Vile Knave, Render Your Attention and Read Thy Blog

With just a workweek away from the Belmont Stakes, I am starting to get a better picture in my head of the way the 2006 Belmont Stakes at Big Sandy will turn out. There are several up and coming horses worth a look along with some familiar names.

Steppenwolfer, for the distance, looks extremely good. If you remember, he was the strong second place running colt to Lawyer Ron in the Arkansas Derby. He will love the long stretch at Belmont Park. I can’t kick the fireball finisher Jazil out of the exotic plays. This colt really displayed its desire in the Kentucky Derby to rally for a dead heat fourth-place finish with Brother Derek (the Best of the West). Jazil, son of Seeking the Gold, has been working out at Belmont trying to get a good feel of the surface. I think he will also like the long stretch as he narrowly missed Bob and John running late in the Wood Memorial.

Sunriver, a Saint Ballado colt, will try to put forth another Grade I performance Saturday. Coming off of a win in his Belmont-prep race, the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes, the full brother to a champion filly Ashado, Sunriver will be readied by Todd Pletcher. We cannot forget his stablemate, Bluegrass Cat. After a surprising second place finish in the Kentucky Derby, Bluegrass Cat has been cooling his heels and getting his works done in Elmont, NY at the Big Sandy. On Bluegrass Cat’s Monday morning work, Pletcher said "He was well in hand and got enough out of it without overdoing it."

My long-shot pick for the Belmont Stakes is High Finance. The Rick Violette, Jr. trained son of Talk is Money, broke his maiden in April at Keeneland in a nine-length romp. In his next start, an entry-level allowance race at Aqueduct, High Finance pulled a five-length strike on the field. In this race he broke through the starting gate a la Barbaro before the Preakness Stakes and still won a race labeled as “in control from the start”. He breezed a mile yesterday in 1:38.49 and went the last eighth in 11 seconds and change. Not too shabby for a lightly raced colt.

Now you have my picks. Don’t bet them as the gospel—even if I do!

Now we are on to better things. Chase and Alisha stopped by the house Saturday for a brief visit before heading to a wedding. We were able to enjoy a nice lunch and some great fellowship. I hope they had a good time. Later on that evening, I went to the 10th Annual Karaoke in the Country at Riversong Ranch. A good time was in the making, but I had to get going to keep the standing Saturday night dinner date at Harry’s with my wife. It was hard to leave an ice, cold keg of Old Style, though.

On Sunday, I woke with fervor and high spirits. I wanted to go and do something, but I just didn’t know what. After a discussion with Beth, we decided on a trip to Louisville to eat at P.F. Changs and later, check out Paige and David’s soon-to-be new residence. After a busted trip to the farmer’s market on the way out of town, we hit the interstate. On the way, I called Paige to see if they would be available. She answered in the affirmative, but needed at least an hour’s notice. Okay what would we do?

Highlands Renaissance Festival!

This was the first annual festival for the Highlands RenFest (for short) in Eminence, KY. A great deal of work has been done to get this thing going. I was impressed, but not impressed like I am willing to go again. I must say that it is a spectacle to behold at least once. I don’t know if you have ever been to one of these festivals. I wasn’t so sure about them and I am still not sure. Everyone (except people like me in street clothes) is in character from the days of Rob Roy and William Wallace to the times of Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare. There are noblemen, knights, soldiers, faeries, blacksmiths, villagers, drunkards, knaves, and wenches. Yes, everyone speaks in Ye Olde English dialect. It is quite intimidating. Some guy has been talking to you for a minute in what sounds like gibberish and you are like, “Whaaaaa?!?” If you go, make sure to read some Shakespeare or Chaucer before you go so you will be brushed up on the tongue.

Also, if you go, make sure you bring a lot of cash ($100+). Everyone there is selling something, definitely stuff you don’t need, unless, of course, if you live your life in a fairy tale. And nothing is cheap. A must-do if you find yourselves there, as we did, make sure you watch the jousting. It is the real deal. Two armored knights galloping at each other on Belgian draft horses with lances. After that, they throw down on foot with swords and shields. Also, see the mud pit dramas--people in mud trying to be funny. Priceless.

Chang is good.

Uhhh....no, it's not.

P.F. Changs wasn’t all Beth had made it out to be. She even admitted this one wasn’t as good as the P.F. Changs’ she had eaten at in Raleigh-Durham, N.C. or in Columbus, OH. It wasn’t bad, but it just wasn’t great. You win some and you lose some.

Give me a shout. Out.