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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Notes - Oct 23

- We've been concerned about the weather forecast for Monmouth this weekend; and while that outlook has brightened just a bit, any concern for track conditions of course pale in comparison to what's going on in Southern California. We'd gladly turn the approaching rainy weather system around and send it back west to replace the hot, dry winds that are fanning the flames. Del Mar racetrack is being used as an evacuation area, even as surrounding communities, including Solana Beach, where the Head Chef and I stayed this past summer, are being evacuated. A reader from the area wrote me last night that the fires are around ten miles from that coastal area. We of course hope that the firefighters gain control of the situation, and that the loss of property everywhere is stemmed.

Horse owners from around the area have been flocking to the track, and the 2400 stalls are now filled. As many as 300,000 horses live in the county, and when people flee from the fires, so do the horses. [SignOnSanDiego]

- Aqueduct opens on Wednesday, and I almost fell off my chair when I read about 400,000 square feet of freshly painted halls, a completely made-over box-seat area, and a new simulcast room. [DRF] Wow. Renovations at the Big A. A new era must indeed be on the way. Sounds like they've been working on the track as well.

"The track this summer and fall has been terrific," [Richard Violette] said. "It's been very consistent; it's had a lot of life to it. Most mornings you can't hear them gallop over it."

2 Comments:

forego is my witness said...

I can't tell you how many times at the beginning of the week, I'd see a weekend forecast for rain and get worried my baseball game would be rained out. I'd say 8 out of 10 times the weather faired up by Saturday and I ended up worrying for nothing. I'm gonna do my sundance and pray the rain stays away for Saturday. Gotta stay hopeful....

Teresa said...

A new simulcast room? Good news for idiots like me who decided not to get BC tickets and who are headed out there, and who will be pushed out of the Manhattan Terrace by the NYRA Rewards big spenders. Instead of focusing on the lameness of my being in Queens instead of at Monmouth, I'll play the role of intrepid reporter and check out the new space for all of you playing down south.