It’s always hard to keep up to date during the work week. I thank you guys for not giving me a hard time about that. I know we all want more info ASAP, but the toils of a 12 hour work day (when factoring commute), a highly energetic 4-year-old, and a pregnant wife - suffice to say exhaustion becomes a familiar word. As sort of a “filler” until the weekend’s big races, I thought it might interest some of you to take part in the new TBA Polls courtesy of Handride (our fearless leader at the TBA).
I’m already starting to get excited about what could be Breeder’s Cup weekend. Zenyatta vs. Ginger Punch round 2, Benny the Bull vs. Street Boss, maybe even Curlin vs. Big Brown? We’d be getting a bit ahead of ourselves if we start speculating too much.
The big races to key on this weekend in my opinion are of course the Haskell - which thanks to Handride commenting on my facebookmessage (yeah, I’m on facebook if anyone wants to link up - same name and all, I’m the guy holding aloft the goblet of Pinot Noir) I now realize is on Sunday and not Saturday. 
I’ll have a pre-race post once I finish my handicapping either Friday or Saturday. Suffice to say it’s going to be Big Brown for the win - that much is certain.
Don’t forget about the Hirsch Handicap on Saturday at Del Mar. I’m a pretty big Zenyatta fan and as some of you may know she actually came up in my inaugural handicap selections back when this blog was first launched in November of 2007. As such she’s a favorite of mine. I know I’m usually all about Curlin, but Zenyatta’s my gal. We’ll see if she can keep up her unbeaten streak against rivals like Romance is Diane and Tough Tiz’sSis. I’ll dispense with the suspense (hey, that rhymes!) and come right and say that Zenyatta will be my choice in the Hirsch. That’s right, I’ll be eating a healthy dose of chalk this weekend - which means I’ll likely have them singled on any multi-race tickets I play and will be using them keyed on the top of trifecta wagers looking to catch some value on the bottom of the tickets.
In other news, many of you have likely heard the news that Lava Man has retired. No doubt this seemed like a foregone conclusion to many, but it’s still worth pausing and remembering what a runner he was. We’ll miss you, Lava Man. Thanks for the memories. As I often like to do on such announcements, I thought I’d post a fitting youtube video so that we can remember Lava Man at one of his higher points - of which there were many.
Lava Man wins the 2007 Santa Anita Handicap
Speaking of videos - I got word earlier today from director John Corey that his acclaimed documentary “Lost in the Fog” will be airing at the Saratoga Film Forum the next few days. Dates and times included below. All I’ve heard is amazing things about this film.
Thursday 7/31 5:30PM and 8:00PM
Friday 8/1 5:30PM and 8:00PM
Saturday 8/2 8:00PM
Sunday 8/3 7:00PM
Hi Kevin
It’s been a while since i visit your site eh?
I have a tag for you, will you kindly visit my website and see how special you are
Trisna’s last blog post..Someone Special Online
Has the voting for the TBA rankings always been open to the public?
That’s pretty cool.
Nevermind. I misunderstood, but the polls are still cool.
Good stuff, Tris! Thanks for the plug and the tag!
Glen- I think the polls have always been open, but the rankings are based strictly off of stakes results.