Go Baby Go!!

In honor of Derby day today, here's a peek at my MUST SEE movie pick for 2010....

Secretariat!!




I. SIMPLY. CANNOT. WAIT...

In Remembrance...

Didn't want to let the day pass without a shout out in remembrance to Barbaro, who died on this date in 2007.



I won't go on and on, as most of you know how fond of him I was...



But I will say, simply... you're missed, big guy.



R.I.P.

Randomness...

So it's been forever since I actually updated this blog, so I figure I'd better get with the program.Truth be told, I've been soooo busy with my other blog that I haven't had time for the randomness that is The Smug Pessimist.

The thing is, my Fascination With Fear blog has been getting a lot of attention and so in turn takes a lot of mine.

Not that I mind, of course. I love horror, and it is a major part of my daily life. I've made a whole new chicken coop of friends via the horror blogosphere, many of which I consider an extended family.
That being said, you might find this blog lacking in posts, but I will still keep it up until I cannot lend any focus to it at all.

So, what have I been up to? It's relatively hard for me to remember what I wore yesterday, let alone what I have done for the last few months, so I'm just going to leave you with some random thoughts and comments.

*First things first - I am going to be married for 20 years next month. TWENTY freakin' YEARS.

If that doesn't make me feel old I don't know what does. I will be posting a bit more about that next month closer to the date (2/14 for all those not in the know)... I thought about doing a "pros and cons of being married" for the occassion, but seriously - I couldn't think of enough cons to make that work. So it will just be a pros list. Wait for it....

Suffice it to say I am even happier now than I was way back in 1990, and so things have worked out well with the man who lives in my house with me.

*I now sit in 9th place on the Daily Racing Form's Public Handicapper Fantasy Horseracing game.

Number NINE!! That might not sound like a lot to you, but let me just say there are 11,280 people under me. Of course it's my highest ranking evah! The current game ends this coming weekend, and while I really don't win anything unless I hit top 3 (which I don't foresee, but if so I'd be going to Vegas, baby!) - it's been an absolute hoot to make it this far. Last weekend I hit a long shot horse at 28-1 and that boosted me up there. The horse's name was Jody Slew- which those of you in the know can figure out is a descendant of Seattle Slew, which I almost always factor in when placing my bets. Yea for Slew - still making me happy after all these years.)

Seattle Slew

Don't ask me for any early Kentucky Derby picks though, I haven't thought that far into the future yet. Check back in March.

*Speaking of horses, one of my favorites over the last several years, Kip Deville, has been suffering with laminitis for a while now - and if you'll remember, that is what took the life of the outstanding Derby winner Barbaro (RIP) back in 2007, to my great distress. However, Kip is doing quite well, and things look good for him. I'm keeping fingers crossed for this very successful, gorgeous grey thoroughbred.

*And while we're still on the same page, awe-inspiring filly Rachel Alexandra won 2009 Horse of the Year honors at the Eclipse Awards last week.




It was filly vs. filly in the voting - Rach vs. the astoundingly fabulous Zenyatta (winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic in November)... Both horses were undefeated in 2009, and both beat every male horse of any importance as well. But I think it came down to the fact that Rachel had won in several different states on several different tracks, whereas Zenyatta only raced in California. If you were still making a case for Zenyatta - which I would - you could still bring up the fact that she won the Breeders' Cup Classic, dammit. She beat all the boys in a race typically dominated by the boys. The fillies have their own distaff race, but Zenyatta's connections felt her good enough to tackle the men. And she did - quite impressively. In any event, Horse of the Year this year was no doubt the hardest choice in decades for those voting, and the race (pun intended) was close.
Best thing of all is that it has been decided to keep Zenyatta (now 6) in training. So we just might see the match up between these two female juggernauts at some time this year. That would be the biggest race this side of Seabiscuit and War Admiral. So let's make it happen!


*I love my DVR. How the hell did we ever live without it? I'll never miss another episode of Ancients Behaving Badly again!

We are able to record stuff we never would have thought about before...the whole 'remembering to get a tape and set the timer for the VCR' thing is history - Gah!!

And I can (wonder of all wonders) record American Idol and never really have to wait till "after the break" with good old Ryan Seacrest. Zip, Zip, Zip goes the commercial skip!

*I'm surprisingly jazzed for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver next month.

While that might sound strange because I'm not a big sports fan, I do love winter sports. Though I do not understand the point of luge (because no one should fly down an icy track while lying down face up in a sled) -



-and especially curling (WTF?), I love the skiing, snowboarding, bobsledding (though stupidly similar to luge, at least they are sitting up!), and the ice skating competitions. No, I still do not like hockey. I'm not Canadian, so I'm not required to.

But the DVR will become utterly a blessing. There are so many commercials during the Olympics that I can zip right through all the annoying McDonalds ads just.like.that.

*The Borders Express store nearest to me is closing. Let us pause for a moment of silence at its imminent departure. I've no clue what's up Borders' ass, with them closing all but the really big Borders stores. I've read online that they are going to focus on online sales. How ironic.

Oh well, more of a reason to drive nearly 40 miles out of my way just to get a book. Damn it anyway.

*I'm still reading vampire books.

I did go out of my comfort zone to read 'Breathers: A Zombie's Lament' this month (which I should add is hilarious!) but now it is back to business. The new Anita Blake Vampire Hunter book comes out next tuesday, so I'm all pre-ordered and hoping that the new book will be a departure from her last eight books or so and she actually has some vampire hunting going on, instead of all the vampire and shapeshifter humping she has become infamous for. But alas, the book's title is FLIRT, so I'm not getting two excited...yet.

*Speaking of books, I read a grand total of 81 books in 2009. It was a major record for me, as I had slacked off to about one a month prior to that. But I gave up some tv shows and cancelled a whole slew of magazines that I was getting and Voilà! - I had time to read. Of course I also kept a book stapled to my hand at all times, too. While cooking supper, waiting for my car to warm up, while watching tv (yes, I can read and watch tv at the same time), and while doing other unmentionables as well.

All but one book was preternatural/paranormal/fantasy in nature. And with the passing of Patrick Swayze, I felt his autobiography was worth a read, so that's the book that made it through my strong paranormal shields. And let me tell you, it was heartbreaking to read so close to his death. RIP to him - I'll miss him.

*I'm currently addicted to the films of Dario Argento. He's an Italian film director famous for giallo (a specific type of horror) and I did a marathon viewing of almost all of his films in the last two weeks.



I'm doing an interview with an author (for my horror blog) who wrote a (forthcoming) book about the films, so I wanted to do my research. Many of them I saw as a teenager, and a lot I already owned, such as the more famous Suspiria and Profondo Rosso (Deep Red), but there were a few I hadn't even seen. So I've been busy with that.

*And lastly, if I'm going to watch a movie about hot male angels....I don't want them to look like this:



I want them to look like THIS:



I'm just saying...

You gotta Zenyatta!

It was all Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic Saturday at Santa Anita Racetrack for the 26th running of the World Thoroughbred Championships.

photo : NY Times

And it was the first time a filly has ever won the Classic.

Also a compelling fact: Zenyatta has never lost a race. She is 14 for 14, undefeated and more than likely on her way to retirement and no doubt the leading contender for Horse of the Year honors.

In the post parade, Zenyatta reacted to the thousands of "Girl Power" signs in the crowd and did her typical expected prancing thing. She has this crazy little prancing thing she does all the time. She walks around, strutting her stuff - looking like a Tennessee Walking Horse. She paws at the ground constantly with her right foot. Perhaps she is counting out her numerous wins for the crowd, I don't know. But it is hilarious to watch. She is very full of herself. Maybe she knows that at over 17+ hands high, she towers over the rest of the competition. In comparison, Secretariat was only 16+ hands high. She's big, folks.

The race had a forboding start when Quality Road (#12) had absolutely NO desire to load in the gate. He jumped, he bucked, he kicked... the jockey dismounted....he was backed out, put back in for more combative protesting...he was blindfolded to no avail....then he was taken out through the front when it was clear there was no way he was standing in that gate come hell or high water. He bumped the gate in several places, was checked out by a vet, and ultimately scratched to become the first horse in the history of the race to scratch at the post.
Whoa.

So all this time, the other twelve horses were hanging in the gate.... so, as is customary, they backed every horse out again, reloaded, and then they were finally off.

Zenyatta didn't really break too well, starting off on the left foot instead of the usual right. But her jockey (Hall-of-famer Mike Smith) settled her down off the pace and they sat back in last place for quite some time till she finally got down to business, flying up on the outside to pick horses off one by one.

And these were quality horses - the best from the year in racing. Including Mine That Bird (the Kentucky Derby 50-1 longshot winner), Summer Bird (Mine That Bird's half-brother and the winner of the Belmont Stakes, Travers Stakes and the Jockey Club Gold Cup), Gio Ponti (the leading American turf horse this year), Colonel John (winner of the '08 Travers and Santa Anita Derby) and Einstein (7 year old multiple grade 1 winner and the richest horse in the race)...as well as some leading contenders from Europe.

The only glaring omission from the race was the great 3 year old filly, Rachel Alexandra.

Rach.

Her owners opted not to race her because they don't like the Pro-Ride (synthetic) surface.

Rachel has been a tour de force in her own right this year, winning the Preakness Stakes, the Kentucky Oaks, the Haskell Stakes, and the Woodward against older males).

Zenyatta is by Street Cry out of a Vertigineux mare. Her owners named her after the early 80's record by The Police, Zenyatta Mondatta. I remember this album and always thought it was the stupidest damn name for a record ever. Sounds pretty good for a horse though, right?

FYI - Owner Jerry Moss is the co-founder of A&M Records - the record label of countless famous acts, including The Police. Imagine that. He also owned the 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo, who was named after Sting's son.

owner Jerry Moss, jockey Mike Smith, Ann Moss, and trainer John Shirreffs.

In all reality, it should be a two horse race in the Horse of the Year honors.

To some, Zenyatta has not proven herself simply because she has not run out of the state of California and has only raced on synthetics. Whereas Rachel has run on 8 different tracks in 6 different stakes, against both the girls and the boys (including a race against older males), and on synthetic as well as traditional dirt tracks. She has also set many stakes records - including 3 fastest times and two largest winning margins.

That being said...

Rachel has lost - 3 times. But she only landed off the board once though. And we must consider she is only three and has raced 14 times. (Rachel started racing at age 2).

Zenyatta is 5 years old but did not race until she was 3.
She has won all 14 of her races. It is most likely that she raced her last race today, and will be retired. I mean, what else does she have to conquer? She won the premier race for fillies and mares last year by winning the 2008 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic, so they upped the ante this year and ran against the boys. A fine thing to do for all us crazy horseracing fans.

So what about Horse of the Year honors?

Case in point - any horse that wins every start is a freak. It just doesn't happen, especially in this day and age, and not in such considerably impressive fashion. Zenyatta has an astounding turn of foot, and crushes her rivals in such a profound manner that watching her race becomes almost a religious experience.

Rachel is pretty much equally as awe-inspiring, and if I'd tell you I wasn't taken aback at her formidable wins this year I'd be lying. When she won the Preakness Stakes I was practically screaming my lungs out in glee.

But Rachel didn't come to the Breeders' Cup. And I like an analogy I read in the Daily Racing Form today, which basically stated - "If you won the AFC Championship game you wouldn't not go to the Superbowl cause you didn't like the field where it was being played." Touché.

I have to concur.

To not have brought Rachel to California for the Championships was perhaps a tactical move by Jess Jackson (owner) in part. My feeling is that if any other horse besides Zenyatta (with the possible exception of Summer Bird) had won the Classic, surely Horse of the Year would be in the bag for Rachel Alexandra. For seriously... if a horse such as Awesome Gem or Girolamo would have won, they really would have no case for H.O.T.Y.

Just a thought.

So Jackson says she's done for the year, and that they'll be no showdown between the filly powerhouses - which is indeed what any racing fan worth their salt wanted to see.

The excuse about the synthetics is just that. An excuse. She already won a race over a synthetic track at Keeneland last year.

I do think Rachel needed a rest after her vigorous campaign this year, but I still believe she absolutely should have made every effort to get to the Breeders' Cup for that race against Zenyatta. Hey, if you've got it, bring it!

When interviewed by the press, Zenyatta's owner said he felt it important to be there, not just for the race itself, but for the horse because "she deserved it" and for the fans, because they've shown her so much love (obsession) in her career.

So, how should one vote if one were to consider HOTY accolades?

If it were me, I'd go with Zenyatta.

As impressive as Rachel was all year (and I was totally leaning her way until I found out she wasn't coming to Santa Anita), Zenyatta put it all together where it counted the most.

After all, these are the World Championships, people.

To me, you gotta be in it to win it.

Fab filly Zenyatta is the only horse to have won two different Breeders' Cup races in two different years.

Another tiny factor for me would be that Zenyatta will no doubt retire now, and Jess Jackson has already said Rachel will race next year (and a big thank you to him for his stellar sportsmanship in that area - he also raced Curlin as a 4 y/o and wouldn't have had to...).

Give it to the Big Z!

photo of The Big Z: Sarah K. Andrew

Travers triumph!

Whoo-hoo!
I love it.

Today was the fan-tab-u-lous Travers Stakes (gr. 1) at historic Saratoga Racecourse in New York.
And even though all eyes were on the return of the highly regarded Quality Road, I still went for the bird. And that was most certainly the wise choice.

Earlier last week, Mine That Bird was pulled from consideration for this race because he was still recovering from some minor throat surgery. So that left me the other bird to root for.
The Belmont Stakes winner, Summer Bird.
And he delivered.



Summer Bird wins the Travers
Coglianese Photos/Blood Horse

It was an extremely sloppy track, as just as much as it had rained here, it had rained there.
Messy, messy, messy. I always hate a sloppy track because the poor surface makes me nervous for the safety of the horses. But everything went quite well. Coincidentally, Summer Bird's sire, Birdstone (also Mine That Bird's sire) also won the Belmont and the Travers in 2004. How ironic.
Or should I say ICONIC?

Quality Road was trying to make an impressive comeback, as he has been out of contention for months. He was an early Derby favorite. But he just didn't fire today.

Summer Bird had a great trip, just cruising along till he made his move. He then proceeded to win by an easy 3 1/2 lengths. It probably cemented his favoritism for the 3 year-old colt of the year prize, unless Mine That Bird has something else up his sleeve - (like a Breeders' Cup Classic win???)...

Naturally I picked Summer Bird in my handicapping game, and had Quality Road second - but he ended up third. Oh well, I still had the winner.
And that is always cool.

I wonder what the winner of eight straight races - the formidable Rachel Alexandra -would have done to this group of boys. But hey, she's already beat the 3 year old colts.
Next week she runs against the older boys - in the Woodward.
I really think she is looking at Horse of the Year....unless something else occurs.

Wait for it...

The other Bird is the word!

An upset at Belmont!


photo: Rick Samuels/Blood Horse

Summer Bird, who went off at something like 11-1, has won the Belmont Stakes, stealing the victory from his half brother, Mine That Bird, and spoiling Calvin Borel's bid for a jockey Triple Crown.

Ridden tactfully by jockey Kent Desormeaux, Summer Bird was in the back of the pack in the early going (as was Mine That Bird) but came barreling up at the end to stomp rallying Dunkirk, MTB, and Charitable Man.
Summer Bird and Mine That Bird have the same father - Birdstone, who - coincidentally enough, won the Belmont in 2004 (to ruin Smarty Jones's Triple Crown bid).... Small world, even in horseracing.

Desormeaux, as most will remember, lost the Triple Crown last year when he pulled up Big Brown during the debacle that was last year's Belmont Stakes. He also had a heartbreaking by-a-nostril loss back in 1998 on Triple Crown candidate Real Quiet (a personal fave of mine), so this jockey was really really anxious to get his win. He was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2004, so he knows his way around a racetrack.

Summer Bird's trainer, Tim Ice, has only been training for one year, so it's quite an accomplishment for him to take a leg of the spring Classics.

I can honestly say (and my dad can back this up) that I had a bit of an inkling about Summer Bird - but I didn't bet him to win. I bet him in an exacta box with Mine That Bird. I was a wee bit psyched when there was an inquiry against the second place finisher Dunkirk... it would have placed Dunkirk fourth and moved Mine That Bird into second - and I would have hit my exacta.
Alas, the stewards held up the order of finish. But hey, the thought was there.

So how do I feel about Mine That Bird's loss? Disappointed, I guess, but only in small doses.
I can't help but be thrilled that he hit the board in all three Triple Crown races. (1st in Derby, 2nd in Preakness, 3rd today in the Belmont) It proves he is no fluke. I don't think we've seen the last of him yet. Matter of fact, we'll no doubt see alot of him - he's gelded, remember? No breeding career awaiting him...
And if memory serves (and it does) - another horse, just a few years ago, had a win-place-show combo as well. That horse's name? CURLIN.

Bird is the word

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Your Belmont Stakes favorite (2-1), Mine That Bird!


photo: Mathea Kelley/BloodHorse

If it weren't for the filly's win at Pimlico in the Preakness, Bird would be trying for a Triple Crown win.
As it is, for jockey Calvin Borel it could be a personal Triple Crown - if he wins on Saturday he will have won all three legs of the Crown, albeit on two different horses.
I think that would be really cool, and wish Borel all the luck in the world.

For me, I just want to see my winning Derby longshot show them he's the real deal.

Go, Bird Go!!!!

Rach beats the boys!

Chalk one up for the girls!!


photo credit: HorsePhotos/Deborah Kral

Well I guess jockey Calvin Borel had the right idea when he jumped off Kentucky Derby champ Mine That Bird to ride the Kentucky Oaks-winning filly in the Preakness Stakes.

Rachel Alexandra won the second jewel in the Triple Crown by a length over the Derby winner.
Recently purchased (after her amazing Oaks performance) by Jess Jackson (who owns and raced two time horse of the year Curlin) for more money than you or I can imagine, and now trained by the patient Steve Assmussen - I wonder what other feats Rachel may have up her sleeves... or should I say saddle cloth?
She has now won six straight races.

It is important to note, however, that Mine That Bird proved he was not a fluke - and came very close to Rachel near the end. If it would have been the Belmont mile and a half race, he might just have caught the tiring filly.

But kudos to her and her connections for running her against the boys - after all, it's a HORSE race, and I think if the filly is as spectacular as she most certainly is, then she deserves a shot at the big stuff. And mega-congrats to Borel, who has been having a banner spring - winning the Kentucky Oaks, the Kentucky Derby, and the Preakness Stakes on two different horses! He even went as far as to guarantee (on national television no less) a win today.

Now all that is left to do is wonder if either of the connections of the one-two finishers plan a show down at the Belmont Stakes on June 6th in New York. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
I love the way the race turned out. The top two horses in the field ended up one-two. Third place finisher Musket Man was also third in the Derby. Not too shabby.

On a sour note: My no-good, bug-eyed, low life, piece of crap, skunk sniffing, snake licking, worm headed, blood-sucking, lilly-lipped, fat bastard of a satellite went out five minutes before the start of the race. I'm not kidding. And NO, it didn't come back on till about ten minutes after the race was over. Just the local stations went out. Go figure! So I had to switch to TVG to find out the winner, then had to wait another fifteen minutes to see the race replay. Folks, I can't make this shit up.

I did not have a ticket on the winner. She was bet down to 2-1, and I'm not much for those kind of odds. I did, however actually play the winning combo of Rachel and Bird, just not for me. My friend Tammy picked the two in an exacta box. Not a whole lot to be made on a bet like that, but it's all in fun.

One thought left: If Rachel Alexandra hadn't raced today - we'd be looking at a Triple Crown possibility. That does make me pause wistfully and say, What If.......

Preakness: Battle of the Sexes!

Today's 134th Preakness pits The Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird:




against the Kentucky Oaks superstar, Rachel Alexandra:



The jockey that rode them both to victory two weeks ago, Calvin Borel, has opted to ride Rachel in the Preakness, leaving seasoned jockey Mike Smith to ride Bird.

Should be a fantastic race, with the deepest Preakness field in many years.

Several Derby runners, including the second and third place finishers (Pioneerof The Nile and Musket Man, respectively) are tackling the race in Baltimore.

Can't wait to see who pulls this one off! Will it be another longshot?
I have my tickets.... but I'm not telling who I picked just yet.

Safe trips to all.

A new possibility...

For all you horse fans - and I don't necessarily mean racing - here is a video of a new foal that is a full brother to two time Horse of the Year Curlin (one of my favorite thoroughbreds!).. It's just so damn cute I had to share.




video courtesy of The Blood Horse

Here's hoping he has the same goods as his older bro!

Derby 135: Super shocker in the slop!

Mine That Bird says:



Na na na na nah!
Fooled ya, didn't I?

Yes, it's true. A 50-1 longshot (very long!) has won the 135th Kentucky Derby today at Churchill Downs.



A Canadian champion at age 2, Mine That Bird was really not given any consideration for the roses at all. That stayed the case as the day went on, his odds pretty much sticking to the 50-1 area all day long.
After the scratch of favorite I Want Revenge, the race seemed pretty wide open, and I really think the rest of the field of 19 calmed down and relaxed a bit.

The track was pretty wet, though no rain fell today - it was still fairly sloppy at post time.
The race unfolded relatively uneventfully, and when it looked like Pioneerof The Nile was poised to give Bob Baffert his fourth Derby win, jockey Calvin Borel guided his winning mount through the obstacle course of horses and flew up the rail (in similar fashion to his win on Street Sense two years ago) and left the field in his wake.
His margin of victory (nearly 7 lengths) was the biggest since Assault in 1946. Whoa.



A totally convincing win, I'm sure it had oddsmakers and racing fans alike scratching their heads thinking "Now why didn't I think of that???"



Calvin Borel, after winning the race, had a real sweet time coming back to the winner's circle, prancing the longshot winner in front of the grandstands while whooping, hooting and hollering his Cajun self the entire way over. It was hysterical, but heartwarming to see him so tickled pink.



The trainer of Mine That Bird, Bennie "Chip" Wooley Jr., hopped into the Winner's Circle on crutches, having severly broken his leg in a motorcycle accident 2 months ago. He drove the Derby winner from New Mexico to Louisville - a 21 hour trip - himself. I'm sure he may have been pumped up on drugs to get through the day, but pure excitement - and some champagne - will no doubt help him along for the rest of the weekend and the trip home.



Mine That Bird is owned by the Double Eagle Ranch of Mark Allen and Buena Suerta Equine, owned by Leonard Blach. He was originally purchased for the low low bargain price of $9500 - nearly unheard of for a quality thoroughbred, but his current owners saw something so they bought him privately for $400,000.



The winner, a gelding, was Canadian 2 year old champion last year, and had an unusual road to the Derby, by way of Canada, California, and New Mexico. He only worked once at Churchill Downs.
His breeding says he could do it, though - his daddy (Birdstone) won the 2004 Belmont Stakes (ruining Smarty Jones's Triple Crown bid) and his granddaddy (Grindstone) won the Kentucky Derby in 1996. Also of note is his dam's sire, Smart Strike, is the sire of both 2006 Derby winner Street Sense, and two time horse of the year ('07 & '08) Curlin. So the breeding is there, obviously.




I had a ticket on him to win, so I was pretty psyched to learn he went off at 50-1, which is what he was last night when I made an advance bet at the OTB. Yipee!
His victory was the second biggest payout since Donerail back in 1913. Seriously.

Placing second was the Bob Baffert trained (and Santa Anita Derby winner) Pioneerof The Nile, and Illinois Derby winnner was the show horse.

No decisions have been made yet about running the Derby winner in the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore on May 16th, but I would be fairly shocked if the connections don't go that route, and would assume it would only be injury to the horse that would keep them from Pimlico for the second jewel of the Triple Crown.



It would be a HELL of a story if this 3 year old would make that kind of history, but you just never know. Any given day.
Any given year, for that matter.

In a bit of other weekend racing news:



The owners of the ill-fated filly, Eight Belles, were on hand for the newly named Eight Belles Stakes (gr III, and formerly known as the La Troienne) a few races before the Derby. Before the race, they were presented with a plaque and literally, eight bells rang out before the race. It was rather bittersweet. The race was won by Four Gifts. Sentimental favorite Just Jenda (trained and owned by Eight Belles trainer Larry Jones) came in second, and another Jones trainee, Warrior Maid, came in third.




In the Woodford Reserve Turf (gr 1T), the sensational 7 year old Einstein (above, far left) made history when he won the renowned race for a consecutive year. It's his 5th grade one win. He's a horse that's been in my fantasy stable for several years, in fact, and I'm always rooting for him. Fantastic, impressive, stellar job!

Also earlier this week, the new statue of Barbaro was unveiled near the entrance of Gate 1 at Churchill Downs.



The owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, were of course on hand, as well as trainer Michael Matz and Barbaro's veterinarian Dr. Dean Richardson. The artist was Alexa King. It is a fitting tribute to a brilliant racehorse..

So, in all, it was an eventful weekend. With the Barbaro statue unveiling, the Kentucky Oaks freak Rachel Alexandra's 20 length win, and the eye-popping victory by Mine That Bird today.
But there's someone waiting in the wings to spoil Mine That Bird's possible Triple Crown attempt... and he's - dare I say it? - out for revenge....



I Want Revenge says pooh-pooh to the longshot Derby victor.

Guess we'll see, won't we?

*photos by Reuters, AP, and Blood Horse...