Where the surf meets the turf at old Del Mar, 37,692 thoroughbred horse racing fans and Jewel congregated to see if the tepid Arrogate could hold off the hot-hoove'd Gun Runner. Too they came by train, plane, and car to behold the myriad of grade-one races ere that Classic in day-two of the Breeders' Cup.
Of them in attendance, none roared louder than the celebrate-till-yer-fedora-disappears "1-2, 1-2, 1-2" and then "Go get it, Roy! Go get it Roy! Go get it Roy!" Trainer Peter Miller. Scoring first the exacta of win Stormy Liberal and place Richard's Boy in the Turf Sprint; then winning with Roy H in the Sprint, bringing his Breeders' Cup win tally to two, total. How much of a surprise was the 30-1 Stormy Liberal? His owner bet the other end of the exacta ticket instead a' he.
Were the races before televised? That's whenst I stumbled-home from the cigar shop wherest I froze my tuchus off outside because there ain't an indoor lounge at Eugene, Oregon's Cigars on 7th. Conveniently located on Lincoln. There, maybe that'll get me an extended tab.
So then, the day was set to be a hard one for the favorites. Speaking toward whom, Unique Bella next was run out too soon by jockey Mike Brown, and bunt-out in the Filly and Mare Sprint. Lady Eli too, fell flat in the Filly and Mare Turf as Wuheida won it. She finished seventh, but that ain't bad 'cause she once nigh finished six-feet under due to lamintitis.
And then I was told to change channels to the big network and Bob Costas was there and really, I was Gob-smacked by the superior production value once-there. I'm not a visual guy. I typically lay on my couch away from the TV and listen. But boy. yeah. It was a pinkie's up journey to cement ponds and away from skid row that took me to the Classic. Somehow, the same women in the stands looked prettier now, but weren't Jewel's breasts once bigger?
The stage was set, and it was set neater than Matt Bernier's impossibly kempt eyebrows, for the Arrogate-Gun Runner showdown at Bing Cosby's old haunt. Except I had West Coast to win. Gun Runner had been defeated by Arrogate not once but twice, already. In turn, never besting him. Too in the Horse of the Year's favor was that Gun Runner was zilch-for-three in attempts at the race's mile and quarter length. I swear, does Bernier paint those things on? I also seem to recall Jewel releasing a sorta New Age album, back when we called those things albums.
All that actual race-stuff I mentioned in the previous paragraph led to Arrogate going off as the verily surprising to me, betting favorite. Didn't we already cover how the day treated favorites? Fresh outta the gate, with Arrogate under him, Mike Brown had to peel away from the rail the kinda ugly horse pulled him towards in a lurch. He was starting in the 1-hole, but he did-so also in the Travers and Pegasus -- winning both. Not here. Arrogate went on to fall flat half-way down the back-side. Mike Brown blamed the track and why not? He went from equine wonder to three-in-a-row loser on its surface. Bob Baffert was more judicious than blaming the track for every woe... though had no better answer.
My pick of West Coast came in third. Collected collected place. Two Baffert steeds. The race, and thus the day, belonged to Gun Runner. It was as solemn affair as much as 'twas a celebration. Ya hate to see a good horse go out bad. Although that seems a yearly thing now at the Breeders' Cup Classic, last year it was California Chrome being done this-way by Arrogate. No telling if Gun Runner will see the same fate next year -- or even if he'll see the track hereafter. It's 50/50 he'll be out to stud on the morrow. Where can I go to find them odds for myself, gentlepersons?
If he's back next go-'round, I only ask if he must play the role there of Chromie or Arrogate, that we go up, not down. Because what I feel we're seeing here is a copy of a copy and ain't those always a tick more dull than the original?
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"18 AGAIN"
