Category > The Call To The Post
If sudden hoards of sweatshirt-clad pedestrians and the faint sheen of rust in the treetops are any indication, summer is coming to an end. The grand old Spa has shuttered its doors on one more season, and Del Mar has put away its seersucker suits. With the racing calendar beginning to wind down toward the big fall championships, it’s time to look back at some of the highlights from a memorable summer at the races.
We are coming up on an anniversary of note. Though 2-year-old races have been running for several months now, late summer and early fall is one of the best times to start paying attention to these juvenile events. Some, like the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga and the Del Mar Futurity, go so far as to give these tests grade I status, and naturally throw those contenders into the spotlight. But in recent years, more and more horses who go on …
Rachel became the only one to do it in 2009. Now, Havre de Grace wants in on that record. This Saturday, the spectacular filly will take on the boys in the Grade I Woodward at Saratoga and try to become only the second filly ever to win the race.
With an earthquake and a hurricane bombarding New York in the same week, it’s hard not to envision the onset of the apocalypse. But perhaps everything isn’t as it seems. Could the earthquake be the result of the drumming of a horse’s hoofs? And could the hurricane be born of a speedy colt’s wild rush down the stretch, the wind whipped into a fury with the gathering of his every stride? Whether or not you believe in a horse’s ability …
What is it about the Alabama Stakes that produces a fantastic race time and time again? It's an anomaly in its 1 ¼-mile distance, for one—for most 3-year-old fillies, unless they've run in the Kentucky Derby, it marks the first time they will have stretched out past 1 1/8th-miles. Held at Saratoga in mid-August, the Grade I Alabama is like the filly version of the Travers. Somehow, the best of the crop usually find their way into the starting gates, …
Gio Ponti is sitting on a big performance. After losing his last two races as the favorite, and being completely winless in his 2011 season thus far, the two-time champion turf horse may appear to be anything but a sure thing. Nevertheless, I'm just going to stick my neck out and predict it, anyway: Gio Ponti will return to the winner's circle in the Grade I Arlington Million this Saturday and share the spotlight with John Henry as the only …
It would be kind to say that outside of Blind Luck and Havre de Grace, the older horse division is lackluster; but as much can be expected when all of the best 3-year-olds as well as the best older horses from the previous year are retired. What we have left is a large number of second-tier horses scrapping for their first Grade Is, as is largely the case with this Saturday's Whitney Handicap at Saratoga. While last year's edition could …
If you missed last Saturday's Delaware Handicap, you failed to see what is likely to be crowned the race of the year. The re-match of Blind Luck versus Havre de Grace proved to be everything a race fan could've ever asked for; when the rivals turned for home, the real bout began, and Blind Luck came to Havre de Grace before the two had even reached the quarter pole. From there, the fillies locked horns and battled tooth and nail …
Horse racing used to see rivalries of epic proportions. Before Thoroughbreds only raced a handful of times every year, or were regularly retired at age 3 to be ushered off to the breeding shed, it was not an anomaly to hear of champions going head-to-head time and time again. There was no Breeders’ Cup before 1984, and so titles had to be settled throughout the year, and on the track. This is the kind of race you simply don’t see …
What Twirling Candy lacks in professionalism and cool-headedness he makes up for in searing talent. Any doubts about where this son of Candy Ride stacks up in his division was wiped away in his most recent start at Hollywood Park. In the first half of the Grade II Californian, Twirling Candy was almost unmanageable, pulling rider Joel Rosario along like a kamikaze pilot rushing toward certain doom. The 2/5 favorite dropped back to last in the field, looking like he’d …
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Oh, by the way, the “Champaign County YMCA” no longer exists. The official name is now the “Stephens Family YMCA” (the website has not been updated, but check out the latest program guide). And no, it’s not just the name of the building. It’s the name of the organization.
Very inspired Photochops as well….
Props on the new YMCA dig. I think it’s a terrible spot for it, but then again, I’m not well-to-do and I’m not willing to drive 15 minutes at $4/gallon to exercise for an hour.
http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/do-loud-pipes-save-lives/1119/ Are you a smoker, too? I feel like I’m just getting recycled arguments.
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/dangerous_motorcycle_safety_myths/index.html “Myth 2: Loud Pipes Save Lives”
Yes, I also love the idea of the downtown! However, the “turds” that ride Harley’s or any other motorcycle have the right to ride their motorcycles regardless of the “loudness” anywhere they want. They are buying gas, hence they are contributing to the motor fuel tax that…
Yup, this was the year I realized there’s no way this is my last CU marathon, even though I’m gradumacating next week.Where else am I gonna get cheered on by 70+ year old heart-of-gold volunteers who smile at me so genuinely I could believe I’m their granddaughter?…
I always have a good, but disappointed, laugh when marathon time creeps up and I start seeing posts on the WCIA Facebook page lamenting race day and how difficult it is to get around town that day. One this year said, “can’t they just go run in…
Reminds me of Total Football (soccer) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Football
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As a liberal conservative, and a person who favors taxes & services ... and also a sense of proportion; I savor the comic potential that still exists in this comments section. I’m pretty sure we can goad more anti-government rhetoric from confirmed progressives and government employees. If…
Did the Crave Truck get a permit to park in city metered spots and city right of way? Or did they just get a permit? The city clerk’s office seems to be a suspect here, but it’s not clear they did anything wrong. Did the Crave Truck…
High-profile whining. AKA Lobbying.
it’s quite choice. looking forward to seeing how it and its patronage grow and develop over the course of the year. could be a neat little ecosystem.
“It was at this point, before he started his business, that working with city employees should’ve raised red flags…” But they didn’t because: 1) The City Clerk’s office originally mis-interpreted the rules, or are indeed re-interpreting them. 2) Champaign’s brick-n-mortar merchants hadn’t yet started whining about The Crave Truck.
Super cool! Excellent track, Excellent band.
Looking forward to trying this place!
I’m in the middle (or the beginning or end, depending on how you look at it) of re-reading Slaughterhouse Five. What a great companion column.
Get yours early. The Rave’s CD will be available at Exile and at The C-U Flea on Saturday. C-U Flea details here: http://www.smilepolitely.com/news/sp_radio_podcast_c-u_flea_arrives/
I don’t know about Gerard and a random police sargeant. My (mild) outrage is based on this: “...he worked closely with Champaign City Clerk Marilyn Banks to make sure he was licensed properly as a transient food peddler, filling out the necessary paperwork and paying a $225…
Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
Oh nice! I’d totally vote for Matt Campbell!
“Smile Politely sports writer announces candidacy for city government.”
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…
Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
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@Dan - Wow. Unfortunately, I have to refrain from further comment due to a previous employment relationship. But with that brief context you might be able to imagine possible comments or responses I could have.