Tag Archives: horse racing

…and down the stretch they come: ALDLAND’s 2012 Kentucky Derby Preview

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Horse racing is an intriguing pairing of human and bestial talent. And money. The preparation that lasts years is tested in two minutes. Like any endeavour that involves large amounts of resources, extensive preparation, and flashpoint testing, predictability is highly prized. Here, however, it remains elusive. It is that absence of ultimate predictability, however, that keeps the sport and its accordant culture alive.

Since my only possible qualifications for writing a substantive post on horse racing at this juncture come from an evening watching harness racing at Vernon Downs five years ago and spending last week in Lexington, during which I saw plenty of horses and horse farms, but no horse racing, let me direct you to a collection of stories and other online features that will help you get ready for this year’s Kentucky Derby:

Beyond this pre-race coverage (such as it is), we will be live blogging the event beginning sometime on Saturday afternoon. Stay tuned for more details.

Finally, my win-place-show prediction, based on the same thing for which war is good, is:

  1. Union Rags
  2. Gemologist
  3. Take Charge Indy

Two other horses to watch are Daddy Long Legs and Bodemeister. Of course, you can watch all of them at once, and I’d advise that. It isn’t too difficult.

No matter what your style, be sure to check back here on Saturday afternoon for ALDLAND’s live blog of the 2012 Kentucky Derby.

The Invaders: A racetrack, a killing, and the history of organized crime in Hot Springs, Arkansas (via Grantland)

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… Read More …*
 
(via Grantland)
 
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* I usually excerpt an enticing portion of these longer pieces to get readers to click through and read them. In this case, though, there wasn’t any brief quotation that would serve those purposes, so I’m leaving it to the title and that photograph. The article is more of a (very) short story with two merging temporal threads told in the author’s own, somewhat distant, voice. A good way to pass your lunch break, for example.

Midseason Monday

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In what was to be the best game of the college football season, LSU marched into Tuscaloosa on Saturday night and beat Alabama on an overtime field goal by Drew Alleman for a 9-6 win. Alabama missed four field goals, including all three they tried in the first quarter, and failed to convert in their first and only overtime possession. Neither team made it into the end zone in this meeting of two of the best defenses in the country. Alabama’s Trent Richardson found some running success, and I thought Alabama played slightly better overall, but it wasn’t enough, as they failed to take advantage of numerous opportunities, including two interceptions of Jarrett Lee. Following Lee’s interceptions, Jordan Jefferson largely took over the quarterback position, possibly raising questions about the starting position going forward. The loss dropped the Tide to third in the BCS rankings, making way for Oklahoma State to take the number two position. Unbeatens Stanford and Boise State round out the top five.

On the pro side, a twist in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, as Miami beat K.C. for their first win of the season, leaving Indianapolis as they only totally defeated team at 0-9. As I’ve said from day one, this Colts team has what it takes to go 0-16. It won’t be easy, of course– their remaining schedule includes two games against Jacksonville and one each against unpredictables Carolina and Tennessee. Despite these hurdles, I’m unwavering in my prediction. Of note on the winning side of things, the 49ers and Bengals each are on minor tears, and the Lions defeated the Bye Week by an unrecorded margin.

At Churchill Downs in Louisville, this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic turned in a very exciting race:

Print Preview: Horseracing at its finest (via ESPN The Magazine)

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The look of the wooden grandstands takes you back a bit — maybe not to the 1860s, but at least to the 1970s. That’s when Seattle Slew and Affirmed won at Saratoga. Before them, so did Kelso, Buckpasser and Sword Dancer. Secretariat was upset here. Easy Goer prevailed here, as did Curlin. Rachel Alexandra beat the boys here. Everyone who’s anyone has come through here, and before I moved back home to Seattle in early August, I wanted to feel the place at least once more. … Read More

via ESPN The Magazine (available August 22, 2011)