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Another day. Another positive Covid test. Miles’ school, like all schools, has ducked and weaved, audibled and adlibbed through nearly two years of the pandemic. Zoom school. Parent Square forms. Pool noodles. Outdoor classrooms. Social distancing. Masks. Quarantines. Vaccines. The protocols and rules seem to change daily. I don’t envy the administration. I have empathy … Read more
A red-streaked sky greets me on the short walk from the renovating house to the venerable barn. It’s the winter canvass, mountains in the distance, the full sky above. Quiet. Serene. Tranquil. Sunday chores. The horses following routines, enjoying routines, that’s key. Brisk, but no wind, that’s key. Sun shining, another key. A needed respite … Read more
Jonbon, head cocked, the first time he’s picked up his lunch pale, ticking the boxes on his way to stardom… Tommy’s Oscar for the sheep farmers, the Hamiltons, it’s everybody’s game… Kevin Brogan and Phoenix Way, timing like Timex, arriving strides to the line, ticks of the clock… Charlie Deutsch holding and cajoling, saving and … Read more
Brutal news on the loss of Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Bobs Worth. The 17-year-old was living his best life. Gallant horse. Overachiever. Delving into the archives, we found the recap of his 2013 Gold Cup win. I somehow had found a spot directly in front of trainer Nicky Henderson for that’s years’ Gold Cup, at … Read more
Snow day. Another snow day. It’s raining, pelting, ricocheting off the new metal roof at this hour. Blue and Border stand under a storm-ravaged, skeleton tree in the front field, there’s a shed 50 yards away, a shelter, hay deep, it’s barely used. Early o’clock. Yesterday, I slept in until 7 and paid the price, … Read more
Lemonade Thursday grazes, well atempts to graze, in the back paddock. A hawk hunts and hovers between the board fence and the tall grass in the far corner. I haven’t seen the feral kitten who runs along the fence line most mornings. The fifth at Dundalk sets off for a 2,414-meter journey. The snow hangs … Read more
Happy Birthday, Sheila. Thanks for always being in my corner. Still digging and thawing out from the winter storm – snow, ice, wind, melt, freeze, snow, ice, wind, melt, freeze…it’s more like a winter menace than a winter storm. Tiring but nature at its best, I guess. Light day on the racing front, a few races … Read more
Tackroom is full of water, maybe a pipeline broke That’s how the day started. It’s 7:07 on a cold, icy, windy Martin Luther King Day morning. Minutes later, I step and splash into the tackroom. My instinct is to call someone. Call anyone. Charles, the handiest handyman I know. Annie, she’s good in a crisis. … Read more
Brutal out there, 13 degrees. Rising to 24 by noon. Snow to commence at 1:00. Temperature will rise to 30 by 6 p.m. and strangely climb to 42 by midnight, snow is meant to turn to ice and then subside by tomorrow afternoon. In the spring, summer and fall, we talk about how we need … Read more
The New York Racing Association announced that they’re rebuilding the Wilson Chute at Saratoga. I wish I could ask Allen Jerkens what he thinks. I do remember it being revitalized in the early 90s and it didn’t work very well. Rough races. Short fields. If I remember correctly. Will a mile option continue the demise … Read more
