SUNDAY MORNINGPost No. 1,101
Hey everyone. As less than 5% of you know, I love horse racing. I was born in Kentucky. I graduated from a pair of Kentucky universities. I like the place. Horse racing becomes a part of your life.
So that explains why I was so geeked about visiting Oaklawn Park on Saturday. It's a fairly nice track in Hot Springs, Ark., which is 45 minutes south of my hotel in Little Rock.
Here is photographic proof of my trip:
This is what the grandstand looks like from the track side. It's OK, I guess. I don't like being indoors when it's track time. That explains why I ...
... didn't like Oaklawn's indoor paddock. I've never seen anything like this. Also, as an aside, Oaklawn was LOADED with people on what I figured was Just Another Saturday. I was shocked. Where did all these people come from?
Here come the ponies past the grandstand for the first time!
We have a winner. Those front-running horses, of course, were not my picks in that race. That's why I have a camera in my hand ... and I'm not waving my tickets in the air.
I guess everyone is at church..
ReplyDeleteThat was kind of like beating Mississippi State.
We should have a thread dedicated to Joe Lunardi bashing.
ReplyDeleteVery cool pics, Jay.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone find this hour that I have seem to misplaced?
ReplyDeletenice. i spent a summer in college working at Camp Ozark in Mt. Ida, Arkansas which is right outside Hot Springs. being from south alabama i had no idea about horse racing. i wish i had made the effort to visit that track. very cool JG.
ReplyDeletethere's nothing quite like a nice spring/fall day at the racetrack at Keeneland in Lexington. good times.
my wife misplaced it too Matt. thus, i'm blogging, not worshipping. please be merciful to me o Lord.
ReplyDeleteEastern Daylight Savings Time took off even earlier!
ReplyDeleteHowever, since coming home from church, I can post without guilt.
JGT, we lived in Louisville for 8 years after graduating from Auburn. The Derby converted us the first year.
ReplyDeleteTo watch a strong horse run is a thing of incredible beauty. It is unforgettable.
We learned quickly that you have to pick a horse for the race. I went with trainer first, then looks, then name. What's your criteria?
What's your criteria=What are your criteria?
ReplyDeleteWhy do I always forget that criteria is plural?
Don't worry AUMom, grammar are optional here HABOTN at.
ReplyDeleteAh, people just go to horse races to see a horse crash.
ReplyDeletemornin
ReplyDeleteSo can FSU still go to bowl games?
ReplyDeleteJay G, have you watched "Jockeys" on Animal Planet. Really good show involving horse racing.
ReplyDeleteYou think the number is that small? Less than 5%?
ReplyDeleteJay G, that looks like a nice track. Next time you go to Keeneland, take some pictures. The indoor paddock is a NO GO. Yuck.
ReplyDeleteAuburn's men looked very very good yesterday. From the tone of your writing, the Auburn women are at another level from Tn. I would say they are where TN used to be.
afternoon Hotties!
ReplyDeletegorgeous morning here in Apple Chill. What a GREAT day in Auburn sports yesterday. Two big wins in basketball today would top off an incredible weekend. Go Tigers!!! Go Heels!!!
What up, peeps?
ReplyDeleteCriteria: Information found in the Daily Racing Form.
Jockeys: Awesome show. My new satellite allows me to enjoy Animal Planet in HD, so Alex Solis is so much clearer now.
Here is the problem I see with the college basketball "experts". It sounds like they don't care as much how you play but rather who you play. Tennessee is a lock for the NCAA because they played 7 good OOC games (they went 2-5 in those games). They will probably have the same SEC record as AU and we beat them. So the message is: schedule good games in Nov-Dec but winning them is not that important.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful day here on the banks of the Coosa River. What a great day for Auburn Sports yesterday Both Basketball teams won handily, Baseball team swept a double header and the Softball team won. Like Skip Carey use to say, Win, win, win.
ReplyDeleteDr. HABOTN, hopefully you only get one of those victories today. =)
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorie horses have run at Oaklawn, so the place is a shrine to past greats in my mind.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite horse was Best Pal. He ran in the 1991 Kentucky Derby. He died in 1998. He loved to eat Starlight Mints. Great horse. Great winner.
Other notable Oaklawn alums: Paseana, Cigar, Smarty Jones
At one point, I drove by an Oaklawn Cemetary on a daily basis. Hearing the name Oaklawn makes me think of dead people, not horses...might change to dead horses after that last post by Jay G.
ReplyDeleteYou can't forget the most important ones, PF!
ReplyDeleteD. Miller said...
ReplyDeleteThe only disappointing part about today is that we're still only at 46 entries in the Bracket Challenge. Come on slackers... get yer butts in there!
D.Miller, sorry I was slackin'! I am now signed up! I didn't see Monica's name on the list!
Ok, I'm now off to get my toenails did!
ReplyDeleteWhen do the men play again, and who do they play?
ReplyDeleteMore than likely, we will play Florida friday.
ReplyDeleteLuvAU1968, I am too stupid to figure out how to do it. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteAnybody know where to print off a SEC tourney Bracket for the Men?
ReplyDeleteHas anyone mentioned that it feels a little bit like '04, except the media is giving the b-ball team the shaft.
ReplyDeleteThis may be worse though, at least in '04 we were in the discussion. The Duke and NC snottiness makes me sick. Even with a tourney, they still do their best to control everything. (the media that is)
ReplyDeleteMiller http://www.madduxsports.com/sec-tournament-bracket.pdf
ReplyDeleteThe ESPN media confused me last night. Bob Knight and Jay Bilas were talking as though it was a no brainer Auburn would be in, then Joe Lunardi didn't even have us on his bubble.
ReplyDeleteJG - My dad graduated UK and I went there my Fresh. year then transfered to AU. UK is a pretty cool place - I did get to see the Derby and it was fantastic!
ReplyDeleteFull NCAA Tourney printable bracket
ReplyDeletehttp://www.madduxsports.com/ncaa-tournament-bracket.pdf
What's funny is the other day when we were being considered a quality win for South Carolina. You can't have it both ways guys. You can't have a bad team as a quality win. I feel dumber even talking about this. Guess that's what it feels like to be an espn anchor.
ReplyDeleteWhere are my manners? Good day to you Mon and all Hotties. Am I an official hotty yet?
ReplyDeleteHey EZ - Per Jay G. Daddy Bear's declaration long ago if you read and/or post here, you're a Hottie.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mon, off to the gym I go to run oft' some uh dem twankies.
ReplyDelete(^-^)
Having gone to church, then planted a tree at the behest of Mrs. Jet, I am now sitting down, and glad to do so.
ReplyDeleteI saw the ridiculous shot that the Infidels made to win the game. All that does is once again devalue the league, in my mind.
Barkley ...
ReplyDeleteI saw what they said. I interpreted Knight as saying that we've improved our argument, and Bilas pointed out the fact that no 10-6 team has never been left out -- nothing more.
Hubert Davis can be interpreted as saying we are in, but his field would include all 341 teams if we took the ones he said were in.
We need to win, win, win. I'll be surprised if we get in, short of winning the tournament -- which I believe we can do.
Here's our problem ... the committee is looking to eliminate teams, not include them.
Bob Knight said we improved our seeding, so I assumed he had us getting in.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw him, Barkley, he said "position."
ReplyDeleteSeth Davis, at halftime of the Infidel game, said we've gotten into the conversation.
But the numbers guys don't say that. And I hate that, but I'm just not going to let my hopes get up.
Ok, so I told you to eat at Vinos in Little Rock. My wife is from Hot Springs and the absolutely best pizza I have ever tasted is from Hawgs on Airport Rd. Wow. And they have a bunch of Razorback memorabilia around.
ReplyDeleteEven if they all said we're on the bubble, at least they mentioned us. The midnight madness crew didn't even show the freaking highlights of the game, as far as I know. I fell asleep about 3/4 of the way through the show, but there was no mention of us at that point. They had Joe Lunardi talking about every team in the NCAA but us, it was embarrassing. We just beat the #12 team in the country and they are talking about some Kentucky team who has lost four straight games.
ReplyDeleteThe bama game was on CBS? What a disgrace.
ReplyDeleteBarkley ... that was decided before the season when the game would have been thought to be meaningful.
ReplyDeleteToo bad both teams couldn't lost in 9 overtimes.
Joe Lunardi probably has bama in as a 2 seed now.
ReplyDelete3.5 hrs till SEC Championship tip-off. :)
ReplyDeleteIf we can get this Ill. State-No. Iowa out of the way, we can watch Duke and the Heels.
ReplyDeleteI don't get off of work until 3:30, then I'll be heading home to watch it.
ReplyDeleteThere is an article on bleacherreport.com with an SEC tournament preview. They have Auburn beating South Carolina in the championship game.
I'm all over that ... I hate that I will be out of pocket on Saturday and Sunday.
ReplyDeleteI'm flying to San Diego on Saturday, and will be in meetings all day Sunday.
That sucks, Jet. Hopefully you have a Blackberry.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'll have the crackberry with me. No doubt.
ReplyDeleteDid I read that right? Hansborough is shooting three's?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAuburn baseball won a tough one in 11 innings today. Pitching was terrible, with five different pitchers allowing a total of 9 earned runs on 16 hits. I'd say Austin Hubbard was a bright spot, as usual, but he gave up a run in the 11th, causing the tigers to have to generate 2 runs in the bottom of that inning to win.
ReplyDeleteThe Tigers scored six runs on 12 hits, including another home run by Trent Mummey.
don't know what I was typing. Auburn scored 10 runs.
ReplyDeleteGood breakdown of teams in similar situations to Auburn missing the NCAA by Andy Bitter.
ReplyDelete