Saturday Update

[RUFFIAN]

FROM DRF EMAIL REPLY RE STAKES FOR SATURDAY
Per Jody Swevy @ DRF

“Only stake currently on schedule this week is the Purple Martin at Oaklawn.” :tr

[cal828]

From DRF I'm guessing that the tracks that will be operating this coming weekend are Golden Gate, Gulfstream, Oaklawn and Tampa Bay. As you say, the only stakes is that one at Oaklawn.

[JolyB]

Very strange time to be a racing fan. The only thoroughbred tracks in the country running today are Will Rogers Downs in Oklahoma and Fonner Park in Nebraska. I think that tomorrow it will be only those two plus Tampa Bay. I'm somewhat surprised to see that Gulfstream is still running; at least they have drawn entries for Thursday. The way that they moved the mandatory Rainbow 6 from last Sunday to Saturday made me believe that they would stop racing immediately after the Florida Derby, but that didn't happen.

I'm sure that all of this is day to day and could be changed without notice. Public health and safety issues are paramount for the near term.

[JolyB]

Just read at DRF and HRN that Santa Anita will remain closed for racing this weekend pursuant to an order from the LA County Health Department.

About a month ago I had suggested that April 4 would be an ideal time for us to have an all stakes card, with Santa Anita, Keeneland and Aqueduct all hosting key preps for both the KY Derby and KY Oaks. How quickly times can change. All three of those tracks are closed to racing [Aqueduct is one of many special treatment areas for Coronavirus victims], the Derby and Oaks have been postponed until September, and as Ruffian pointed out, Oaklawn is the only track still running to have even a minor stakes race on its card.

[cal828]

I agree completely. I think we might make it through this weekend, but going forth, you have to think all racing might stop. I can't see how the Arkansas Derby can possible go a little over a month from now. The virus reportedly doubles the number of infected every 3 days. I am sure it may be ameliorated by people staying at home, but unfortunately, we've also got some people in this state that don't read so well and probably seldom watch the news and we are a bible-thumper state so there will be those that think they have to be at church whenever the doors are open. Seems very likely to me that the virus will come to the backstretch of Oaklawn and that will be all she wrote.

[RUFFIAN]

“...that will be all she wrote” . .

[cal828]

Originally Posted by RUFFIAN-333

“...that will be all she wrote” . .

Me too Ma'am. My entertainment consists of playing races, reading books, and watching Netflix while I exercise on a stationary bike. I will sorely miss racing, if it goes away and the friendship and camaraderie that people who have a common interest share, of course.

[RUFFIAN]

CAL

I empathize So strongly with your situation

Three years ago I lost my Dear friend + tenant of 18 years
{Criminal Type} = Who also played on this forum

Since then I have been alone with my Cat + Dog for company

Two years ago the ranch I had been at for 13 years = CLOSED

I had to move my horse to another location and at the same time
Lost all my Horse friends, Social Interaction + horses I loved seeing

4 Months Later My Dear Friend + Horse Helper was found DEAD
Sitting in her truck at the barn.. She was only 50 years old!

I only have 3 human friends none of whom live near me
i see My Best Fiend “Soul Sister” 1 day a week = IF Lucky

As a former Professional Enterainer, I used to go dancing once a week
But in recent years not wishing to drive in the dark ~
{Drunks, Deer, Drunk Deer, NO Streetlights Where I Live}

My only form of “Entertainment” + Joy {Kittens Joy Of Course}
My Cat ~ My Dog ~ My Horse ~ DVR + Thoroughbred Racing Contests

My Deepest Heartfelt Hope ~

In the event of what seems inevitable = all the tracks shut down
We continue a conversation on this forum
If only to share Horse stories or discuss other topics

Please don’t let the forum go the way of the Dodo Bird ~
This too shall pass ... though it may take a while

Horses will be running on the track again
And hopefully we will all still be here together

[cal828]

I am alone most of the time except for my 3 dogs. My son and daughter both live in Little Rock. She is a physician and he works for a TV station as a video editor. I have until fairly recently spent a lot of time in Little Rock seeing after my daughter's 3 kids and her dogs too while she was delivering babies at night, but I guess I won't be doing that anymore as the kids are teenagers now and don't need as much looking after. Seems strange that they no longer need me. Can't tell you how many times I've had to take them to soccer or football or baseball or basketball or to the doctor when they were sick or to the orthodontist. My daughter is a great mother, but when you're a doctor you don't get to take off to do a lot of things for your kids.

My son comes home about once a month for the weekend. We usually binge watch something on Netflix like Ozark. Not only does he work in TV, he likes to watch a lot of it. We also watch Jeopardy together and some other game shows.
He is a talented and smart person. He has won 3 Emmys, not individually, but with his workmates, the reporters and writers. I had one of the videos he worked on that won an Emmy. Probably still have that saved on my computer somewhere. It's about a Belgian teen that takes care of the grave of an American soldier from Arkansas that was killed in World War 2. Very patriotic stuff. My son put the whole piece together and did the graphics for it.

I imagine that we will continue to chat back and forth here. I am sure everyone certainly knows only too well that I am chatty. Don't know what we will talk about, but it probably doesn't matter much. It will be good to just hear how everyone is coping.

Sorry to hear about your friend that died at such a young age. That must have been traumatic and it sounds like you've been through a lot of other trauma. The death of my wife a couple of years ago was traumatic for me. I am a bit of a homebody, but she was a goer and liked nothing better than a trip to New York or Los Angeles or Chicago. If she were still here I have no doubt that she would be dragging me on a plane bound for somewhere, but I am exaggerating a bit. We had some good times together and I'm glad to have gone with her.

[JolyB]

Whatever happens to the racing world over the next couple of months [like Cal, I fear more tracks will have to close], I will commit to continuing to check in to this forum frequently to see how everyone is doing and to post things that may be of interest to others, whether or not equine related. It is bound to help the morale of those who are sheltering in place and are being bombarded by nothing but bad news on TV and elsewhere on the net. Who knows, we may learn of common interests we have with one another other than thoroughbred racing.

I thought that I'd share some of the good things that people up here are doing outside of the massive government efforts. Here are a couple: Some tech savy folks have started using their 3-D printers to make surgical masks which are in such short supply; a local maker of distilled spirits [yankee moonshine?] has started using one of its production lines to make hand sanitizer to help alleviate the supply shortage. Apparently the ingredients are very similar. Their booze is so potent that no bacteria has a chance against it. I tried some of their primary product a few years ago and it reminded me of some of the stuff we drank in college.;

In additional to health, people are very anxious about financial matters as the number of jobless skyrockets. Our Governor comes from a career in the financial markets [after all, Fairfield County is the hedge fund capital of the world] and has strong armed a large number of banks and credit unions to agree to a forbearance of payments on mortgages for up to a 90 days period for customers who are adversely affected by the coronavirus. This isn't a blanket order, but the chance to work out a postponement of payment without late fees, default or adverse credit report on a case by case basis. Similarly, landlords have been "encouraged" to delay any eviction proceedings during this crisis. There will be a lot of pieces to pick up afterwards, but at least strong efforts are being made for society to weather the storm and then deal with the cleanup after the storm has passed.

Stay well my friends.

[RUFFIAN]

CAL
{ “ it sounds like you've been through a lot of other trauma.” }

Much More

Adopted at 2 after abandoned as baby
Dad killed by man running stop sign when I was a teen
Husband killed in car crash
Lost my Beloved Arabian in 1 Night to Colic after 14 Years of Love
Lost my other Arabian to a freak accident by someone else

Life can be a Harsh teacher
But if we are wise enough to learn from it
Then we survive stronger

I have learned to appreciate what I have today
For tomorrow may never come

Never put off today what you think you can do tomorrow!
If you love somebody ~
Whether it be 2 Legs or 4 legs = SHOW THEM

[cal828]

I'm sorry to hear that all that happened to you ma'am, but you don't seem to have let it get you down. I doubt that any of us has had an ideal time of it, but compared to you I think that I have had a charmed existence. Hopefully all that will continue, but maybe not. I receive part of my retirement income from the State of Arkansas Retirement System and that will probably continue unabated, but it and lots of other retirement systems are invested in the stock market which as you know isn't doing all that well. I probably don't really have much to worry about though. Arkansas is a balance budget state and so it does not go into debt and probably is doing well compared to other states.

[RUFFIAN]

CAL
“...but you don't seem to have let it get you down”

YOU CANNOT MOVE FOREPWARD
IF U KEEP LOOKING BACK

A QUOTE I TRY TO LIVE BY

“DO NOT CRY BECAUSE SHE IS GONE
~ SMILE FOR THE TIME YOU SHARED”