Friday, December 4, 2009

"I'm getting bigger..."

Nautical Agent's Gold Fever baby up at Dutchess Views Farm in NY. She's coming along well, growing with each month. Will shoot up soon enough to see her in person. Nautical herself in good form. In foal to Disco Rico, which we're pretty psyched about.

Working on arrangements to ship Veiled Reference to Ontario. Not dodging any draft, just breeding her to Alphabet Soup. Yes, she's retired (sigh). No, I haven't written about it here. (I'm saving it for the book, okay?). She's doing really well, though. Currently at Bonita Farm in MD. She'll catch a van up north in the next few weeks. As you can tell w/ planned mating to Alphabet Soup, we're breeding a racehorse, baby, not something to look pretty on the page. Let's hope she takes to it like our girl, NA.



Monday, September 7, 2009

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

deja vu

That's what I get for refusing to spell check that filly's name. Darn. Veiled Reference ran great, got beat by about a half length by Shesmymortalenemy on Sunday at Charles Town (chart here). VR took a nasty stumble at the start that proved the difference, and did really well to soldier on as she did. If we weren't sure after the first start, we sure are now: those CT turns are not fun for our girl. Just too tight. Sheskeepingmeupatnights is able to scoot around them like a little motorcycle, while VR has to work hard just to make her way around. All the credit to the winner and her jock, who rode a great tactical race. She's a handy filly that really loves that track and lays it down every time out. I saw her back in the receiving barn afterwards and she looked like she'd been through the ringer, but you have to admire those kinds of horses, even if they're giving you nothing but headaches.

Veiled Reference did come out of the race somewhat banged up. That stumble at the start took a toll on that foot of hers (that's a lot of weight to hoist up), so we're going to keep an eye on it over the coming days. She's been walking the shedrow this week; if all well, we'll get her back on the track maybe next week. I'll have to get on to Tim and figure out where to next. Beyer speed figure came back at a 72, which is fine enough 2nd off nearly 2yr layoff. Goal for third off is drive back to Baltimore where I'm not muttering to myself the entire trip back home.

Friday, May 22, 2009

as the old saying goes...

I'm all for serving up revenge nice and cold, but we probably took it a touch too far waiting the close to two years before having another go at Shesdebonairess (btw, I refuse to spell check that one; figure I'm close enough). Veiled Reference gets her shot, anyway, on Sunday down in Charles Town. The two fillies, plus six others, are scheduled to go 6 1/2 furlongs in the seventh. Live feed of the approximate 3:20pm post can be found at usual site, espn.com, here.

Caught up with Tim briefly this afternoon and he reports that Veiled Reference is well. Breeze last weekend at Fair Hill was at a good clip going 5/8ths, and she took it all nicely. Blacksmith was by today to put on some new kicks.

We'll see what kind of pep she has coming out of the gate. Figure the work, plus the first one back at 4 1/2 in April should have her much sharper. Ideally, would like to see her sit off one or two before making a run. If she wants to go altogether, not too keen to fight her; like a lot of horses, she seems much more comfortable w/o the dirt in her face.

Any speed she does have will be more and more effective as the distances increase. After all, we saw the role that Rachel Alexandra's tactical foot played in the Preakness. Sure, it helped that her main pace rival, my man, Big Drama, cast in his stall that morning, broke through the gate in the afternoon and was an overall mess leading up to the race (ummm, yeah, just a few negative pre-race indicators, which you can bet Borel didn't miss), but the filly still had to have the foot for Borel to put to use. Mine That Bird had no such speed, of course.

As a sidenote, it was shocking that Mike Smith, of all jocks, would wind up taking him wide (not that it was his fault, or anything). My favorite bit after the race was Smith talking about how he was looking for a rail trip. He said it with the same pained expression that he uses when talking marriage w/ Chantal Sutherland, so you knew where his head was at ("This is believable, Mike. You're doing great.") Man, I'm pretty sure Smith hasn't scraped paint since Holy Bull carried him around the oval, though I'm confident the relationship w/ Chantal is strong.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Bawlmer, Baby

This would be perfect spot for a number on the state of Maryland racing (if you guessed, "not pretty," ding, ding, ding), but you'll have to settle for quick take on Preakness. Figure since it's being run in my very own back yard, it would be tacky to remain silent. First, the filly. She's berry, berry good, right up there with some really nice fillies, (Zenyatta needn't worry)  but she's more likely to finish third or fourth, than she is to win it. The two weeks is the rub, combined with fact that she won't be facing pace rivals with lifetime speed figure highs of 75. She'll want nothing to do with Big Drama out of the gate, and I'm pretty sure her connections know it and will look to have her just off the pace. Wide trip and slow pace typically not fun times (as horses to inside always have answer when jock lets it out a notch). She's good, though, as I said, so she'll be in the mix late. Pioneer, Musket and Papa just a cut below true G1 horses (such a relative thing, sure, but you know what I mean). Who does that leave? Mine That Bird? Yeah, he'll be around, but it was pace, track, slop that moved him up in Derby (plus trio above nothing stellar). His New Mexico races were deceptively good, so you have to give him some credit. Plus, I like small horses that try (are you reading that up in NY, my little Gold Fever friend?) Big Drama in with a big shot, especially if Rachel takes back. Distance is question mark, but if track is playing to speed and he's 10-1 or more, he's the play. His two-turn pace figures are killer. I like Pletcher's Take the Points, too. A grinding sort, but he might sit good trip behind speed and just suck along. He's fresh, training well, and he'll be a big number. General Quarters needs the perfect catbird trip to have a shot; if things don't go his way, he's toast. I'll play against coming back quickly.

Hope it's a fun Preakness day wherever you're taking it in. We'll look to keep the party going with some fun of our own down in WV next weekend.  

Sunday, May 10, 2009

do what you do


Talk about a mare stamping her foal! Thankfully, filly has the few years to figure out what to do with those legs. Crystal at Dutchess View just sent pic along, so wanted to throw up pronto. Everyone doing well.

Veiled Reference, born on May 8, 2005, is doing well herself. Tim worked her 5/8ths on Saturday at Fair Hill and she did it nicely. Still looking at spot later in month at Charles Town. Hope to sneak in a visit to her before start if I can, just to make sure she knows that she is still very special. You know how it is when new babies come along - have to make sure older ones in fold feel the bit of love. Don't need tantrums in the paddock next out...

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

hello, world

Got the call this morning from Dutchess View. Nautical Agent foaled a healthy chestnut filly last night and all is well. Filly stood and took to nursing like a champ, and her mother is acting like she's read up on the whole motherhood thing. (I was wondering what those mysterious charges to Barnes and Noble on the AMEX were all about...). Awesome news, of course. I only know enough to know that goofy things can sometimes happen in the breeding business, so I'm thrilled that the filly and her mom are both to the good. Obviously, we're excited to get pictures soon; promise to put them up once in hand. Basic report that the filly is average-sized, maybe on the smallish side if you're picky (which, apparently, is common for first-time mares). Size thing doesn't concern me all that much. Nautical Agent herself was never huge, plus Gold Fever a compact guy that muscled up as he developed. Once some balance, athleticism and try are in the mix, she'll have a good shot to be a racehorse. All limbs reported to point in the right direction; no horrible flaws that caused alarm. Seems she's just a nice, no-nonsense filly, which is fine by me.

Depending on how she's getting on, we'll look to breed Nautical back to Disco Rico later this month. Would have been happy to return to Gold Fever, but he's since relocated to Minnesota, of all places. He doesn't call or write, which is typical, right? We'll keep fingers crossed that he sends a card on the filly's birthday. Disco Rico a son of Citidancer, a stud I always loved. Disco actually very correct, which you don't see in many of the Citidancers. Nautical Agent correct, too, so we have the bit of wiggle room if there's a curveball thrown from the gene pool. Those Citidancers typically have big try in them, so would be nice double shot of effort between sire and dam. That's all getting a bit ahead ourselves, though.

Pics up shortly. I'll see about wallet sized numbers to show off to coworkers. "Oh, Janet is doing ballet these days? That's so nice. Did I show you a picture, BAMM (throw down picture), of the greatest NY-bred filly ever?"

Sunday, May 3, 2009

ho hum

I promise, no stories like this when Nautical Agent's Gold Fever foal wins the Derby in 2013. Guess there was a reason all those cowboys were wearing black hats in the winner's circle yesterday. Shady dealings involving the connections aside, still a fun story to have had Borel and this tiny gelding score out on the big day. You'd think the rail would have been jammed up with horses given the way it was playing all day, but, as in any pressure situation, guys are gonna fall back on what they know: sitting the 2-3-4-5 wide trip and looking to stalk. Borel played his game, too, and it just happened to be what the doctor ordered. Between brown bags stuffed with cash in Alaska and the boys from IEAH last year, we're on a roll with the fuzzy stories in Derby. Wonder what kind of price you could have gotten on the incarcerated owners of Einstein in the 10th hooked up with bribery charges in the 11th? $634 it turns out, which seems kind of light. They must have hammered it in country club pens around the country...

Caught Tim briefly earlier the week and all fine with Veiled Reference. We'll figure things out in coming weeks for sure, but probably try to stretch her out next out, coming right back at Charles Town in all likelihood. She still hasn't figured out what the heck was going on in last, so we'll cut her some slack and dial up extra ground and slower pace. She'll be on her toes with the quick one under her belt, anyway, which is fine.

Let's see if we get news from New York this week on Nautical Agent. Had the chance to chat with folks up there last week and she seems just about ready to rock. They have her under camera at night to keep tabs and Nautical seems to be taking everything in stride. No word just yet, but we'll see what the next few days bring. Cigars (chocolate) are at the ready.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

oh, so that's the drill...

Great first start back last night for Veiled Reference. Chart is here. She finished a troubled trip, fast-closing third (dead heater), and galloped out strongly past the wire. Speed was good all night, as it often is on big race days (management just overworks the surface), so she was working against a bias, to boot. Sorry not to pick up a bigger piece of the purse, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Here's hoping the bit of luck circles back our way in some of the bigger spots on the calendar later in the year. Filly was understandably sluggish out of the gate, figured out she was supposed to run after about a sixteenth of a mile, and picked it up from there traveling wide and taking dirt. If the one filly hadn't floated her so wide into the stretch, decent chance she picks up second, if not the whole enchilada. Perfect prep, anyway, for what we're hoping to do with her as we get into the summer. She picked up some desperately needed seasoning, got a nice tightener for something longer, and we spared her a block of more intense training in the AM. We've totally wrecked Woolley's win percentage, sure, but here's hoping she can make amends in the coming months.

Ran into some of Veiled Reference's friends from back in the day, including Mark from Takaro Farm, where VR was raised. He was out for the big night along with Cathy, who owns Bocamis, the dam of Veiled Reference. (I think it's Cathy, anyway. I missed it because I was too busy trying not to throw up all over my shoes as the horses geared up to load. Now if I've goofed it up, I've gone and offended one of my three readers. Darn.) Normally, I would have had all sorts of questions about what Bocamis is up to these days, but I was too busy fighting to stay upright. For what it's worth, Cathy, Kathy, Candy and Carol, my vote is for a return trip to Louis Quatorze if she hasn't been bred this season...



Wednesday, April 15, 2009

grab the keys!

Veiled Reference is in the entries for Saturday! They said it would never happen, that T Street would never enter a horse again, but we have proved the doubters wrong! It's been a year and change in the making, so, yeah, it's good to be back in the game, baby. Filly drew a nice outside spot against WV-bred fillies going 4 1/2 furlongs. There's a little bit of speed right in and around her, so she looks to sit a pretty good trip if all goes well. Tim said she was pretty sharp from the gate last week - wouldn't surprise me to see her fairly forwardly placed. Distance a touch short, but money is right relative to the competition, and this bad boy should set her up for more ground in next. Tim, ever the perfectionist, wanted 2-3 more works before diving in, but once I explained that I just had to have her in on Charles Town's big day, he bit the bullet. I know, I know, why not the Preakness under card? Purses too crummy, man. Plus, I need Veiled Reference to pick up a few bucks so I can get Kate something for her birthday next week. Race will be fed live here.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

country roads

Veiled Reference breezed from the gate on Thursday morning at Fair Hill. She went in 49 flat, and was planned to have a nice gallop out. She was scheduled to go in company, too, but I can't figure out for sure based on the tab. One colt from out of the woodwork matches up; maybe Woolley hooked up with a neighboring outfit. No news on how she's come out, so have to imagine all fine enough. Looking at spot next weekend at Charles Town as an option. No, not the $250,000 one, unfortunately; it's the $35k optional claimer (WV-bred F/M 4 and up, x1/$16k tag) going 4 1/2 furlongs. Probably a little short for her, but would tighten her up for the next start at a longer distance. Last time they ran it, fillies went 22 flat for the opening quarter followed by 24 4/5 (not a typo) for the second, so I figure she can place herself and shake off the cobwebs in the early running, then hit 'em with some pace in that second quarter. Purse is quite nice relative to the competition and some of the other spots out there, so if she's doing well early next week, we'll see if it makes sense to stick her in. Entries on Wednesday.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

wiiindy

Shot up to Fair Hill this morning with Kate to check in on Veiled Reference. We actually remembered to bring carrots this time, so our filly found it within herself to tolerate us while munching on the treats. Tim had her out for a maintenance gallop (video below; Warning: it was pretty windy, so keep volume low to avoid blowing out ears). She traveled well, looked happy to scoot around the oval. Tim breezed her in company on Thursday (49 1/5), and that seemed to go well, too, so we're pleased with how she's getting on. She'll have one or two more works in the next few weeks before we hope to start her back, probably at 4 1/2 furlongs down at Charles Town. Distance is a little short for her, but the race should serve to tighten her up for the next go. Plus, we get to chase after a decent pot of money versus just work, work, working, so Kate's in the hunt for something more than a pack of Skittles for her birthday this year. (As if you would want more, right?...). That's Tim and Veiled Reference, pictured above, before going out for her gallop. Look how she smiles and poses for the camera like a good girl. (Despite all of our silly noises and faces, Tim wouldn't bite.)



I'd love to know more about the terms of the IEAH sale/purchase of Stardom Bound/I Want Revenge. As to the latter, I'm not crazy about him at 1 m 1/4, but whatever. Good for the dude who sold off a piece. The subsequent purchase of 25% of Stardom Bound is a little goofy, though. Wonder what price they put on her. More or less than the $5m and change from last fall? I know she's won all those G1s, but the girl has clearly failed to move forward physically since her 2yo season. Still really nice, mind you, but I wonder if IEAH sells 25% if she had truly improved. My guess is probably not, but, then again, they're hot to do another Big Brown deal, so if they have to give up a piece of a filly to have some stud prospect, they're gonna do it. Ashland not all that tough today; I'll root for What a Pear, just for the sake of the story (super speed bias at Big A helped her in last).

Monday, March 30, 2009

cliff notes

Really great article from latest Rolling Stone on the makings of our current situation. Breaks it all down quite nicely. If you only read a handful of pieces on the whole sad story, this should be one of 'em.

Veiled Reference went in company last week. Think she was to go 3 1/2 furlongs, so she'll breeze a half mile sometime this week. Tim works her now in concert with the phases of the moon (little odd, I know), but I try not to interfere with his training methods. If it's not the moon, maybe it was the rain we had. Moon would be so much cooler, though. Travel north to barn is on my to do list.

Quality Road a super nice horse, but definitely one we'll get to bet against come May. Sat perfect trip again on Saturday; will be a tough one to come by in big race. He has some issues w/ dirt, the inside, and relaxing, in general - three no-nos for the Derby. Sure, he might still pull it off, but he'll be solid play against at short price. Jimmy Jerkens still a genius, so no disrespect intended; we're talking parimutuelly, peoples.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

battle stations

Veiled Reference worked 3/8ths again last Friday, going solo in 38 flat on the Tapeta. She went in hand, wasn't asked for speed. Plan is to go 3 1/2F this Friday in company, just to get her used to running at speed with other horses. Depending on how that goes, she'll likely step up to a half mile that first weekend in April. Hope to get up to Fair Hill for that one and see where she's at physically. Seems that she's in good form, anyway, but it's always nice to have a look in the flesh. Charles Town is out with their condition book for April, so we're right about at the time when Tim starts ducking my calls. Okay, that's only half-true, but shopping for spots is always a delicate process. Very easy for the slower horses, of course; it's the ones with a bit of ability that need a little thought. Goal first out just to get her a blow, tighten her up going short (reeeaaal short at Charles Town - 4 1/2F) before zeroing in on some of the races they have going two turns starting in May. For now, we'll see how she gets on picking it up in the mornings.

Monday, March 16, 2009

weekend happenings

Stable mail fired off an e-mail to me for a horse I haven't spotted on the tab in a looong time. It was for Veiled Reference, of course, who had her first breeze back on Saturday at Fair Hill. She went an easy 3/8ths, reportedly in 39 flat. I'll take the time with a grain of salt; Woolley likely makes these up more often than not. If he were like me, it would be to set up a score, or something of that nature, but I think he just doesn't have a clock on her. Sometimes, when Mike comes in, he'll clock 'em from the tower. Now that he's retiring in a month, maybe he'll be able to catch more of the workers. If I can swing it, I'll try to get out for her breeze later this week. She'll probably go another 3/8ths at a slightly quicker pace. If you see 40 seconds up on the tab, you'll know I had them add a few ticks...

Funny thing about Old Fashioned and Ramon Dominguez that I should have touched on earlier, is that they're really not the best jock/horse combo for each other. I know, I know, how can you argue with the record? That's all fine, sure, but my point is that the horse is a really super cruiser, and that's not Ramon's game. He's got an awesome, really fast cruising speed, but no real gears, no big burst of acceleration. And, Ramon, his strongest suit is riding horses with gears, whether for 5000n2l, or a Grade 1s. The guy is just really good at using a little bit of speed at the right time to gain position during key parts of the race. Once he's gotten the speed, he's adept at gearing horses back down and sitting tight. On the lead, he's fine, better than fine, but he doesn't get to do what he does best. Not to be cute, but they'd be better off with Chuck Lopez on Old Fashioned. Colt is not winning the Derby, anyway, never was, but Lopez would be better suited to using that high cruising speed of his, doling it out as needed.

I mentioned Lopez, and I'm rambling here a bit, but how ridiculous was that General George a month or so back at Laurel when Fabulous Strike sat off an opening quarter in 23 4/5? How could that possibly happen? Well, I'll tell you how. It was Edgar Prado up! I mean, c'mon, if speed is your horse's best weapon, what are you doing naming Prado in that spot? Awesome rider, best in Maryland, nation, world, I get it, but on Fabulous Strike? The second you named him, you knew True Quality and Chuckie Lopez would get away. Prado is just not going to use Fabulous Strike's speed early, even though it was his only chance of winning. A real head-scratcher in a pretty big spot.

Don't give up on Bon Jovi Girl after that last at Oaklawn. She wants longer and more pace. That race turned into a sprint - slow early, fast late - and the Jones filly will win that every time. At 1 1/8m+, she can cruise, grind and out-stay most fillies out there. 35-1+ in the Oaks futures pool was pretty generous.

Monday, March 9, 2009

what's that racket



Quick snippet of Veiled Reference galloping this morning at Fair Hill. She's on the outside with Tim, working in company with an unraced filly that goes by Rosa, I think, with Robbie up. They went a mile at a solid clip, certainly much faster than when I saw her the few weeks back. She was nicely into the bit; looked like she'd be happy to do more. Filly has definitely tightened up over the last month. While still has the bit of a belly, it should peel away pretty quickly once she gets started with weekly speed work, which Tim will kick off this weekend.

My favorite part of the morning was before she went out. They had her all tacked up and ready to go, so she knew what was up. After we left her stall to hang outside ourselves for a few minutes, she started banging at her yellow can in the stall, maybe trying to redirect some energy before getting out to work. It was pretty loud, certainly consistent, kind of like when a car alarm goes off on the block and you just keep waiting for it to stop. Anyway, after she'd been at it for a good bit, I told my dad that I'd head in to distract her, or something, and just as I get there, this other Irish exercise rider (from another outfit, not Robbie) is storming around the corner to take the can out of her stall. "You stop that, horse," said in a manner that suggested he might be saying "horse," but thinking of something perhaps a bit more colorful. I know from experience that you have to be sensitive to the Irish in the mornings from time to time, so I gave her a tsk, tsk for camaraderie's sake and he went on his way. She kind of looked at me then, as if to say, "what's his problem?" and then stood with her nose behind the can to indicate that she'd start back at it as she pleased. Always the lady...

Thursday, March 5, 2009

steady as she goes

Nothing mind-blowing to report. Calculated Risk has an interesting post on the next great frontier worth checking out: underfunded pension plans. That's to say nothing of the health care nut we're on the hook for, as well. My man, Tom Byrne, has a timely read, too. Allowing state and congressional leaders to sort out where and when to spend stimulus dollars isn't exactly the way to do it, but I imagine that it's no surprise that they set it up that way. Rural areas will score out, I'm sure, leaving urban corridors with little more than peanuts. Byrne covers it nicely. Sorry business, as usual.

Veiled Reference in good form. Tim reports that she'll likely gallop another week before having her first breeze back, maybe next weekend. The snow holed her up in the shedrow for a bit, but she should have been out for these past few days. If I can swing it, I'll try to get out next week for a visit.
Publish Post

Monday, February 16, 2009

got milk?



Links to a few pictures from my visit to Fair Hill are posted below. I couldn't figure out how to add text after the photo link, so just went with a new post. It's all about quantity over quality, and entirely consistent with how I approach a lot of things. For example, some people might have bought a dozen roses for their Valentine. Me, I went with four dozen. Four dozen brownie bites from Costco, that is. Man, those things are good. I can feel my belly turning to jell-o as I eat them, but I can't stop myself. (I know, I know, you thought they were for my wife. Well, she thought that, too, so you're not alone.) I have a buddy that's had brownie bites for breakfast every morning for, like, the last 15 years. He just can't shake 'em. The best part, though, is that he's a doctor. Not quite as bad as the doctor who comes in from a smoke break to check you out, but I just know he's wiping off a few crumbs on those first patients he sees in the morning. "Anybody got milk around here?!?"

Veiled Reference looks good. You like that back end, huh? She's galloping away in the mornings for the next bit, working at a 20-second clip to start. Tim said that he'll pick it up in a few weeks, then add some speed work once she's nice and fit. She seemed happy enough to gallop, not overly keyed up, but relatively content with the current program. I'm sure she'll be glad once she's fit enough to pick up the pace. I'll get back to see her late this month, maybe bring some brownie bites and see how she likes those. It'll be a one for her, two for me kind of deal, so should make for a great visit.

pictures? of me?










VR Feb 2009 FHTC

Saturday, February 14, 2009

luke, i am your father





I know he has a lot of fans out there, so thought to throw up a few pics I had of Luke from a visit last week. Tim reports that he's doing well. He keeps busy ponying the babies in the morning. Takes it all in from his corner stall otherwise. I was little more than a nuisance, I'm pretty sure. It's a role I've perfected over the years.

Friday, February 13, 2009

oh, no, we're trapped

Okay, more horses, less politics and policy. I get it. In an informal survey of my reader, it was made clear that my commentary related to DC comings and goings is a drag. Just too much anger coming across on the page. People typically get their fill of rage when driving in the car, or hanging out at DMV, so dealing with it here might just be the tipping point. Fair enough. I want this to be a happy place for all of us.

(You should, though, read this. I won't say anything else, okay? Just that 10 years is a lot of years. Especially when doing time and definitely during big bears.)

Switching gears, how about a video from upstate NY?




Nautical kept trying to get after the bag of peppermints that my buddy, Brad, was holding. She kept digging at my pockets, too, just in case I was holding out. We hooked her up with a truckload of those suckers, so she's probably carrying a food baby in her belly now, in addition to the real one that's coming along. All well on that front, I'm happy to report. She's doing everything like a champ; if all well, she'll foal in late April, early May. Gold Fever is the father. He has since relocated to Minnesota, so working out a visitation schedule is gonna be tricky.

She looks really good, definitely put on a bit of size. You'd describe her as a medium sized mare now, which is fine enough. We sometimes had trouble keeping weight on her when she was racing, so it was great to see that she's continued on maturing while in her new job. Donna, who looks after her, also reports that she's fallen into a good routine with her band of fellow broodmares. The five of them get on really well together. When my dad inquired if our girl was still getting picked on, we were thrilled to learn that she now more than holds her own out there. "Oh, she's nowhere close to low mare on the totem pole." I don't know, maybe they tell that to everyone, but at least Nautical was acting like she was happy and confident with herself. I'll allow myself to believe that she's got the other broodmares painting her toenails and preparing her taxes, all while the Agent opines on the stock market and what Gold Fever must be up to out in Minnesota.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

it's evolution, baby

Under the category of better late than never, Obama now taking a moderately harder line with the Republicans. He's likely ticked that the $275B worth of useless tax cuts that he floated got him very little in the way of compromise, so now he's just laying down the thunder. Nice to see. Bill still not so hot, but at least he's taking a more appropriate tone with the opposition party. He's learning to be the bear, you might say, and how to deal with all the little Republican bunnies...(some language below, so don't go blasting in the cube).



Not nice to see the "centrists" in the Senate working around the fringes of the stimulus package. Between tax credits for home and auto purchases (what? no tax credits for my metro pass?), and slashes of millions here and billions there, it's the equivalent of clipping your finger nails while bleeding out from a gut shot. Plus, tax credits for home purchases, like they did back in the 70s, were meant to spur new construction (which they did). Unfortunately, as they relate to the current housing market, it's the glut of existing homes that won't move, so tax credits won't do much to create construction jobs. Which, ummm, is the point of stimulus. I'm sure banks are all for it, just to keep up the smoke and mirrors act, but, let's not forget: you need to have an income to make use of a tax credit, and neither measure serves that purpose. Calculated Risk has some data.

Guess everybody wants some TV time. I'm sure that sits great with the record-setting crowd of unemployed. Good for those Senators, man, going after that boatload of money for STD research and putting in green toilets at the Justice Department. You've got folks stretching to see to food, shelter and health care costs for this week, and certain pols are looking to go to the mat on 10% or less of the overall bill? Gimme a break. Now, if you're of the mind that the $900B ain't enough, perhaps that too much of it goes toward tax cuts, not enough for infrastructure, by all means, have a go at it. Just don't go playing footsie-wootsie on the small stuff. The extra costs we're talking about don't even register relative to whether this bad boy gets turned around, and the lost time only takes from more substantive debate (which appears over, sadly), and much needed relief.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

hmpff

Recently in the Times. I'm surprised not to have been contacted for a quote. Clearly, my standing isn't what it once was in the transportation field. Seems these kinds of projects would be ideal for combating unemployment, especially into 2010 and 2011, when hard costs and serious labor dollars would start flowing. Instead, we get this. Ughh.

I've always been a fan of the Benders here in Maryland. They run a great program with Larry Murray at the helm. Nice piece in DRF on homebred Access Fee. Benders also bred Bocamis, the dam of Veiled Reference. You can read snippet on her in this MD newsletter. Scroll down to Boca Flyer write-up.

I'll try to sneak out and see Veiled Reference, maybe next week. She should be scheduled to start back at the gallop pretty soon. This will be her first time galloping since last February, so she probably won't know what to do with herself. It'll be like when you put a kid in a candy store and the sensory overload is so much that they start to cry. It's good for kids to learn decision making skills early on, though. I only stopped tearing up at breakfast buffets a few years ago, so I know the excitement VR will be feeling. Here's to her playing it cool.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

oh, nuts

Everybody has that guy in the office that you're just deathly afraid of engaging in any sort of conversation for fear that it will turn into a 2-hour ordeal. Even the idea of a friendly "hello," seems a bad idea, because the he or she in question will invariably proceed to talk you into submission about the weekend, their spouse that doesn't understand them, the Mets, or that special something that they're thinking about calling the doctor on. Whatever. The point is, once that door is open, once you even nod in their direction, it's over. Lights out. The conversation will not end until a) you walk off; b) ask him/her to leave; c) the boss shows up; or, d) your cube mate saves you with the fake call into your extension. And, sure, on the rare occasion that you've got some time to kill, or you're looking for super mild entertainment, it's a harmless enough way to while away the day. Mainly, though, it's proof that there are certain folks that, if you give them an inch, they're gonna take the mile. No two ways about it.

Once you've established this, though, the relationship is fairly easy to manage. Like Caesar Milan entering the homes of certain dog owners with his tennis raquet at the ready, when that guy comes round, you're always prepared to sprint for the bathroom as if something has gone terribly wrong, pick up a phantom call from your cell phone ("It was on vibrate, dude."), or just turn your chair and hope the storm passes. Most of the time, these tactics will work. The catch, though, for most decent people, anyway, is that you know you're being a bit of a punk, and so, the occasional feelings of guilt will strike at you, and you'll find yourself giving a big cheery hello the next time Sparky comes around. Twenty minutes of talk about strategies he's putting together for his daughter's youth soccer team, and you're ready to shove your head through your computer monitor, just to make it stop. Still, the cycle seems to feed on itself, and you winding up either hating your coworker or yourself, all depending on how you play the siutaion that day at the office.

What does this have to do with anything? It might be a stretch, but the whole deal between Democrats, and Obama, in particular, and the Republicans on this economic stimulus package strikes me as eerily famiiar to some of those totally whacked-out exchanges back at the office. You see, Obama wants to be nice; he wants to hear about the Mets and what's new and exciting in the lives of Rs. In return for listening, he expects the Rs to support whatever he cooks up to stimulate the economy. He expects them to get on board. And, so, his way of giving a big, cheery, "c'mon, guys, let's all play nice in the sandbox," smile to that crowd of evil-doers, is to throw them a $275B bone in tax cuts as part of the $825B package he cooked up w/ Senate Democrats. "I am your friend. I care about you and respect your opinion. Look how I honor Ronald Reagan and throw a bone your way. Vote yes."

I get the politics of it, really. The problem I have with the move, though, is that it legitimizes the notion that Reaganomics actually work. For anyone that's been around for the last decade and change, we know that's not true. Like getting a a pair of scissors lodged in one's eye teaches one not to run with scissors, the last few decades, culminating with 2008, have taught us that there ain't no trickle in trickle-down. So, if we know this, why concede the $275B in tax cuts right off the bat? Did Obama's people really think that McConnell and Co. would rejoice, say, "thank you very much, Mr. Pres.," and vote "yes," on the package? Really? Don't forget, these guys are like our co-worker friend: you give them $275B, they'll want $500B, plus, ask you to check out a mole on their back. Obama didn't have them pegged? I mean, were his people paying attention to the last 8 years of Republic rule? They built an administration on grabbing for more power, cash, oil, you name it. Now we're gonna kill 'em with kindness? Whaaat?

People a lot smarter than me have raised issue with the proposed tax cuts. Read Krugman, Mark Thoma, Stiglizt, and a whole host of others readily found with a google search, to learn more. My favorite idea out there is that Obama's folks are counting on the House Dems to do their heavy lifting. Obama will play to the Blue Dogs and moderate Republics by floating a sub $1 trillion figure and leave others to push for more. It's Obama as sensible and restrained, because Americans don't want their president talking about trillion, with a T, dollar packages. You're telling me, though, that Charlie Rangel is going to sort this out? He can't even figure out the taxes on his winter home! C'mon, man. Obviously, the $275B didn't get Obama support from McConnell (surprise!), so why not have offered up something closer to $0 and started negotiations from there?

Plan calls for $90B in infrastructure, which sounds like a lot until you remember that light rail in any kind of urban setting goes for about $1B/mile and the new NY/NJ crossing is $15B on its own. Factor in a good chunk of the $90B going to crucial transportation corridors of North Dakota, Wyoming and Kansas, a la Homeland Securty funding guidelines, and we'll be lucky to fund a few new rope-tows at northeastern ski resorts. Yes we can!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

right foot, left foot

Good things happening last night at Penn National, where our friend, Doug Nunn, had the winner of the last. He scored with Trefinity, a hard-knocking horse that has bankrolled close to $200,000 while racing during much of this decade, it seems. Win is especially cool for T Street, as we actually owned Trefinity's dam, Trevatha, a number of years ago. She was our first foray into the business, picked up as a broodmare prospect to send to the great Express Tour down in Florida. Things went south right out of the gate, unfortunately, beginning with serious difficulties getting her in foal. After a lot of wine, chocolate and all sorts of other tricks, the magic just wasn't going to happen. So, after shipping her back to NJ to wait for the following season, the poor mare somehow came down with strangles, and, after all sorts of efforts to save her, died. Bad, bad times.

I remember that I was out after after work that night, playing wing man for a co-worker buddy, when I got the call. It was really loud at the bar, so I ducked into the alcove between the men's and women's restrooms to take the call from her vet, who had cared for her entire family before it was broken up and sold at dispersal after the patriarch died. So, he passes on the crummy news, which sent me reeling back into the pay phones, while trying to avoid (teary) eye contact with traffic in the area. We're both sniffling and whimpering on the phone, feeling bad about the whole deal and I began wondering how the hell I was gonna tell everyone that she had died. "Oh, umm, yeah, you remember how we recently became horse owners?..."

I had to pull myself together and head back to the bar, quickly, of course, because my man was likely struggling without me trying to charm these two girls we had been chatting up. I didn't need to do much talking, necessarily; my role was just to look my usual handsome self, which, in turn, was supposed to elevate his standing on the looks meter. (It was heavy lifting, man). I go back to the bar, tell them it was just a buddy calling, and get back to looking beautiful. I had a serious urge to fill the next conversational void with news of my mare's demise ("Whyyyyyyy??" sniffle, sniffle, followed by "I probably shouldn't be alone right now. Hold me."). Instead, I kept my mouth shut, nursed my beer and hit the road.

I cried like a baby on the drive home that night (happy hours always make me emotional to begin with, so it was a given), broke the news to my family, cried a bit more with them, and hit the sack. It always hurts some to think back on good old Trevetha, even today, but news of one of her kids doing well, especially now with Trefinity running for Doug, helps take away a bit of the sting.

Friday, January 9, 2009

stimulus 2009

Tax cuts??? Please. Keynes had it right way back in the day: we need dollars pumped into the economy on a massive scale, primarily in the form of serious public spending. Sure, you'll deal with inefficiencies (couldn't be worse than NJ or Baltimore), but we'll get more bang for the buck, dollar for dollar, plus the longterm benefit of actually having built something. Like, maybe a bridge or two, or, a few rail lines so average folks will be able to get to one of these millions of jobs that we'll create. Put money in the pockets of big business, and my bet is they're mighty slow to spend it. Besides, they seem more inclined to pay out retention bonuses and create footholds in China these days. How about our own Marshall Plan, because there's no good reason why we shouldn't have the best infrastructure system in the world. Is there? Are you telling me that Eisenhower gets the last word on how we get around in this country? Sheeeeiiiiit. Say it ain't so.

Stopped in to see Veiled Reference yesterday and got a shot of her without the blanket. I was really pleased to see that she didn't blow up over the holidays. Here I went and got all fat myself, just to put on sympathy weight, or whatever you would call it, and then I show up to see her all skinny and stuff. What's up with that? Well, she didn't call me out (I was wearing black, though, plus I'm still quick on my feet) and we had a nice few minutes hanging out. Had a chat with Tim and he seemed pleased enough with how she's settled in. She's mellow now, having had the break, versus her rowdier ways when only allowed to go at the jog. This time around she'll jog for around 30 days and then start back galloping. I made a point to explain to her that she needs to do her part to grow the economy in '09, but she didn't seem too moved. I tried to detail how every win she can manage translates to a new Xbox 360 game for very important people affected by these global economic forces, but she shot back about Xboxes being made in China, and not wanting to support communism, indirectly or otherwise. I didn't have an answer for her, naturally, so I quickly left, wondering on the drive home how it had gotten to this point. She did look good, though...