THE ASPIRING HORSEPLAYER

Now that Curlin has settled things and passed Cigar on the all-time earnings list, what’s the next “big thing” to focus on?  Obviously the Breeder’s Cup comes to mind, but that’s still several weeks away.  What’s a horseplayer living in the Mid-Atlantic to do in the interim?

In a word (really two words), Maryland Million.  Beyond the Preakness Stakes each May, the Maryland Million is the biggest day in racing just south of the Mason Dixon line.  I’ve already started handicapping the card, and while I won’t have any picks published until Friday (I’m only through race 4 at the moment), the card looks pretty competitive. 

Sweetening things a bit is the fact that Carrie Everly of the Maryland Jockey Club (VP, Marketing) sent us a care package after meeting in Las Vegas for the NTRA Marketing summit.  Would you believe I’ve already got my hands on  the 2008 Maryland Million hat?  That may not be a big deal to some, but I absolutely love getting hats at each of the tracks I go to.  It really all goes back to the merchandising component in the report we (the online task force) created for the NTRA.  What do fans look like?  Well, we wear hats for starters! I’ve still got the hats from the past few years of Maryland Million days and wear them with pride.  I like to think of them as a conversation piece – much like an interesting coffee mug or picture in an office serves.  It lets people know “that guy’s a racing fan!”

There were also other items in the package – including some fabulous shirts and a coloring book that my 4-year-old already adores.  He keeps asking me which one of the horses in his coloring book is Curlin – so I’ve picked out a few that I’ve said are him and given him instructions to color Curlin in a proper chestnut hue – although knowing this kid the horse is likely to wind up chartreuse or vermilion (two colors he learned from the infamous Blues Clues program).

Speaking of shirts, I’ve got to give a bit of public thanks to my buddy Teresa over at Brooklyn Backstretch.  She came through for me on Jockey Club Gold Cup day and shipped one of the “Curlin: Racing’s $10 Million Man” t-shirts to me.  Needless to say I was pumped.  While my ever-more-girlish looking figure probably won’t fit into the shirt enough for me to wear in public, it’s an heirloom I’ll treasure and hang on to for eternity. 

I’d also like to point out that our RSS feed for the TBA (Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance) has changed recently. If by chance you were previously subscribed to that feed, you’ll need to change the subscription.  The little RSS feed button I have over in the right hand column showing all the TBA blogs should be able to accomplish this for you.  It was a technical thing – just wanted to make sure everyone was aware. 

In other news, I see that Zenyata will run in the Ladies Classic as her owner has no interest in facing the boys.  If she wins and for some reason Curlin or Big Brown do not prevail in the Classic, I think you’d have to make her the front runner for Horse of the Year.  She’ll be doing her best Personal Ensign impression in October trying to remain undefeated for 2008.   Not bad for a horse that started out as an unknown maiden earlier in the year.

As for Curlin, I’ve got some private messages on facebook from folks who are hearing he “looks good” at Santa Anita.  We’ll find out more definitive information on Monday when he has his first scheduled work as right now it’s all just talk, speculation, and a good deal of hay eating.  I like the move to get him out there and get acclimated.  The more of a chance he has to get used to the new surface, the better. 

Here’s hoping I see some of you at the Maryland Million at Laurel on Saturday. I’m hoping for a good turnout for my beloved Maryland track.  They’ll be a small contingent of friends and friends of friends there with us.  If you spot me, stop on down and say hello – don’t be stranger!  I’ll be back on here on Friday with some picks for the 12 race event.