPN, I think NBC will do a better job. Plus, they may even show the Manhattan, one of the faux pas that ABC always screwed up and would usually have horseplayers pulling their hair out because the race would be in limbo.

Q: Carmelo as a Knick? ~Lola in Manhattan
A: Good to see Melo in Orange and Blue again.

Q: Have you participated in the players boycott in California? ~Willie the Whale from Windsor
A: Well, indirectly I guess, I've really just focused on the East Coast tracks (Aqueduct, Gulfstream, Fair Grounds) over the past two months. I really haven't followed what's going on out west. Do they have a Derby contender out there? Ahh, I'm just kidding...I like Runflatout to be the west coast surprise horse. But to answer your question truthfully, no I haven't been boycotting, just ignoring.

Q: Who's your Derby horse? ~Flo from Ft. Erie
A: I really liked the way Santiva ran last weekend. I would like to see To Honor and Serve do well. We're probably a couple weeks away from adopting.

Q: Paulick or Equidaily? ~Todd from Alaska
A: Boxers.

Q: TVG or HRTV? ~Matt from Seattle
A: Briefs.

Q: How do you think your RTTR stable will fare this year compared to prior years? ~Skeeter from the South Side
A: I screwed up like I usually do by not doing my homework and reviewing the races and loaded up on horses that will run against each other. I even left Uncle Mo out of my initial stable. I'm just looking to post a respectable score this year and not embarrass myself.

Q: Speaking of Uncle Mo, what do you think of his current tentative racing schedule? ~Vinnie from Tim Hortons
A: Vinnie Vinnie Vinnie. Pletcher knows what he's doing. He's not going to lose his favorite during Derby week like last year. He'll coast in the Timely Writer and finish a disappointing second in the Wood. But he'll be in prime condition on Derby Day, which is what it's all about. That, and the draw, of course. PS I love the Fruit Explosion muffins at Hortons.

Q: I heard about your Futures is a sucker bet article....so are you a sucker? ~Tootsie from Chi Town
A: Yep. $4 on Santiva at 37-1 and $4 on To Honor and Serve at 10-1 (only to show my Derby Dozen No. 1 some love and some good karma going into the weekend).

Q: I heard you went to Aqueduct in January this year instead of Gulfstream, are you nuts?? ~Fred from Watts
A: Umm...yeah pretty much.

Q: Who's your favorite Jersey Shore character? Does Space Gal watch it? ~Jim from Stalkerville
A: I'm mesmerized by Pauly D's hair and yes the Space Gal makes me watch it. They definitely need an episode where they go to Monmouth for the races...tell me that wouldn't be must see TV?

Q: When's the next Space Invasion? ~Martha from Mozambique
A: I'll be taking my talents to Louisville...unless I can steal away for the Wood.

Q: When are you going to end this space mail bag? ~Porky from Warner Bros.
A: I thought you'd never ask. That's all folks.

Keep those cards, letters and emails comin'.