tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post8243313783402136962..comments2024-03-05T05:38:22.024-05:00Comments on Left at the Gate: Rags to ReichAlan Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12570505944559196118noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-63370312230388826142007-06-13T07:51:00.000-04:002007-06-13T07:51:00.000-04:00Alan,I am very sorry for your loss. Thank you for...Alan,<BR/>I am very sorry for your loss. Thank you for being so open with your readers - your story certainly stirred memories of my grandfather and of the little quirks that made our relationship special.Hawkenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13966683366595357224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-41247237037654036112007-06-12T08:31:00.000-04:002007-06-12T08:31:00.000-04:00Alan, so sorry for your loss. Your post is very to...Alan, so sorry for your loss. Your post is very touching. We are lucky to have you, blogger, in general. Your writing is so enthusiastic, personally invested, and smart.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-20730032283028251352007-06-12T08:21:00.000-04:002007-06-12T08:21:00.000-04:00Alan,Sorry for your loss...and always remember to ...Alan,<BR/>Sorry for your loss...and always remember to box the exacta.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-87727132306412946472007-06-11T23:07:00.000-04:002007-06-11T23:07:00.000-04:00Thanks for sharing your memories of your grandfath...Thanks for sharing your memories of your grandfather. Each year when the Belmont Stakes rolls around, we will all talk about the year the filly beat the boys. And you will have one more reason to remember the influence that your grandfather had on your life. I hope that you and your family are at peace as you celebrate his life.Kevin7673https://www.blogger.com/profile/03190541495631449051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-59449054248226355502007-06-11T20:04:00.000-04:002007-06-11T20:04:00.000-04:00I'm very sorry for the loss of your grandfather. I...I'm very sorry for the loss of your grandfather. It sounds like he had a very productive life, and was a great influence, even though you didn't agree on gambling. You have the right idea celebrating his life. My condolences.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-35098371856278441092007-06-11T19:33:00.000-04:002007-06-11T19:33:00.000-04:00Your love for Pops is very moving, more so than th...Your love for Pops is very moving, more so than the wonderful win of the great filly Rags to Riches.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-70508662882997268062007-06-11T18:41:00.000-04:002007-06-11T18:41:00.000-04:00The post was a fine tribute to your grandfather as...The post was a fine tribute to your grandfather as well as R2R. I'm sorry for your loss.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-297623778063707082007-06-11T16:46:00.000-04:002007-06-11T16:46:00.000-04:00I e-mailed you privately, but reading these commen...I e-mailed you privately, but reading these comments ... it's funny how the sport seems to be in the genes. My Dad is the one who got me hooked, and I always look forward to the time we spend together because I know we'll wind up talking horses. I'm hopeful that when Presque Isle Downs opens, it'll translate to real life.<BR/><BR/>One of my great joys was seeing him (terrified of horses) connect with the ex-racehorse I owned and helping me research his sire - when he visited the barn with me for the first time, Windsor sensed his fear and went right up and stuck his tongue in his hand! They were fast friends. Something tells me that if he weren't once 'Tea Mug', that wouldn't have happened. My exposure to racing came through learning all about Mugatea with my Dad. <BR/><BR/>Reading the other shared memories, I can almost see the smiles present when they were typed. It's a tribute to sport that those types of experiences can inspire that.Nelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11918061763943119268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-26894596420786008052007-06-10T22:43:00.000-04:002007-06-10T22:43:00.000-04:00Alan,Condolences to you and your family.Better Tal...Alan,<BR/><BR/>Condolences to you and your family.<BR/><BR/>Better Talk Now and Rags to Riches = courage. And the same can be said for Meribel, another terrific filly.Jim Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12868430639026487238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-9427741427571233282007-06-10T20:54:00.000-04:002007-06-10T20:54:00.000-04:00May God comfort and console you.May God comfort and console you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-59599462515413693542007-06-10T16:44:00.000-04:002007-06-10T16:44:00.000-04:00Along with everyone else, I would like to offer yo...Along with everyone else, I would like to offer you and your family my sincere condolenses.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06801414754458604594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-70611645818233006082007-06-10T14:35:00.000-04:002007-06-10T14:35:00.000-04:00Alan, sorry for your loss, Grampa sounded like qui...Alan, sorry for your loss, Grampa sounded like quite a man who lived a long and fruitful life. You and your family will miss him and from time-time-to-time you'll be reminded of him, unexpectedly, and it will bring back nice memories. I know because I, too, had such a grandfather who made a diference in my life. /S/ Green Mtn PunterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-23027956414774835892007-06-10T13:32:00.000-04:002007-06-10T13:32:00.000-04:00Alan, my condolences, he sounds like a great man.M...Alan, my condolences, he sounds like a great man.<BR/><BR/>My now deceased dad generated my interest in racing, first at The Spa every summer, then at The Big A when I hit my teens. He loved the track, but was totally against my investment in the sport, warning me that it was a "Rich Man's Game". <BR/><BR/>I still wish he could have lived long enough to get into a winners circle photo with me. We struggled without a victory the first few years, when he was able to attend the races and came to the paddock, but we just could not win a race.<BR/><BR/>Years later, I cried thinking of him all the way home after my first Stakes victory at the Big A. I drink his drink every Belmont and Wood Memorial Day, and did so yesterday in his honor.<BR/><BR/>My mom, now 84, was not a fan at first but became one along the way, sharing to this day all of my fun moments at the races.<BR/><BR/>Harvey Pack's comment is oh so true, when nothing else is worth watching on TV my mom will watch the races at home on Ch 71 and occasionally phone me with a bet.<BR/><BR/>She hit the Triple Crown, plus the KY Oaks this year!<BR/><BR/>Had R2R yesterday of course. Hit the exacta in all three triple crown races! I called her after the race and she was so excited!<BR/><BR/>She is getting up in age, but will never be bored with this hobby.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-41496110808852314152007-06-10T12:08:00.000-04:002007-06-10T12:08:00.000-04:00Sorry to hear of the passing of your grandfather, ...Sorry to hear of the passing of your grandfather, Alan. But after reading your tribute, it sounds like he leaves you with a whole lot to smile about.<BR/><BR/>And of course, it's encouraging to hear that if genetics has any say in it, "Left at the Gate" will be the John Henry of horse racing blogs. <BR/><BR/>My thoughts are with you, bro.<BR/><BR/>jeffAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-51139355049164455172007-06-10T11:55:00.000-04:002007-06-10T11:55:00.000-04:00I am so terribly sorry for your loss.My grandfathe...I am so terribly sorry for your loss.<BR/><BR/>My grandfather was the one who loved the ponies in my family. Poppa was the one who showed me the joy in the sport.<BR/><BR/>I will never forget, one day we were in the kitchen, just Poppa and I. I couldn't have been more than 4. The Racing Form was spread out on the table and we were going over the numbers with a fine tooth comb. (I think the first thing that I learned to read was the Form). He was hunched over, voicing his opinions to me and then, perhaps bccause of a "too" evil glint in my eye, he slowly straightened up, took my shoulders in both his hands and, looking me straight in the eye said "don't you ever tell your Grandmother we do this."<BR/><BR/>Again, my heart goes out to you and your family. And, although, he might have told you he didn't care for the ponies, I am sure that his spirit was with you yesterday, enjoying your passion alongside you.SantaBarbarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17159992968479023593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-33767600744723427342007-06-10T11:23:00.000-04:002007-06-10T11:23:00.000-04:00So many of us are fans today because of the influe...So many of us are fans today because of the influence of an older relative who took us along to the races. <BR/><BR/>Still others are there in spite of family mores that condemned gambling.<BR/><BR/>I am sure your grandfather would have appreciated what transpired on the track at Belmont yesterday. It was about sport, on a higher plane, more than it was about gambling. <BR/><BR/>If my math is correct, your grandfather was alive when Tanya won the Belmont in 1905? That's impressive!Fran Jurgahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05714349624852287450noreply@blogger.com