Happy St. Patricks Day

[Alabama Stakes]

Don't forget to wear some green. Orange is not advised unless you are in the market for a knuckle sandwich for lunch instead of corned beef and cabbage.

Back in the day it was a big day at Suffolk downs. A city holiday in Boston under guise of Evacuation Day, no one worked so they gave everyone the day off. Our nuns were sisters of Saint Joseph so we got the 19 th off too, to sit around eating Zeppoles . Anyway at Suffolk they would use green ink to print the programs and in the st Patrick's day handicap, they would put an O' in front of all the jockeys names to make them look Irish, except Gonzalo Prosper, who rode under the name Gonzalo MacProsper. A hoss named wearinothegreen won on st Patrick's day one year to the cheers of the crowd.

A month later we always had the Boston marathon starter handicap going a mile and a half where Jim Hannon, race caller extraordinare, would give his famous " they got a lonnnnnngggggg way to go as they hit the eighth pole the first time.