Doling out some thank yous...

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As another Thanksgiving approaches, it's good to reflect on the past year and while we skipped giving thanks last year there was certainly enough to be thankful for during the past 12 months that it deserves it's own post.

- The day after Thanksgiving 2011 brought us the birth of the Space Filly. She has certainly brought us great joy over the past year and she gets to celebrate her first Black Friday with the Space Gal in the Cuse. Not a bad way to get this year off to a good start.

- The Space Gal is one special woman, and I'm thankful she was able to enjoy her first Oaks/Derby experience with me this year. We also enjoyed an impromptu trip to Toga for the Whitney where we hung out like old times all afternoon at the Paddock Bar. The big thanks though is for putting up with my obsession and track excursions during the year while she holds down the fort at home. (She's also one of the best proof-readers in the business).

- Thanks to The Buffalo News for taking a chance on a racing blogger to fill a huge void created by the untimely death of longtime writer and Buffalo legend Bob Summers. It was a tremendous experience covering the Triple Crown, Saratoga, Woodbine and the Breeders' Cup over the past 12 months. Thanks also goes to the Space Gal and Saratoga Resident in this area as they both pushed me and helped me get over the hump.

- I'm thankful for the Canadian friends I met this year at Fort Erie and Woodbine, and of course, Keith McCalmont, who is one of the hardest working guys in the business.

- Thanks to guys like Tim Wilkin and Mike MacAdam from the Capitol District who helped show me the ropes as I wandered aimlessly as a rookie at Saratoga and the Derby.

- I'm thankful that I got to meet a lot of folks who have read this blog, my Twitter feed and the Sports, Ink blog from the Buffalo area, including the folks at Buffalo Raceway. They run run a top-flight racetrack and I've seen it first-hand during my first ever harness track visit in January. It was also great meeting the Rochester-based WNY Horse Racing Group at Finger Lakes opening day in April, even if they did card eight straight 4-1/2 furlong races that day.

- Thanks to Joe DePaulo from HRN, for interviewing me at the Preakness, so when potential CPA clients google me they find me at a race track talking horses.

- I'm lucky to be a part of ThoroFan, a grass roots group that is doing the right things to give the fan a voice when it comes to thoroughbred racing. We're just getting started and before long it'll be bigger than we ever imagined. Thanks to the Board for listening to my idea for creating the Tiznow Fund, it's going to help make a difference in a little girl's life.

- I'm thankful for having the occasional Saturday morning cigar with The Turk (and that I was able to meet the Little Turk at the BC!).

- I enjoy being part of the Wireplayers Derby Dozen poll and being included on their team from time to time.

- I'm forever indebted to the TBA, as they provided the platform for starting this blog and launching into other areas. I appreciate all of the TBA'ers who assist me in keeping up the weekly Handicappers' Corner over at ThoroFan, you're hard work is truly appreciated. I actually recently wrote a piece for a local Buffalo magazine that should hit the stands soon, so stay tuned.

- I'm also fortunate that I was invited to be part of the newly-formed Turf group, and am humbled for being included by the talented founding members.

- I'm most thankful that my laptop never failed in the middle of a deadline, because that would have really sucked.

- I'm sure I missed somebody, so if I did, thank you too (you know who you are).

Have a great Thanksgiving, enjoy the big racing weekend.

Hump Day Funny: The Rabbi, The Gentile and The Hat

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The Space Filly's godfather sent me a horse racing joke this week which I'd like to share to lighten things up a little...my apologies if you've seen it before...

A Rabbi was walking down the street when, suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew the streimel off his head. The Rabbi ran after his hat but the wind was so strong it kept blowing his hat farther and farther away. He just couldn't catch up with it.

A young gentile man, witnessing this event and being more fit than the Rabbi, ran after the hat and caught it. The young gentile handed the hat over to the Rabbi. The Rabbi was so pleased and grateful that he gave the man twenty dollars, put his hand on the man's head and blessed him. The young man was very excited about both the tip and the blessing.

The young gentile decided to take his new found wealth to the race-track. He bet the entire $20 on the first race that he could. After the races the young man returned home and recounted his very exciting day at the races to his father.

"I arrived at the fifth race," said the young man. "I looked at the racing program and saw a horse by the name of Top Hat was running. The odds on this horse were 100-to-1. It was the longest shot in the field."

After saving the Rabbi's hat, having received the Rabbi's blessing, gotten the $20, and seeing Top Hat in the fifth race, I thought this was a message from God. So, I bet the entire $20 on Top Hat. An amazing thing happened. The horse that was the longest shot and who did not have the slightest chance to even show, came in first by 5 lengths.

"You must have made a fortune," said the father. "Well yes, $2,000. But wait, it gets better," replied the son.

"In the following race, a horse by the name of Stetson was running. The odds on the horse were 30 to 1" Stetson being some kind of hat and again thinking of the Rabbi's blessing and his hat, I decided to bet all my winnings on this horse."

"What happened?" asked the excited father. "Stetson came in like a rocket. Now I had $60,000!"

"Are you telling me you brought home all this money?" asked his excited father. "No," said the son. "I lost it all on the next race. There was a horse in this race named Chateau, which is French for hat. So I decided to bet all the money on Chateau. But the horse broke down and came in last."

"Hat in French is "Chapeau" not "Chateau", you moron," said the father. "You lost all of the money because of your ignorance. Tell me, what horse won the race?"

The son answered, "A long shot from Japan named Yamaka."

Going Postal

Tweet We've been getting a number of inquiries here in the Space Lab and instead of hogging the blog page all to myself, I thought I'd share some of the stuff (racing related, potpourri and hodgepodge) I've been asked. We'll protect the names of those asking the questions as a matter of privacy (or maybe not)....

So here goes the first edition of the Space Bag.....

Q: So I hear you were trending on Twitter yesterday, what gives? ~Dylan from the 19th hole somewhere in New England.

A: Ho ho ho...that wasn't me...that was my Uncle Irv. He just happened to produce some movie named the Empire Strikes Back. RIP.


Q: So Top Chef All-Stars starts tonight and I hear your gambling pool is back in vogue. Who do you like? ~Culinary Pirate from Tampa, FL

A: Oh, I have TC gambling pool competitors who stalk this site trying to figure out who I like....and spoken like a true horseball...although if you really need to know I'm leaning towards Fabio, Angelo or Richard...any of which could easily have won their respective seasons without choking in the finale.


Q: So who do you like for Horse of the Year? ~Seth from Paris, Kentucky

A: Seth-Seth-Seth. Can you Blame me for taking a pass on this one?


Q: Did Stevie Johnson really Blame God?? ~Frank from Silver Spring, Maryland

A: Speaking of passes, I think the Almighty will give the immature Johnson one. Unfortunately, he'll probably drop it.


Q: So what's the new name for the newest addition to the Space Station? ~Steve from Virginia.

A: After much debate and a super majority vote from the Space Gal...we're going with an entry received from Wireplayers.com and drumroll please.........welcome the Space Filly.


Q: Chances the NYC OTB shuts down on Friday? ~Saratoga Resident from Buffalo, NY

A: Somewhere south of 1%.


Q: What do you think of the new Paulick Report format? ~Brad from Lexington, Ky

A: TBA poll results seem to favor it. Change is good. Like the respect the bloggers get their own tab for "Best of Blogs."


Q: Your picks suck. You should hang it up. ~Hank from Bristol, CT

A: Pot meet kettle.


Q: Have you tried Four Loko? ~Chris from LA

A: How do you think this post came about?


Q: You realize what legacy you're gonna pass on to your kids, right? ~Ian from the Big Apple (in reference to being a Buffalo sports fan)

A: Speechless.


Q: Did the Space Gal deliver.......DURING THE CLARK????? ~Ernie from the Big A

A: Post parade of the Clark. Last five minutes of the Auburn-Alabama game.


This was fun, I may make this a more regular thing....keep those cards, letters and losing tickets coming my way...