Whaddya Know? (with updates)

- Frank the Barber was a dead closer winning the 8th. I think that's the first time I've seen a horse that seemed out of it turning for home actually come on and win. The rain has mostly stopped, and the track could be tiring for the last two today. Or maybe not, because this horse certainly seems to love the slop.

I pissed away a few bucks on the 6th Keeneland, but it was nice to see some dry ground anyway.

Here's a quote from the media notes about Miss Macy Sue, who I fancy in the F&M Sprint tomorrow. Regarding what now seems like a likely wet track, trainer Kelly Von Hemel said: "She doesn't mind anything....She has won at Hawthorne, which is knee-deep sand; at Hot Springs, which is deeper sand, and won at Prairie Meadows, which is rock solid. We have yet to find a surface she doesn't like and I hope it is not here."

I think you have to stick to basics when handicapping Saturday's races, and not get too psyched out by the track condition. These are good horses that, in at least some cases, are more likely to adapt to adverse conditions I think.

- According to some Media Notes: Europeans have taken 31 of 169 (18 percent) Breeders' Cup races to date which lines up exactly with their participation percentage....The Score now stands France 14, England 12, and Ireland 5. 26 of those victories have been accomplished on the turf course, five on the main track.

- The guy from Dubai called the 9th; and the UK's Mark Johnson will call the finale. The prior race seemed typical of the sprints. A stalker took the lead from the front-runner turning for home; then a closer was presented, had absolute dead aim, but just could not pass the front-runner. Of course, we'll be dealing with a different caliber of horse on Saturday.

Tomorrow's card is excellent, excellent, excellent!! Not a claiming tag to be found and, of course, the three new Breeders' Cup races.

- I bet against Shug's favored Parading at Keeneland with poor results. He's been beaten favorite three times in his career, but not today. Got sucked into Warn, bet on the nose after a poor effort at Saratoga.

There's the big Gray Goose party tonight, with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. To be honest, I was never a fan of the band. In fact, I was never even a fan of Bruce, I must admit. In around 1973-4 or so, I was at Union College in Schenectady, and Springsteen was touring in support of Born to Run. He was still on the downlow tip, but the word was that he was fantastic in concert. He played at the little chapel on campus, and I didn't go. Perhaps it would have changed my life if I had. I've never seen him live to this day. Word is that there's a special guest playing tonight, but Bruce is in California I'm told. Rumor has it that it's Frankie Valli.

Ninth coming up at Keeneland, as we're all done with the live races. Frankel has a three-year old filly first-timer named Soothing Touch, who opened as the 2-1 favorite (5-1 morning line). This is a $550,000 yearling, so it's been a long time coming for her debut. She's by Touch Gold, out of an AP Indy half-sister to the dam of the Arc winner Bago; and the second dam is a half to the Group 1 winner Exit to Nowhere, and a full to the successful sire and French champion Machiavellian.

- I ran all over the track - literally - to try and get a bet down on the Keeneland race, but all the tellers were gone, and I couldn't find any machine that would take cash. I was happy when my selection lost, but then annoyed because it was my man Graham Motion who had the winner, Euro import Siamese Cat.

I'm outta here now...been a long day...