So--did anybody else watch it? Barbaro won going away; he could just be a Triple Crown winner.
I was just musing on how much money must be spent, building up to a two-minute race. (Well, 2:01 and 2/5, this year.) There's the purchase price of the horse, of course. Feed, tack, and training for three years. They have to be run in previous races, which costs big bucks. Vet fees. Transportation fees. Stablehands. Insurance. I heard today that the entry fee for the Derby is $50,000. Custom-made silks and saddle blanket. Twenty owners did all that, this year.
And that's just the horses. The City of Louisville puts on numerous huge events. Thousands of people come from out of town for it, which is of course expensive. People buy fancy clothes to wear to it. Lots and lots of people here have Derby parties they buy supplies for. Then there's the clean-up.
It's mind-boggling when you think about it. All that, for two minutes and a second or two. Though it's worth it for the winner.
Today was the Opening Day of Yachting Season in Seattle, marked with crew races through the University cut and with a parade of decorated yachts from Lake Union to Lake Washington. It costs less and lasts longer.
And we wowed 'em at our concert with the Fauré Requiem, the Duruflé Requiem, and Poulenc's Four Motets in a Time of Penitence.
Four Motets in a Time of Penitence.
During Eastertide!?
I'm with you, Padre. Bloody
heathens, the lot of them!
Yeah, well we did the Bach Christmas Oratorio, Pts V and VI in mid January. We're just a little slow on the uptake is all.
And if you want heathens, we're doing the Orff Carmina Burana next Spring.
Bach's Christmas Oratorio is properly performed until the 5th of January, after which the season changes from Christmastide to Epiphanytide. I'll need to speak with whoever is doing the scheduling there, Faldo.
The National Cornbread Festival held last weekend in South Pittsburg, Tennessee was the biggest cornbread festival ever held in the contiguous United States. (Over 15,000 people attended)
Like the Derby the festival is becoming too commercial.
Getting back to the Derby, I enjoyed it and thought Barbaro ran a terrific race. But something bugs me about the Derby: I noticed that some of the trainers, Bob Baffert for example, had more than one horse in the race. Yet the jockeys were only allowed to each have one horse in the race. Why do they discriminate against the jockeys thusly?
Alex--you kill me!
Yeah, I was a little surprised that none of Bob's came in; he is a top-notch trainer after all--one of the best of the best.
Yet the jockeys were only allowed to each have one horse in the race. Why do they discriminate against the jockeys thusly? The Worker's Compensation Board won't allow jockeys to ride more than one horse ever since having to pay a huge settlement to jockey Robert (Stretchbob Longpants) Williams following the career ending leg-length incident of 1978 when only one of his horses spooked and ran off the track.
While the second won by his nose.
Was starting to ponder about the power-to-weight ratio angle on that, as in 2HP for the same jockey weight could be an advantage, but the faster horse of the pair would need to be de-tuned to synchronize the gallop rates. Seems like passing within a large pack could be problematic also.
Could lead to a whole new field of endeavour: Positioning for jockey.
horse ... would need to be de-tuned 
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Barbaro's doing well so far. [fingers crossed e]
Another scheme to gain an advantage in the horse race would be to have the former lead singer of The Monkees ride the two horses. Not only would you have twice the horsepower, but you'd have extra Tork as well.
/I am so sorry.
> bean counters
legumaticians.
Alex Williams is one of the funniest people I know ... and I don't even know him.
> Alex Williams is one of the funniest people I know
word.
