Sunday Notes

It's Thanksgiving weekend here in the Tundra, but there is no Tundra. I went for the morning coffee on the deck with a sweater on, and ditched the sweater. It's about 21C/70F here and there is not a cloud in the sky. What a weekend!

Last night at the Red Mile we had some good racing, and the meet - despite harness racing (and racing in general losing its edge - is amazingly interesting. Strike An Attitude who always had mucho talent, has begun to put it together late in the year. She won in 48.4, off some weird internal fractions set by Drop the Ball. I think the catalyst in the win might have been Idyllic. She is a crazy mare and when she ran over top Gingras' helmet it appears he thought he was going slow and sped up the second quarter in a stunning 26.2. Internal fractions that are not close to even usually sets it up for a horse sitting just off the pace.

I've been watching Keeneland as I do each spring and fall. Not only does Nicholson and crew do a fine job with their festival atmosphere, they do their best to help bettors. It is so nice to see a meet like Keeneland's each year.

I got to travel around small town Nova Scotia yesterday for really the first time. We were dropping off our foster dog to a new home in Antigonish (near Cape Breton) and the drive was so beautiful. I got to see the St. FX campus and it brought back memories for me (each fall until I was about 30 I felt like I should be in school). It's a really nice little campus and looked so hospitable. When we met the new hopeful owners for the pooch, it turns out the father of the family is a professor at the school.

Speaking of the area, since I am spending more and more time here and I've always beena  "buy local" type guy, I am considering buying a yearling colt. I missed the PEI sale Friday evening and I wish I did not. There was a Blissful Hall colt who was a half to Future Destiny that only went for $6500. If you look at the sales prices it makes you wonder - how do these folks make any money? I think the short answer is that they don't. This part of the world is truly for the love of the game.

Bills-Eagles today. Ever since I was a kid we got the channel two feed from Buffalo so I grew up watching the Bills. Sometimes I have cheered for them, sometimes not. Today I will be a Bills fan. I asked my dog who he was cheering for and he said "Buffalo" so that makes two of us.

With the Red Mile going and a ton of good meets in the tbreds happening now, the $50k guarantee at Woodbine last evening had to be squeezed. Handle is about critical mass and there is simply not enough critical mass in harness.

Ken Middleton reported on Twitter that American Jewel suffered a sesamoid injury in her last and will be sidelined.

Enjoy your Sunday everyone.