Teeth Float

Maddy got her teeth done today. I know how much I hate the dentist, so I can't imagine how much horses dislike this medieval torture. She did pretty well, a little skittish when Dr. Klugh approached. He wrote the book "Principles of Equine Dentistry," so I felt she was in pretty good hands. As she was rigged up, she kept giving me this look like "Why are you doing this to me?" Oh the guilt. The barn was full of groggy horses. We had 5 done today. As I was driving home, I realized that I just paid $248 for a teeth float without hesitation, but last week I was told I need new brake pads for $225. Horse comes first. The Jetta can wait. I am holding out for a few more weeks:-).

Shameful.

People like Lorie Wigle make me sick. I mentioned I had a lot of problems with horse racing in the previous post, sadly people like Lorie Wigle are a dime a dozen within the racing industry. I have to give credit to Fugly Horse of the Day for bringing the story to light. I pass it along because she is a PR rep for Intel which is based in Beaverton, Oregon.

Allegedly, Lorie had a horse named "Feebie Fritz" which ran on Monday at Portland Meadows and on Tuesday he was sitting in a kill pen up in Zillah, Washington. I don't need to say much more. It makes me sick that someone who claims to have a "passion for raising Thoroughbred horses" can actually do something like this and have a clear conscience.

The only bright side in all this is that Freebie Fritz was rescued out of the kill pen by RACE Equine Rescue.

Kentucky Derby in Portland

I can't stay away. I have so many issues with horse racing, but that first Saturday in May rolls around and I have to head to the track. For me it is nostalgia. My family always went down to Minneapolis to an old German neighborhood called "Bryn Mawr." We would visit with friends and family, go to the neighborhood garage sales, bbq, and watch the derby. To this day, my family does the same thing, minus me. So the best I can do is head to the local track, Portland Meadows, and take it in. Kentucky Derby day always makes me homesick. I find comfort in the fact that everyone from home called me yesterday to ask my picks. I know they miss me too.
I couldn't believe the crowd yesterday. Portland Meadows was packed. I even had a celebrity sighting...I am saving that for my next post:-).

Some friends met me out there and I ran into Richard of Nine Horses Studio. We did some gambling. I prefer $2 exacta boxes. I spent about $20..didn't cash in anything. I tend to bet on jockeys, not horses. It wasn't working yesterday. I always think, the better the joc is in the standings, the better the mount. Had I used this tactic in the Derby, I would have picked whoever Mike Smith was riding and Super Saver. But instead I had Sidney's Candy and American Lion as my picks. They were way back. I didn't care. It wasn't Bryn Mawr, but it was enough to be surrounded by friends, enjoying our drinks, taking in the sunshine pondering which beautiful horse would cross the wire first.