For example, Oxville saw the grand opening of Tim Horton's in October and Mr B made his first-ever visit to a Timmy Ho's in mid-November:
Portrait completed, we got down to some serious donut dunkin'! [Or is this the wrong establishment in which to do so?]:
Action photo!
Tim Horton's is proving to be very popular among the leading citizen's of Ox City!
Or maybe it's only me that's keeping the Canadian purveyor of donuts and coffee afloat in this small Midwestern college town. Whatever the reality, it provides another flimsy justification to post another ubiquitous Canadian power trio video link!
The Fiat was released from its stable and began a series of (on-going) rehabilitations at the direction of Lou:
Plans are in the works for the Fiat to spend some time away from home on an extended stay in the care of a Fiat specialist. Yes! Fiat specialists really do exist! Yes! In these United States of America! The Pininfarina-designed, Ferrari-equipped (instrument panel, gauges, switch gear, etc) is still a great looking vehicle. Many of you reading this will have fond memories of sunny days and riotous evenings riding in the Fiat during those halcyon days of the George Herbert Walker Bush Administration yesteryear. Just don't share those fond memories with Lou.
Speaking of Lou, here's a photo of him standing in front of one of our favorite donut shops (I sense a developing theme) taking a photo of me:
Don't ask why I was so much elevated above the parking lot. A governmental department from an unnamed city might not take too kindly to my actions at that perilous moment. 'Nuff said. The Donut Spot was originally opened by Reily T-Ball coaching legend Bob Pennington, head coach for my League Champion Cherokee Motors team back in 1977.
And speaking of Lou and his cars, Scuderia TDS received some sad news in November when our flagship 2002 MINI Cooper was diagnosed with a loss of compression in one its cylinders. After 378,000 miles of faithful service (that averages out to just over 25,000 miles per year for 15 years), the MINI will now ease into a kind of semi-retirement serving only in a largely ceremonial - and promotional - capacity. There is no car that I've driven for more years, and certainly not for more mileage, than the MINI. Change can be difficult.
Thanksgiving was held at Lou's palatial estate (with the Fiat parked out front; see above photos). My eldest niece posed for her portrait by the fireplace:
Later in the evening, after dinner, I captured her (below) in a definitively Norman Rockwell moment:
Take that, Saturday Evening Post!
Mr B has a late-November birthday. You know what that means.....
That's right! A day at the races for The B Team Syndicate!
Mr B visited the day before to pick up a few copies the Daily Racing Form for us.
Mr B denoted my copy of the DRF with an "M" on the jockey's cap. Subtle, yet imaginative.
This late in the race year, there is not a broad depth of quality horses still racing or big races to be found. Most of the best race horses are taking some time off to rest up for the 2018 race season. Mr B and Lou focused their attack on that day's race card at Aqueduct (Queens, New York) whereas I directed my assault on Churchill Downs which, that afternoon, featured a race card made up solely of 2-year old (or "Juvenile") horses. I had my work cut out for me but was up for the challenge. Plus, I didn't plan to dive too deep into my bankroll.
Following our shared disaster at the Breeders' Cup, we needed to bounce back. And bounce back we did!
Lou cashed a handful of winning tickets, over the course of the first few Aqueduct races, right out of the gate [horse racing terminology]. Mr B was slower to break from the gate [ibid] [sic], but soon found his winning stride [you get the point]. Mr B's winning day was partially achieved following a brief visit he paid to the casino floor where, in very short order, he disabused a slot machine of some portion of its contents.
Meanwhile, at Churchill Downs.....
I cashed my first wining ticket on the day in the 3rd race when my "Bet of the Day" went off at odds of 19-1 (Morning Line odds of 10-1) and came home a winner!
Remind me the next time my Bet o' the Day goes off at long odds to put more than $2 on it.
My love for Ghostzapper - the dam sire for my 19-1 longshot - is well documented on these digital pages of Heavy Artillery. The sire, a lesser-known horse named Violence, is another of my favorites. The star-crossed Violence was a nearly unstoppable force on the Kentucky Derby Trail back in 2013 winning three prep races, on both the East and West Coast, over dirt and synthetic surfaces. His only career defeat came in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park (Florida), where he ran second to Orb (you'll recall that Orb went on to win the Kentucky Derby that year; I had Orb to Win that First Saturday in May). Had Violence not sustained a career-ending injury in that race (running second, mind you!), he'd have been my pick for the 2013 Derby. In the world of handicapping, you don't forget a horse like Violence. Specifically because the horse may reappear in the coming years in the bloodlines of good or great race horses.
A Horse Named Violence has a kind of evocative ring to it, not unlike A Boy Named Sue, that appeals to my Heavy Artillery nature. Maybe I'll name my horse racing memoir A Horse Named Violence. Or perhaps commission a Country & Western song (both kinds!) with that title?
In the very next race I hit the back half of a Win & Place wager (not pictured, here) that, combined with my 19-1 score, put me comfortably ahead.
Mid-way through the race day, each member of The B Team Syndicate was ahead.
Then we got a little silly. Or, at least, I did. House money will do that to you. I spied in the feature race at Woodbine (Canada) a horse named Pink Lloyd. You know I had to play that. Pink Lloyd was the 4-5 Morning Line favorite so we used him in conjunction with Mr B's birthday "numbers" for a Superfecta. Pink Lloyd came storming home the easy winner. Mr B's "numbers" fared less well.
Back at Churchill, a down-on-its-luck horse name Royal Edition caught my eye.
Possessing a highly-valued pedigree -- sired by 5-time graded stakes winner and winner of the Preakness Stakes Bernardini (out of A.P. Indy, winner of the Santa Anita Derby, Belmont Stakes, Breeders' Cup Classic and three other graded stakes) for $100,000, with Empire Maker (winner of the Florida Derby, Wood Memorial and Belmont Stakes) as the dam sire -- bred by Godolphin, a deep-pocketed Saudi stable, owned and trained by Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas..... looks like a sure thing!
Except that in Royal Edition's two efforts (to date) it ran 11th from start to finish. Eagle-eyed handicappers will note that 11th was not "last" in either race, each race having a 12-horse field. Eagle-eyed handicappers will also observe that despite Royal Edition going off at odds of 117-1 in his previous race, the Morning Line here was only.....I say only..... 30-1.
It won't surprise you to learn that Royal Edition did not win. Again. I hope he keeps trying! Someday, maybe..... just maybe.... he'll win at something like 300-1 odds. If he does, I'll probably have $2 to Win on him [see; my 19-1 longshot, above]. Again.
I'd managed to bleed off my early winnings throughout the course of the later races at Churchill Downs and found myself, going into the feature race, in negative territory. That day's feature race was a stakes race and included in the starting gate a number of horses that you'll be reading about next year on the Derby Trail. After some consultation with Lou, I'd decided to wager the entirety of my remaining - and dwindling - bankroll:
Hence, the odd sum of $36 to Win. The horse, named Enticed, went off the favorite at 3-1 and won..... in a photo finish. That put me back into the black for the second time that afternoon and I, along with The B Team Syndicate, went home a winner. After our dismal performance at the Breeders' Cup, it was nice to reverse our performance and wrap up the 2017 wagering year on a positive note.
Roll the credits!
