Day 19

Happy 27th Anniversary!

That's the good news.....the racing, not so good.  Twenty-seven years ago today, on a VERY snowy day in northwest Pennsylvania Kim and I got married and then had our reception at "The Peak" ski lodge.  In an interesting twist, we spent our wedding night in a hotel at the Cleveland airport, sharing the room with my Mom and sister!  But, to be fair, we had our honeymoon BEFORE we got married!  Why?  We only had two weeks off from school and the only way to fit both the wedding and a cruise into our schedule was to go on the cruise first :)  We spent the day together by going to see a GREAT movie, "Saving Mr. Banks." 

It was the story of Walt Disney's 20 year quest to convince author P.L. Travers to let him have the rights to Mary Poppins.  As a HUGE Disney fan (and having taught the Disney Corporation as a case study in free enterprise) I know nearly all the trivia about the company.  But this story, I've near heard.  I knew that he'd struggled for years to get the rights, but the story behind......didn't know any of it.  Without spoiling the movie let me say that it was a great movie, a very emotional movie, and I'll never watch the film the same way again.  After the movie we went out to eat at Cheesecake Factory (thanks to a Christmas gift card from our wonderful daughter Julie!). 

And that evening I watched the replays from the racing.  In the third I had Ken & Sarah Ramseys' That's A Kitten, sent out by Chad Brown.  Sent off as a tepid 5/2 favorite she was ninth....wow.  In the fifth I supported 6/5 favorite Dauphine Russe who had made her North American debut in the $100K Pebbles and was third behind graded stakes winners Discreet Marq and Tapicat.  Today she was in an entry level allowance.....third.  Double wow.  I was 5th with 3/1 Arabian Dream and then a dismal 8th with Wild Billum on the turf in a starter allowance.  Topped the day off with what appeared to be my lone winner when Starship Avenger opened up in mid-stretch at 2/1.....only to be run down in the final yards at 2/1.  Sigh......on to the big day AT the races tomorrow for Old Hat Stakes Day.