Yesterday Was A Long Day
Some folks sleep in on Saturday Morning.
I've been getting up early to watch horse workout and this Saturday was something I've never seen before. The horse gets saddled up, the rider gets to the barn, rider up and then we ran to the car to drive over where the starting gate is. On the way the trainer says he hope the rider doesn't fall off between the barn and the gate. A loose horse can be a scary proposition.
This morning The Beaver is going to stand in the starting gate, practice for Sunday's race. If all goes well this should take about five minutes. If the horse goes berserk, they may need to repeat the process and the guys that work the starting gate and the rider will have earned their money.
Randy Weidner was happy and relieved all went well. The horse knows the drill, and hopefully he will remember to behave professionally on Sunday.
Off to the racing secretary's office to see who is entering horses for Friday, the deadline for entries is 9:00 am. This process was probably a lot more interesting in the days before cell phones, agents, trainers and owners would have been there in person. Now you can look at the overnight list of races to be filled and call in your entries.
Downstairs for a cup of coffee and a quick walk over to the new casino to see how much free play they are giving away for the day. It's about 9:30AM, I feel like I've already been up a long time and feel compelled to sit on the veranda with another cup of coffee and watch the horses come and go from the track. Those poor folks up north, its in the mid 70's, bright and sunny in South Florida.
I met some horsemen. They invited me a BBQ after the last race. Free food. Beyond free admittance and free parking, nothing is free at the track. Downstairs for a short session at the machines. The casino floor is quiet, not many folks, it's early and on weekends it's a 24 hour a day proposition. I'm going to kill some time before they chose post positions for Friday's races. The machines were kind and I will be playing with other people's money this weekend, but I missed the draw for Friday's races.
I'm thinking I'd like a nap but soldier on with Bud Lite, a burger in the dining room, more beer, a search for the trainer and some last minute studying of today's races. The races went quickly. Folks asked me about Stolicknaya. All I could say was, I'm really glad he's finally gotten to Hialeah and the races.
The BBQ was nice. The folks on the backstretch were a quiet lot. By 7:00 pm I'm sure a lot of them are happy to have some food, have already fed their horses, might check the water buckets before they go to bed. They've been up since before dawn and will be up early on Sunday.
On the home front 13 year olds are in need of rides from the weekly party scene. The late bus left South Miami at 11:30 pm. It was a long day, and I'm looking forward to Sunday!
I've been getting up early to watch horse workout and this Saturday was something I've never seen before. The horse gets saddled up, the rider gets to the barn, rider up and then we ran to the car to drive over where the starting gate is. On the way the trainer says he hope the rider doesn't fall off between the barn and the gate. A loose horse can be a scary proposition.
This morning The Beaver is going to stand in the starting gate, practice for Sunday's race. If all goes well this should take about five minutes. If the horse goes berserk, they may need to repeat the process and the guys that work the starting gate and the rider will have earned their money.
Randy Weidner was happy and relieved all went well. The horse knows the drill, and hopefully he will remember to behave professionally on Sunday.
Off to the racing secretary's office to see who is entering horses for Friday, the deadline for entries is 9:00 am. This process was probably a lot more interesting in the days before cell phones, agents, trainers and owners would have been there in person. Now you can look at the overnight list of races to be filled and call in your entries.
Downstairs for a cup of coffee and a quick walk over to the new casino to see how much free play they are giving away for the day. It's about 9:30AM, I feel like I've already been up a long time and feel compelled to sit on the veranda with another cup of coffee and watch the horses come and go from the track. Those poor folks up north, its in the mid 70's, bright and sunny in South Florida.
I met some horsemen. They invited me a BBQ after the last race. Free food. Beyond free admittance and free parking, nothing is free at the track. Downstairs for a short session at the machines. The casino floor is quiet, not many folks, it's early and on weekends it's a 24 hour a day proposition. I'm going to kill some time before they chose post positions for Friday's races. The machines were kind and I will be playing with other people's money this weekend, but I missed the draw for Friday's races.
I'm thinking I'd like a nap but soldier on with Bud Lite, a burger in the dining room, more beer, a search for the trainer and some last minute studying of today's races. The races went quickly. Folks asked me about Stolicknaya. All I could say was, I'm really glad he's finally gotten to Hialeah and the races.
The BBQ was nice. The folks on the backstretch were a quiet lot. By 7:00 pm I'm sure a lot of them are happy to have some food, have already fed their horses, might check the water buckets before they go to bed. They've been up since before dawn and will be up early on Sunday.
On the home front 13 year olds are in need of rides from the weekly party scene. The late bus left South Miami at 11:30 pm. It was a long day, and I'm looking forward to Sunday!
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