After downing a delicious Festivus dinner and a few Festivus ales we're ready to unveil our 2011 Racing Festivus for the rest of us...
"Feats of Strength"
- Rapid Redux’s Streak. Was there any question that the little starter allowance engine that could, would crack our Festivus Feats of Strength list after winning 21 straight, 19 in 2011?
- Resorts World Casino Construction Workers. The Aqueduct racino project that was completed, pretty much on time, in New York, nonetheless?
- Shackleford’s Preakness. The horse that shouldn’t run more than a mile, turned back a late game effort by Derby champ Animal Kingdom to take the second jewel in Baltimore in May. It was a yeoman effort by the big guy, so he makes our “feats of strength section.”
- Pletcher’s Saratoga Meeting. The Toddster just blew them away at the summer place to be. His 38 training wins was unprecedented and his nearest challenger, Mechanicville native Chad Brown, had 22 wins.
- First Female Jock to Win Big Cap. She had to sweat out a ten minute inquiry, but Canadian jock Chantal Sutherland became the first female to ride the Grade 1 Big Cap winner Game On Dude at Santa Anita Park in March.
Ok, so here’s what you’re really looking to get after, my annual airing of grievances…also known as “I’ve got a lot of problems with you people!”
“Airing of Grievances”
- ESPN anchor Stan Verritt. Courier-Journal vet Jennie Rees took him to the woodshed for his asinine comments about Rapid Redux. Good thing they don’t cover horse racing….uh wait…oh. She’d like to send a big Animal House float over to Bristol, care of Mr. Verritt.
- Maryland’s cluster___. Frank from That’s Amore Stable has his annual grievance airing on the state of Maryland racing, some things never change.
- NYRA $0.50 Pick-3 wager. C’mon man, you gave us the $0.50 Pick-4, cough up the Pick-3, you can do it. I won’t even ask for the 50 cent tri this year (but if you give me the P3 this year, I’ll be sure to ask next year).
- TwinSpiresTV working on my iPad. I’m not a real big fan of the mobile TwinSpires on the iPad, but I dig the PC version where you can bet right on the screen instead of having to go back and forth. (See last year’s Apple v. Adobe – “what are we in fourth grade?” grievance.)
- Secretariat’s Belmont Scene. Really Disney, you filmed it at Keeneland? The biggest and most historic scene in the movie and it was filmed on polycrap?
If you have any of your own grievances to air, feel free to air away in the comments, tiz the season, you know. Merry Festivus, one and all!
2 Comments:
Under feats of strength, I'd add the construction workers at Churchill who so quickly repaired all the barns and backstretch housing after the summer tornado so the facility was ready for the Breeders Cup days.
Thaks, Geno -- but I could have aired a lot more grievances if I had realized it was part of Festivus! Anyway, happy Festivus.
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