2012 - I'll Have Another getting a little exercise
Doug O'Neill had to threaten to pull I'll Have Another from the Belmont yesterday in order to get permission to cook his oats. (This is done to help prevent colic when a horse is going to so some serious exercising.) Michael Matz, trainer of Union Rags, wanted to cook HIS horse's oats as well and was denied permission... until it looked like Another was going home. Both horses got a hot meal. If it's not one thing, it's another with this year's Belmont! It just goes to show politicians can take the fun out of anything.
1973 - Secretariat
The Belmont is on Saturday. The final leg of the Triple Crown. Thirty-four years since Affirmed won it in 1978. Four years since the last time a horse went into the Belmont after winning both the Derby and the Preakness (Big Brown... who is the first and only horse to win those first two and leave the gate of the third and not even finish the race.)
I'll Have Another is now considered the leading 3 year old of the season. Of course, if he hadn't won BOTH of the first two TC legs he'd just be thought of as ONE of the promising 3 year olds. He is facing a number of opponents whom he has already beaten... Dullahan, Union Rags, Optomizer... and a few he hasn't run against, for a total of 11 other 3 year old boys. Once again, IHA has gotten an outside post position... 11... which is just fine. And his jockey, the young and inexperienced Mario Gutierrez, is riding 5 horses on Belmont's Friday card. He is hoping to get a feel for the Belmont track which is different than other tracks he's raced on because it is bigger, making it harder to judge where he is relative to the finish line. If he screws it up, he'll won't be the first jock to stop a Triple Crown from happening, but it is hardly something he'll want to remember late nights 20 years from now.
The rules at Belmont Park and the powers that control racing in NYC right now... NOT the racing commission, but the mayor and his crew who took over a few months back... have SEEMED to conspire against IHA, Doug O'Neill (his trainer) AND racing fans who hunger for another Triple Crown winner. (A number of people have whispered/shouted that it is conspiracy against California horses, but I do not share that opinion... sometimes a coincidence, or a series of them, is just a coincidence or a series of them.) Another is not going to race with his customary flair strip. O'Neill says it's no problem; he uses them on ALL the horses he trains and IHA is not a bleeder. Every one of the Belmont colts has been isolated to a specific barn on the Belmont grounds and had to be in residence there by noon yesterday. Usually that is not a requirement... some horses, like Another, arrive early and usually stay in whatever barn they're housed in from the start and some horses arrive on the day the race is run... but supposedly this new rule is for security purposes as well as allowing race officials to keep a close eye on medications, etc that each colt gets (and an even closer eye on Doug O'Neill who is facing a 45 day suspension in CA.) And finally... I hope... one of the unions at Belmont Park has worked the last 2 years without a contract and is threatening to go on strike tomorrow. Regardless, the race is on Saturday and it will all be over but the shouting 2-1/2 minutes later.
My prediction for the order of finish, based as much on wishful thinking as anything else, is:
I'll Have Another
Paynter
Dullahan
Union Rags
Street Life
Atigun
and the rest of the field.
I'll most like watch the race in the bedroom instead of the tv room. The dogs in the bedroom have heard me jumping up and down and yelling at the tv... don't want to frighten Emy's kids in the tv room!
But first, a photo of Diamond and Brogue's Broadway diva daughter, Montana (and friends.)
In case you're not sure, Montana is on the left end. Notice all the dogs are off lead and outside... and WAITING to have their photo taken!
Now to the title subject...
A week or so ago, I turned on the lamp on the dresser by the bed. Let me rephrase. I tried to turn on the lamp on the dresser by the bed. Nothing happened. So I clicked it again, with the same result. Naturally, since the lamp was from the dollar store (but cost SIX dollars) and at least 10 years old AND the bulb in it was one of those corkscrew looking things, I immediately went back to the dollar store and bought a new lamp (costing ten dollars.) I plugged it in and we had light. The old lamp, sans bulb, went in the trash. Don't know what made me rethink that decision, but I pulled it out, put in a new bulb and guess what... it worked. The other one was burned out. I have gotten so used to those squiggly things lasting forever, I never thought the problem could be the bulb! Actually, I think this may be the first time I've had one grow old and die. (Which means I need to stock up on them because all the bulbs in the house are from the same era. Except the one in the new lamp on the dresser.)
Now, you'd think that this experience would teach me something. However, last weekend I came out of Walmart (yes, I said Walmart, my second trip already this year... which means I'm good until 2013...) I came out of Walmart and my remote key thingy wouldn't unlock my door. It worked on the trunk just fine. In fact, it worked on the trunk TOO fine. No matter which open button I pushed or how many times I pushed it, the trunk unlocked. This caused me an episode of mild panic. It is difficult to drive a car home from Walmart without being inside the car. However, after trying it several times (all the while trying to remember exactly where the other remote clickerbob was "stored,") the driver's lock opened. You know, it wasn't until I got home and was unloading the car that it occurred to me that the key just might open the door.
Apparently, you CAN teach an old dog a new trick. You just have to be prepared for the old dog to forget the old trick when you do!
It may be hard to believe, but Emy is definitely the one in charge of raising her pups. She just keeps me around to open and close the gate to the puppy pen! Over the weekend, she stopped spending the night in the pen with them. She's back to sleeping in the bedroom, under the bed. First thing in the morning, usually around 7 which is several hours before the rest of us need to get up, she wants back in the pen with the kids where she'll stay an hour or so. Then, she's out of there until late afternoon/early evening. She'll go back in for about another hour. When she comes out, she wants to visit with her mom, Sparky, Keogh and a rescue who is rooming with them. Finally, at bedtime (MY bedtime of 2-3 AM,) she wants a quick visit in the pen, to tuck the kids away for the night. You may be wondering just HOW she conveys all this to me... well, as soon as you get your pup, you'll understand. Dogs are very clear about their time schedules. While Em is with the pups, she lets them suckle for a few minutes... she still has plenty of milk... and she'll clean bottoms (although she's not so hot on cleaning the pen any more.) She'll play a little with them... wrestling, rolling them over, holding them down with a paw or two... and has started their life lessons. Last night she told two in no uncertain terms that chewing on her was not allowed. AND she broke up a couple bully episodes where one pup had another down making it cry. (When she's not in with them, I am the one that stops the bullying... they're learning the word "No!") Interestingly, she is not paying any attention to their toys. I thought she would take the squeaker (and stuffing) out of their stuffed animal, but she just sniffs it and leaves it alone. They are now bigger than it is. They also have a huge Kong bone which they chew the edges of since it is way too big and heavy for them to get it in their mouths AND a braided rope ring. This is also too thick for them to get a good grip on but they have the idea and just need to grow into it. Their favorite "toy" is a small cardboard box which they chew on, stand on, drag around, push open and closed with their noses. Emy has no use for any of that stuff. Apparently, she's getting close to middle age and has outgrown her need for toys.
As promised
the next 3 pictures... male, darker female, lighter female
I get letters
and some of it is delightful! Yesterday, Miss GiGi, who is getting one of Emy's pups, emailed me this terrific picture.
Just finished posting new pictures on the website of the Emy/Boon puppies. They are 6 weeks this evening. The microchips are in and they've been assigned stuffed animals for identification purposes. It is amazing... and clearly visible... the differences this last week has made, especially in coloration, although you can also see they are less baby-ish today. Below are pix (from the website) of a male, a dark female and a lighter female. (I'll post 3 more on Monday and the final 3 on Wednesday... or there'bouts!)
This is Esther at 19 days. Her eyes finally opened yesterday and she is almost up on her feet... she gets up and walks, but can go only a few steps before sprawling out. Then she gets up and goes again. I put a kitchen mat in the crate, to get her off the slick surface, but her momma keeps moving it into a pile. Esther has mastered the sit and looks like a little stuffed animal when she does it. Today, while her mom was outside, I held her where the little dogs could sniff and lick her. She didn't like it at first and kept burying her head, but after a few minutes, she was looking for them, pushing her nose against theirs, mouthing their muzzles. Single pups often do not want to be bothered with other dogs touching them because it hasn't happened to them all their lives. She found them interesting, rather than threatening, which is a good sign. This is the best I can do to prepare her before I put her in with Emy's pups (who are 3 weeks older) for play time. That won't happen for another week or two, but I don't want her afraid of them the first time it happens.
