Joey Bianca's 2006 Saratoga Diary

[ateamstupid]

My last 36 hours [Jul. 30th, 2006|07:16 pm]
Saturday:

6:00 AM - Woke up and had Hooves drive me to the Greyhound stop in 'toga.

7:00 AM - Got dropped off at the stop and proceeded to wait for the bus.

8:25 AM - Bus finally comes and I hop on.

9:15 AM - Bus arrives in Albany. I buy a ticket to the city ($36.50!) and get on another bus.

12:10 PM - Arrive in the city, head to get some food.

12:40 PM - Hit up the most depressing OTB in the entire state in order to make my bets for the day.. This place makes other OTBs look like lavish Vegas casinos.. You could start a new planet with all the different species and creatures found in there. It's like a sick ****ing biology experiment. And the worst part is that it's in an upscale neighborhood, so it makes absolutely no sense for it to be so disgusting.

1:10 PM - Meet up with the folks at Penn Station.

2:00 PM - Board train for New London, CT.

2:15 PM - Brush fire on the tracks is delaying our train.

4:45 PM - We arrive in New London a half-hour late. A friend of the family drives us to her room at the Red Roof Inn, where I change into a suit.

5:30 PM - Arrive at the wedding, get seated, then proceed to wait forever for it to start.

6:30 PM - Ceremony finally begins. Anyone who bet the under on "when Joey's mom starts crying" is cashing heavy right now. She barely got through the doors without starting the faucet. Ceremony lasts about a half-hour, and is very nice. Matt and Jess are officially hitched and I'm really happy for Matt, who has become my favorite cousin.

6:45 PM - The bar opens..

7:15 PM - Three Rum and Cokes later, I'm trying to get my dad to help me figure out which girls aren't my third cousins so that I don't feel guilty ogling them..

8:30 PM - If you ever wanted to see an example of the "white people can't dance" stereotype, this was the place to get that look. It was unbelievable. I don't know what I was expecting out of a bunch of white people from Connecticut, but I was still blown away. I can't hate on them though, since they looked like they were having fun.

10:00 PM - On my seventh Rum and Coke, I'm ready to bounce..

11:00 PM - Up to nine RnCs.. Old man is a little tipsy himself, and we're ready to bounce.

11:25 PM - Board train back for the Apple..

2:00 AM - A few hours of really terrible sleep later, we return to NYC.

3:00 AM - Reach the house, which is such a ****ing tease, because you feel for a second as if you're done with work, then realize, wait, "I have to get up in three hours and go work another five weeks!"

3:30 AM - Pissed off that Corinthian and Lady of Venice let me down, I show my pops what kind of monster Bernardini is on Race Replays.. He's not a racing fan at all, but even he can see how special this colt is. Easily the second best horse I've ever seen, and who knows, maybe he becomes #1.. Pretty pissed that I didn't get to see him in person, then realize I'll probably get to see him when he's 1/20 in the Travers.

4:00 AM - Fall asleep.

6:00 AM - Wake up. ****ing sucks.

7:35 AM - Get on board train for Saratoga Springs..

10:45 AM - Long ass ****ing delay in Albany. As if I'm not late enough..

11:45 AM - Train finally pulls into 'toga Springs a half-hour late. I call Barry to let him know I'm gonna be late today. He's surprisingly understanding.

12:00 PM - Get into a cab to take me to the track. The driver spins around forever looking for this other passenger, whom she finally picks up. This woman starts babbling on about her sponsored daughter in Bolivia. She's got pictures and information and everything. I can't make this **** up.

12:30 PM - Finally at the track, and Barry sends me to Sam's place to work for the day.

It's 10 PM right now, and I'm exhausted.

Hooves' bitch ass was saying how this stuff should have more to do with the horses, but you know what? People go on DT for ONLY horse racing stuff.. There's only so much you can ****ing say. I like to mix in the racing talk with the other **** that occupies my time up here.. It's ****ing SARATOGA: DIARY OF A SUMMER.. Not Talkin' Horses..

But okay..

Tomorrow's card:

The opener is a three-horse affair between the 6, 7 and 8. I like Schosberg's horse in the second, and I love Spring House to pull the upset in the third. Andromeda's Hero and Bank President are the horses to beat in there. Working on the late pick four, which is started by a ****ing impossible NY-bred 2-year-old race.. If you're the NYRA racing secretary, and you have any semblance of a heart, why would you start the Pick Four with some garbage like that? It's disgusting. Songster is a single, the finale is between the 9 and the 10..

The Pletcher baby who won the second today reminded me a lot of English Channel.. Smart Strike chestnut, broke dead last, then rallied to score with a strong run.

If you let your skepticism get in the way of appreciating a horse like Bernardini, just stop watching the races.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback on DT.. See you tomorrow.