Doing
a little housekeeping of my photo folder at home, and I came
across a couple photos to post. First off, how much do you really
know about yourself until you grow a moustache? You have to at
some point, just to see how it looks. Such fun. The moustache
was quickly removed.
Secondly,
here's a photo of our Travers Posters hanging in our living room.
My two favorites are StormBird, 2005 from when Birdstone won
the Travers in a deluge of rain. It was also our first Travers.
And Street Friends, the 2008 print of Street Sense and Grasshopper
racing to the finish. The prints are by Greg
Montgomery, and I love them. Looking forward to this years
print.
Bad
Photography... it happens. This summer one of the remaining B-17s
still in existence was in Rochester for over flight tours. I
decided to camp out at the airport in the hopes of getting a
shot. The flights were about a half hour in length and appeared
to be spaced out every 45min to an hour. I camped out at the
longest runway and waited, for about 45 minutes. I watched many
a passenger plane take off. Then I heard the drone of a large
plane, hopped out of the car only to see the B-17 in the distance.
It had taken off on a different runway. I quickly snapped a few
photos in desperation, and called it a day. When I got home I
found this fine photo.
Not
only did I miss the plane, but I got a nice shot of power lines,
a dumpster and the camera strap. Amazingly, zooming in reveals
this photo. I am simply amazed that the individual propellers
are visible with the speed they travel and the distance of the
shot.
Storm
Photography November
21ST, 2008
Whenever
there is a good thunderstorm, I like to try and practice my lightning
photography. Had several chances this summer. Its tough, timing
is critical. I also need to play with the camera setting because
I think I need to get a focus on infinity. Despite the tripod,
these photos still come out blurry. In this particular storm,
there was so much lightning, any strikes would get drowned out
in following flashes. Oh, well. Here's a few interesting ones.
The clouds in the last photo are like soft sheets!
'Best
Of' Cat Gallery Up November
9TH, 2008
Tracy
has been asking me to get a gallery of the best of our kitties
up so she can look at them as a break from work, or whenever.
Its a great idea, and I finally got around to doing it. Here's
the best of cat gallery.
Tigger
asleep
Photographed: 02-04-2006
Camera: Canon SD700 IS
Monkey
washing
Photographed: 03-25-2006
Camera: Canon SD700 IS
Monkey
in the sun again
Photographed: 03-29-2006
Camera: Canon SD700 IS
Coincidence? November
8TH, 2008
I
was going through my cat photos recently and stumbled across
this weird coincidence. Roll over the image of our cat Tigger
below to see a very similar image of a mural that I took on Park
Avenue 2 years ago. Eeerily similar... no?
Wind
Farm November
8TH, 2008
While
heading out towards East Aurora, NY I happened to drive by what
will become a new Wind Farm south of Darien Lake NY. It spans
Rte 20A just west of where it meets up with Rte 77 South. There
are around 20 of them right now, with more being installed. The
farm is not functional yet, and it appears to be built on land
that is used for agriculture. The wind turbines are pretty big,
and it was neat to see them. My odometer rolled over to 180,000
miles right where I took the first few photographs. View the
rest of the gallery of turbine images in my Photo
Gallery Page.
Wind
Turbine
Portugesemano'war
Races Again November
1ST, 2008
After
a few more trips to Finger Lakes to watch PortugeseManO'War race,
we have the third and fourth Portugesemano'war
galleries. He finished 3rd on October 18th in a race that saw
the Stewards uphold a rather large bump by the second place finisher.
On the race Saturday November 1st, he finished 2nd after the
2nd place horse was disqualified for bumping. However the incident
didn't seem quite as bad as the previous race. Go figure. Anyway,
enjoy the racing
galleries.
Finally
got around to posting some more of my horse photos from this
summer in Saratoga. Here are photos from the King's Bihop, Bernard
Baruch, and a claiming race where the winner was Slambino at
88-1! View the
gallery here. See if your favorite horse is pictured!
Thorn
Song
Photographed: 08-23-2008
Camera: Canon SD850IS
Its
been a really busy summer, and its tough to get everything in
order with all the trips and photos I've taken. And there are
even more trips coming up for the fall! But I felt, it was time
for an update, even if it is just a little one. Here's some photos
I like that I took this summer:
Waterfall
in the Woodlawn Trustees area on the Pennsylvania Delaware
Border
Butterfly
Close Up
Infrared
Horses, Again on the Woodlawn Trustees Area in PA
Mantis
and Thistle - So happy to see one, I haven't seen a Mantis
in Years!
Travers
Coverage August
24TH, 2008
Well,
we went out to the Travers this year and had a great time. I
am pretty devastated that Harlem Rocker didn't win, but I have
to tell myself that 4th place against those top horses is actually
really good. I am working on going through all my photos from
the weekend (All 270 of them). For now, here is a start of the Travers
Gallery.
Mambo
In Seattle
Photographed: 08-23-2008
Camera: Canon SD850IS
Saratoga
Trip 2008 August
24TH, 2008
We
had a great trip out to Saratoga, I am trying to go through my
pictures. For now, here is one of my favorite photos of Ginger
Punch racing down the stretch against Lemon Drop Mom. Ginger
Punch would go on to win by a nose in a photo finish. It was
basically a dead heat. Ginger Punch is a five year old filly
out of Awsome Again and owned by Adena Springs Racing Stables.
She went on to win the $400,000 Personal Ensign Handicap on August
22nd, 2008. She also won the 2008 Go For Wand Handicap on July
26th 2008. View photos of Ginger
Punch in my photo gallery.
Ginger
Punch races Lemon Drop Mom down the stretch!
Its
On! Travers 2008! August
21ST, 2008
The
Travers Stakes is set to go, and we'll be there. There are 12
horses running, the largest field since 1990. Its looking like
a great race. Entries are:
1.
Tale of Ekati (KY), 126, Edgar S. Prado, 20/1
2. Colonel John (KY), 126, Garrett K. Gomez, 8/1
3. Da' Tara (KY), 126, Alan Garcia, 8/1
4. Tizbig (KY), 126, Cornelio H. Velasquez, 30/1
5. Macho Again (FL), 126, Julien R. Leparoux, 6/1
6. Cool Coal Man (KY), 126, John R. Velazquez, 15/1
7. Amped (KY), 126, Jorge F. Chavez, 30/1
8. Harlem Rocker (ON), 126, Eibar Coa, 4/1
9. Mambo in Seattle (KY), 126, Robby Albarado, 5/1
10. Tres Borrachos (KY), 126, Tyler Baze, 15/1
11. Pyro (KY), 126, Shaun Bridgmohan, 7/1
12. Court Vision (KY), 126, Kent J. Desormeaux, 12/1
For
the record, my Friday morning picks are: Harlem Rocker to Win,
followed by Pyro, with Macho Again, Mambo in Seattle, and Tale
of Ekati rounding out the trifecta. Read race
details here at bloodhorse.com.
Portugesemano'war
Races Again August
16TH, 2008
We
headed out to the Finger Lakes to watch our friend Andy's horse
race again this Saturday. He actually ended up going off as one
of the favorites, but couldn't produce the big bucks. Portugesemano'war
was stalking the leaders, but when he made his move on the front
stretch, didn't quite have enough to catch up to the leaders.
He was beaten out by a nose for 5th. View the race photos in
the second Portugesemano'war
gallery.
Warm
Up
Photographed: 08-16-2008
Camera: Canon SD850IS
Trying
to Catch Up
Photographed: 08-16-2008
Camera: Canon SD850IS
Travers
News August
16TH, 2008
The
2008 Travers field is taking shape, and it looks like there will
be a field of around 11 or 12 horses this year. Its a welcome
sight, as I have gotten a little tired of the smaller fields
with one horse expected to win. I think this is a really great,
deep field. pretty much any horse in the field can win this race.
An update
from ESPN had this to say of the expected field:
"...Entries
will be made and post positions assigned for the Travers on Wednesday.
As of Friday, the prospective 11-horse field, with riders, looks
like Acai (Cornelio Velasquez), Cool Coal Man (Velazquez), Colonel
John (Garrett Gomez), Da' Tara (Alan Garcia), Harlem Rocker (Eibar
Coa), Macho Again (Julien Leparoux), Mambo in Seattle (Robby
Albarado), Pyro (Shaun Bridgmohan), Tale of Ekati (Edgar Prado),
Tres Borrachos (Tyler Baze), and You and I Forever (Kent Desormeaux)..."
Other
possible entries include: Amped, Court Vision, Tiz Now Tiz Then,
and the filly Music Note.
Rochester
Twilight Criterium Photos August
10TH, 2008
We
went downtown to view the bike races today in the Rochester Twilight
Criterium. It was actually pretty exciting, and then when the
rain came it got even more exciting as the riders tried to race
without crashing. It was a very neat event, and other than getting
screwed by the city of rochester civic center parking garage
to the tune of $6.25 for 2 hours of parking, I plan on returning
for next years event. Enjoy the Rochester
Twilight Criterium Photo Gallery.
Bike
Racing
Photographed: 08-09-2008
Camera: Canon S700IS
Bike
Racing
Photographed: 08-09-2008
Camera: Canon S700IS
Bike
Racing
Photographed: 08-09-2008
Camera: Canon S700IS
This
is a photo history of the trip I took up Mount Morris in Tupper
Lake New York. My trip was meant as an enjoyable hike to see
the views, fire tower, and benchmark disks on top. Having little
information about the mountain, and just my GPS and Topographic
Map with me, I set off to climb to the summit. Enjoy my Mount
Morris Photo Gallery.
View
to Tupper Lake
Photographed: 07-29-2008
Camera: Canon S700IS
The
Fire Tower
Photographed: 07-29-2008
Camera: Canon S700IS
Finally
got around to photoshoping some of my 2008 Saratoga Opening Weekend
Photos. I visited the track on Saturday July 26th for the Diana,
The Alfred G. Vanderbilt, The Whitney, and The Go For Wand. It
was a fun weekend, and I'd like to go again. Horse lovers, maybe
your favorite horse is in my gallery. Enjoy Saratoga
Photo Gallery.
Notional,
Jockey Edgar Prado
Photographed: 07-26-2008
Camera: Canon S700IS
Solar
Flare, Jockey G Saez
Photographed: 07-26-2008
Camera: Canon S700IS
Travers
News August
7TH, 2008
While
Harlem Rocker still hasn't OFFICIALLY declared he will race the
Travers, all signs are starting to point that way. Who will his
competition be? Well, Harlem Rocker's Half Brother, Macho Again,
won the Jim Dandy on August 2nd, and is expected to race the
Travers. So hopefully we'll at least see the two half Brothers
Face Off in a battle of the gray 3 year olds. Others expected
to race include Da'Tara, Pyro, Anak Nakal, and Colonel John.
While the field lacks a big name like Big Brown (overrated),
I think the field is actually one of the most diverse and strongest
in years. Hopefully Harlem Rocker isn't too favored, as I'd like
to make some money when he wins $$$$.
Here
is an article from the Saratoga Times Union discussing the 2008
Travers.
"...Hayward
said the Travers will still have a good field despite the lack
of star power. He pointed to last year's race, when an unknown
horse named Grasshopper battled Street Sense deep into the stretch
before giving way...."
"...Trainer
Dallas Stewart will saddle Jim Dandy winner Macho Again in the
Travers. He said he wouldn't have minded running against the
Big Brown he saw in the Haskell..."
"...His
probable competition will include Jim Dandy runner-up Pyro, the
Nick Zito-trained duo of Anak Nakal and Belmont Stakes winner
Da' Tara, trainer Todd Pletcher's Harlem Rocker, and Santa Anita
Derby winner Colonel John..."
Grasshopper,
Finished 2nd in the 2007 Travers, and 4th in the 2008 Whitney
Panoramic
Photo Gallery Updated August
7TH, 2008
I've
been taking quite a few trips this summer, and finally got around
to updating some of the panoramic photos I've taken. There's
5 of them new to the gallery. This Photograph is about a 270
degree view from the shores of Lake Millinocket. Taken from the
Camp of the Mayor of the Mountain, Hubert "Frenchy" Voisine.
The Mountain in the distance at Left is Baxter Peak, or Katahdin.
I hiked it over the course of 8 hours 2 days previously.
Had
a few interesting pictures to share with you today. First off,
we purchased a few orchids for our house as anniversary presents.
Our 5 year anniversary was July 18th, so we bought orchids. Four
our 4 year anniversary we bought a share in the Adena Racing
Venture 2, which has fostered our great love of Harlem Rocker.
Here's a few photos of the orchids, very poor photos actually.
I promise to post some better ones once we get some sunlight.
Things
Of Interest 2...
We
just had a huge rainstorm come through with flash flooding that
blocked many streets in the city. We got over 1.3 inches of rain
today in about an hour. When I got home from work I went outside
to grill us some dinner, and 2 Blue Heron's landed on my next
door neighbor's roof. They were huge. I happened to have my camera
just inside the door, and snapped a few photos before they quickly
flew away. They are quite big birds.
2
Great Blue Heron's on the Roof
Blue
Heron, Click to Enlarge
Things
Of Interest 3...
After
dinner I decided to turn the TV to ESPN to see what was on. It
was a Mets game, but since we are in NY, the Mets game was blacked
out because we need to watch it on a local sports station. Fortunately
our DirectTV receiver will try and search for the program on
other channels. I expected it to find the game on MSG, but instead
I got this...
Hmmm,
Channel 9323 TEST?
Harlem
Rocker Headed for the Travers? July
18TH, 2008
Grumblings
are afoot on the NTRA and picked up by ESPN today that Harlem
Rocker could be headed for the Travers at Saratoga this August.
The $1 Million Mid Summer Derby is one of the biggest races of
the summer. Quotes from Pletcher:
"Harlem
Rocker, who remained undefeated on dirt with his victory in the
Prince of Wales Stakes last Sunday, could make his next start
in the $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga, trainer Todd Pletcher
said Thursday. "I would say it's a possibility; I haven't
had a chance to speak with the Stronachs yet, but the spacing
is good," Pletcher said..."
Do
dreams come true? Being a pessimist, I would usually say no.
But I've been dreaming of seeing Harlem Rocker in the Travers
since he won his Maiden Race. We've got our tickets already,
and man, the Travers is one hell of a fun party each summer as
it is. I can't imagine how awesome it would be if we had a horse
running in it... and he won. Keeping all my fingers crossed...
Harlem
Rocker Wins 2008 Prince of Wales Stakes July
13TH, 2008
Today
Tracy and I drove the short distance (1 hour) to Fort Erie Canada
to witness the running of the Prince of Wales Stakes. Harlem
Rocker, the horse we own a share of through Adena Racing Venture
2 and Horse Hats Racing Club was running in the $500,000 8th
race. Morning Line Odds were 2-1 but he eventually went off as
the 4-5 favorite. We made some bets and were highly confident
of a win. Harlem Rocker did not disappoint, and won by a length
over East End Tap. It was a great race, and a great day. View
a bunch of the photos I took in our Harlem Rocker Prince
of Wales Stakes Photo Gallery.
View
a collection of my photos from my hike up Mt. Katahdin in Baxter
State Park, Maine. The peak is 5,267 FT High. Photo
Gallery.
View
Back over Knife Edge
Photographed: 07-02-08
Camera: Canon S700IS
Katahdin
Summit from South Peak
Photographed: 07-02-08
Camera: Canon S700IS
Snow
and Alternate Appalacian Trail
Photographed: 07-02-08
Camera: Canon S700IS
Harlem
Rocker to Race in Prince of Wales Stakes July
9TH, 2008
Harlem
Rocker is set to run Sunday, July 13th in the Prince of Wales
Stakes at Fort Erie Racetrack. Located just over the Peace Bridge
near Buffalo NY, this track hosts the second leg of the Canadian
Triple Crown. The race is 1 3/16 mile on a dirt oval. The total
purse is $500,000. 8 Horses will partake in this years running.
Harlem
Rocker drew post 4, and has morning line odds of 2-1. The favorite,
Queens Plate Winner Not Bourbon drew post 7 and odds of 7-5.
I think harlem Rocker has had some good workouts lately, and
will do well. Looks like Eibar Coa is back up top. I am planning
on making the trip to the track, as I only live about a 1.5 hours
away.
Pfrengle
Property, Chili
Photographed: 05-24-2008
Camera: Canon A400
Corbett's
Glen, South Entrance
Photographed: 06-15-2008
Camera: Canon A400
High
Falls Entertainment Area
Photographed: 06-21-2008
Camera: Canon A400
Urban
Spelunking June
21ST, 2008
Some
may say that I did a very foolish thing, but I also did a very
neat thing and took a trip to explore Rochester's old subway
tunnels this weekend. There is a lot of history, graffiti, and
neat things to see down there. I didn't come across any bums
or druggies, but I did see a guy on a bike in the distance, he
had no flashlight though, so he did not pursue me in the tunnels.
Pictures and a description of my trip are in my photo
gallery and portfolio page.
Subway
Entrance near South Ave
Photographed: 06-21-2008
Camera: Canon A400
Looking
West under Broad Street
Photographed: 06-21-2008
Camera: Canon A400
View
of the old Aqueduct Under Broad St.
Photographed: 06-21-2008
Camera: Canon A400
How
are you doing at Wii Votes? Do you vote? Well, how tuned are
you?
How
Tuned Are You?
Another
Winner in the Group June
16TH, 2008
Fellow
Hockey Player and friend Andy LaPietra has gotten into the horse
ownership fun himself by purchasing 5% of a horse from Hibiscus
Stables - Portugesemano'war. We joined him on a rainy Saturday
to watch his debut race at the Fingerlakes. Portugesemano'war
had raced before, but didn't seem to be performing at the higher
level at Aqueduct. He was purchased by Hibiscus Stables and brought
to the Fingerlakes to race. He did not disappoint as he battled
head to head with Phone Charger right to the line to win! View
some photos of the
race here.
Portugesemano'war
Battles Phone Charger
It
was a neat race. Read all about it in an article
from Hibiscus Stables. Tracy hit the win and the trifecta,
while I got the exacta. Andy placed more significant bets and
will also share some of the winnings. Link to Photo
Gallery.
Harlem
Rocker Update - Pointed Saratoga Way... June
15TH, 2008
For those of
keeping track, Harlem Rocker had a poor polytrack outing in his
Queen's Plate trial. I was wondering how often he worked the track,
and If they had an idea he may not like the polytrack or not. With
such low odds 1-5, I did not make a bet on him in the trial, and
he disappointed, finishing 4th. The plan was to continue training
and work towards the $1,000,000 Queen's Plate on June 22nd (Is
that in Canadian or American $$$$?).
Things were looking
up I felt when Harlem Rocker turned in a bullet workout Saturday.
Date: June
14, 2008
Track: Woodbine
Distance:
Five Furlongs
Time: 58:20
Track Condition:
Fast
Surface:
All Weather Track
Rank: 1/70
I was eagerly
looking forward to seeing him race next weekend, and had plans
to make the trip up to Woodbine for a day of betting and racing.
Then we got this update from Dave W:
"Although
Harlem Rocker's workout yesterday at Woodine was fast, he still
didn't like the track. He appeared uncomfortable on the surface
and Adena feels that it will probably be in his best interest
to skip the Queens Plate.
The plan
now is for him to reunite with Pletcher at Belmont and start
looking for a race at Saratoga."
Doh! Rats, I
had hoped to see him this weekend. But even more disappointing,
was that he had skipped the Preakness because it was felt his best
route was the Queen's Plate. I think he could have given Big Brown
(who I never liked anyway, and is obviously beatable) a run for
his money.
BUT... I have
said all along I'd love to see this horse race Saratoga, so maybe
this is a blessing in disguise. The Jim Dandy is held at the end
of July and the past 3 winners (Street Sense, Bernardini, and Flower
Alley) have all gone on to race and win the Travers. I love Saratoga,
and I would love to see Harlem Rocker win there... and take out
Big Brown in August!
STPR
2008 - Rally Race June
12TH, 2008
Last weekend,
my father and I went down to Wellsboro PA to attend the 2008 Susquehanock
Trail Performance Rally (STPR 2008). We had a really good time
and saw some really neat cars and drivers. I am attempting to get
some of the better images photoshopped and up for everyone to see.
I also have some videos posted on YouTube. Here is a sampling...
And
Some Videos:
View
some more pictures in the gallery
section of the web page.
Harlem
Rocker, Not So Hot... June
2ND, 2008
Well, we all
knew that Harlem Rocker was headed towards the Plate Trial on June
1st, but official confirmation never came until Forday afternoon.
I was out of town this weekend, or else I would have made the trip
up there, for what prmoised to be a easy race. I had hoped to make
a heft y wager on this race, and make some nice scratch, but when
I saw the past perfomrances the only horse in the same league as
Harem Rocker was Not Bourbon. From what I saw, Harlem Rocker would
go off at very poor (betting) odds. I was not surprised when morning
line odds came out a 1/1 for Harlem Rocker. There was no money
to be made here on what would obviously be a Harlem Rocker / Not
Bourbon Exacta.
After I saw the
morning line odds, I decided not to bet. I figured he would go
off around 1/5 for 1/3, and what is the point of wagering $100
to win maybe $25? When you could easily lose that $100, as anything
can happen in horse racing. If Harlem Rocker had worked out on
the Polytrack, I may have felt more confident in betting. How would
he behave on the poly track? Well, the answer may have been poorly.
I never saw the
race (link anyone?) but from Dave W. "Harlem Rocker ran
4th today in the Plate Trial at Woodbine. He seemed to struggle
on the surface and this may be a case of a horse not liking polytrack.
He looked to be "swimming" a bit around the final turn
and failed to launch into his usual stretch run."
More info from
Dave W. about Harlem Rocker's Performance "I spoke with Adena
today about Harlem Rocker and he seems to have come
out of the race OK. As of now, the plan is for HR to remain at Woodbine. They
have not given up on the Queen's Plate as an immediate target and want HR to
have a chance to train over the Woodbine surface before making a final decision
about his ability to handle that kind of track.
Coa said this
after the race: "He kind of made a move and realized it wasn't
his game and he decided not to run. He never made me feel that
he was handling it at the beginning of the race, I wasn't worried
about it. But he never picked up the bit."
Coa told Adena
that the distance was not the problem, and that HR was not really
acting like himself prior to the race either. He did not load easily,
and never really got into the bit at all during the race. I'm sure
we will get some updates on his training over the next week or
so and will let you know how he is doing."
Here are a few
more articles on Harlem Rocker's Disappointing performance:
Well, I don't
know what to think now. It would be easy to say, well the horse
didn;t like the poly, but how do we bet him at the Queen's Plate
now? Which horse will show up? I plan on trying to make the trip
our for the Queen's Plate this month. I can't wait to get some
photos of this fine horse. I hope he can rebound.
The
Streak Is Alive - 500 Homeruns Manny Ramirez! June
2ND, 2008
Why did I miss
the Queen's Plate Trial of Harlem Rocker? Well, because the wife
and I journeyed down to Baltimore Maryland for the Orioles game
vs. the Boston Red Sox, where we saw none other than Manny Ramirez
hit his 500th homerun! What a great moment. It was so fast, and
the Orioles wouldn;t show a replay, so I have to go to ESPN to
watch it again. It was awesome. So many Red Sox fans. A great milestone,
only 24 other players in MLB history have reached this point.
(Getty
Images Photo / Greg Fiume)
So
just 1 more to our list of great sporting events that we have attended,
which include:
Philadelphia
Flyers vs. Ottawa Senators - The most penalties in a single game
occurred in a fight-filled match between the Ottawa Senators
and Philadelphia Flyers on March 5, 2004 when 419 penalty minutes
were handed out.
Clay Buchholz
No Hitter - September 1st 2007
Manny ramirez
500th Home Run - May 31st 2008
??????
Photo
of the Week May
27TH, 2008
Had a good Memorial
Day weekend. We visited some nice parks, did some geocaching, had
a cook out, watched lots of car racing, and generally had a good
time. I've got a lot of neat new Infrared photos to share, and
some regular photos too. Here's one that I like, that I applied
the lomography effect to.
Jaguar
Lomo
I
also addded a panoramic photo I took of the High Falls area in
Rochester to the Panoramic Gallery Page.
ScaredyCat
Minicity Still Growing Strong May
16TH, 2008
Our Scaredycat
minicity is still doing well at myminicity's page. The current
population is 350 people. We have the ability to add population,
industry, transportation, and security. Keep up the good work loyal
citizens.
Goodbye
ducks, we hardly knew ye. The family of ducks that was living
by our front porch has hatched and left. As described on multiple
internet sites, they seemed to hatch and be gone within a day.
All that was left was a few egg shells. I think they made it
safetly across the street to the retaining pond in our subdivision,
and are living happily ever after.
Update: We heard from the neighbors that they saw them go
across the street early in the morning, around 10 of them.
They are happy at the end of the retaining pond across the
street.
Kind
Words for Harlem Rocker May
13TH, 2008
ESPN
has a pretty good article with some quotes about Harlem Rocker
not running the Preakness. Expect big things from him in the future!
"Harlem
Rocker's defection may have made Big Brown's task a little easier.
Harlem Rocker was coming off a victory in the Withers Stakes at
Aqueduct, and worked sharply on Sunday morning on Belmont Park's
training track. But Frank Stronach, who bred and owns Harlem Rocker
- and whose Magna Entertainment owns Pimlico - decided not to run
after conferring by telephone from his native Austria with Harlem
Rocker's trainer, Todd Pletcher. "He felt like it's early
in this horse's career, [and] it's a long year," Pletcher
said in his Belmont Park barn office Monday morning. "He wants
to play it conservative for now."
and from Pletcher...
"So, rather than
run in the Preakness, Harlem Rocker's goal is now the Queen's Plate
at Woodbine on June 22, a race that is restricted
to Canadian-breds. Pletcher wanted to go to the Preakness, in which
Big Brown will be racing on just two weeks' rest for the first time
in his career. "The
horse is doing well," Pletcher said. "He
had a very good breeze. You could make the case now might be the
right
time to catch Big Brown. But there are a lot of important races down
the road."
and from Dutrow...
"Richard Dutrow
Jr., who trains Big Brown, had said last week that the Preakness
rival he
would fear most was Harlem Rocker. When informed
on Monday that Harlem Rocker was passing the race, Dutrow said, "I'm
happy he's out. How could I not be happy about it?" "Plus," Dutrow
added, laughing, "I
don't like beating Stronach in big races."
Harlem
Rocker Not Preakness Bound May
12TH, 2008
We
got an update from Dave W. about the plans for Harlem Rocker.
"Mr.
Stronach has decided not to send Harlem Rocker to the Preakness. He
will continue to train for the Queen's Plate and that will be his
immediate goal."
So that's
it, he will not be headed to the Preakness. Harlem Rocker worked
5 furlongs in 1:00:10 Sunday morning, and an article
at NTRA had this to say: "If Harlem Rocker runs in the Preakness,
he would most likely be the second betting choice behind Kentucky
Derby winner Big Brown. If Harlem Rocker doesn’t run, Behindatthebar
could become the second choice."
From Pletcher: "That was the best I’ve
ever seen the gray horse work," Pletcher said of Harlem Rocker. "He’s
not traditionally a real willing horse, he was very willing this
morning."
"Big Brown’s task just got a little – or
a lot – easier with the decision of Harlem Rocker’s owner
Frank Stronach to bypass Saturday’s Preakness Stakes (gr. I)
and await the $1-million Queen’s Plate at Woodbine June 22."
“We really believe the horse has a bright
future, and (Mr. Stronach) decided to take a step back right now,” Adena
Springs Farm managaer Dan Hall said. “Our next main objective
will be the Queen’s Plate. Todd (Pletcher) is very high on
the horse and wanted to run him in the Preakness, but we almost always
take the conservative approach, so we’re going to be patient
and stick to our program.”
I think Giant Moon has a good shot at the Preakness.
But with an admittedly weak Kentucky Derby field, and no horses from
that field challenging Big Brown, how strong could the Preakness
field really be? I don't believe horse racing needs a triple crown
winner like indy car needed Danica Patrick. Do we really want someone
with as many drug suspensions as Dutrow to be the poster boy of thoroughbred
racing?
I am really hoping that Harlem Rocker makes it to Saratoga
this summer, for the Jim Dandy, or my favorite, The Travers in August.
Withers
Photos and Preakness News May
8TH, 2008
First
off, here is a neat article about the Preakness with a great quote
from Dutrow about Harlem Rocker:
"...and
Dutrow already is sizing up the prospective opposition for the
1 3/16-mile race. He said "Pletcher's white horse" -
Harlem Rocker, the Withers Stakes winner trained by Todd Pletcher
- is the only one that concerns him, but otherwise, a horse to
upset Big Brown "is going to have to be a really good one." "
"HARLEM
ROCKER is 80% owned by Stronach Stables and 20% by Adena Racing
Venture II, the 2nd of 3 syndicate packages of 6 horses offered
by Adena Springs.
According to Adena, there are no Canadian owners in the 20% but there
sure a lot of fellow bloggers out there who have little pieces of
the grey colt."
Her
website offers an intersting look at what's going on in thoroughbred
racing, and a wide variety of information on the Queensplate and
other Canadian races.
Harlem
Rocker to the Preakness? May
6TH, 2008
Well
the word is floating around... Preakness. Will Harlem Rocker go
there or not? Word from Dave W is that the Stronach family is deciding
soon, with consultation with Pletcher as to what to do. The latest
update from Dave W:
"Harlem
Rocker is scheduled to workout this Saturday. Depending on how
he comes out of the work, Pletcher will determine if he should
go on to the Preakness or head to the Plate Trial. At this point
Mr. Stronach has decided to aim for the Preakness, but only after
getting the "A-OK" from Pletcher.We should know which
way we are headed late this weekend or early next week."
Harlem
Rocker has gotten some mentions in articles about to who will face
Big Brown in the Preakness. Here are a couple articles:
I
remember a race in April, where everyone thought the favorite would
win, and very few horses entered. It was the G3 Withers, and J
Be K was so favored he "scared" everyone away, and there
was a field of 4. Well, Harlem Rocker won that race. So here we
are, Big Brown, a big favorite heading into the Preakness, will
Harlem Rocker be there to unseat him?
Some
Withers Stats on Harlem Rocker May
6TH, 2008
Dave
W sent us some stats on the best Beyer numbers for 3 year olds
this year. Harlem Rocker is in some good company with the 106 number
he put up at the Withers. From Dave W: "Harlem Rocker earned
a 106 Beyer number for his win yesterday in the Withers. That ties
us with Big Brown from a Beyer standpoint....Here is a list of
the best Beyer numbers by 3 year old colts this year:"
Horse
Track
Date
Distance
Beyer
Number
Motovato
CRC
25 Apr
7F
111
Bob Black
Jack
SA
26 Jan
6F
109
Big Brown
GP
05 Mar
1M
106
Big Brown
GP
29 Mar
1 1/8 M
106
Harlem Rocker
AQU
26 Apr
1M
106
Gattopardo
LRL
01 Mar
7F
103
Gayego
OP
12 Apr
1 1/8M
103
Georgie
Boy
SA
10 Feb
7F
103
Gayego
SA
20 Jan
6 1/2F
102
Also
A Picture of Harlem Rocker after he passed J Be K in the stretch
(Courtesy of Equisport Photos):
Watch
Out For Ducklings! May
6TH, 2008
Early
on in April, Tracy and I started noticing a duck walking around
in our yard. "I hope it doesn't build a nest" Tracy said, as that
might be tough to deal with, depending on where it made a nest.
Well, two weeks later I found that nest, right by our front door.
I counted 12 eggs that day, and then 13 the next day when I showed
Tracy.
Well,
now its the begining of May. The internet says allow around a month
until the ducklings hatch. I don't think the duck has been disturbed,
so we have high hopes for a bunch of ducklings. Again, the internet
says the babies should leave the nest with their mother pretty
soon after birth. We hope we get to see them.
These
photos were taken after I found the nest, and scared away the mother
while taken down our Christmas lights.
Harlem
Rocker Still Pointed Towards Canada? April
27TH, 2008
This
article from the Daily Racing Form mentions that Harlem Rocker
may still be pointed towards the Queen's Plate and the Queen's
Plate Trial at the start of the month of June. There's also a shout
out to the Adena Racing Venture, that we are a small part of. From
DRF:
Harlem
Rocker remains perfect in Withers
By DAVID GRENING
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Todd Pletcher's recent assault on North America's 3-year-old
graded stakes continued Saturday at Aqueduct when Harlem Rocker blew past odds-on
favorite J Be K inside the eighth pole to win the Grade 3, $150,000 Withers
Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths.
J Be K, who set
all the early fractions under Garrett Gomez, finished second by
7 3/4 lengths over Double or Nothing. Face the Cat was last.
The victory was
the third from as many starts for Harlem Rocker, a Canadian-bred
son of Macho Uno owned and bred by Frank Stronach. Harlem
Rocker is part of the Adena Springs Racing Venture, a package of
six Stronach-bred colts that Stronach owns with other partners.
For Pletcher,
the Withers victory comes two weeks after Monba and Cowboy Cal
ran one-two in the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland and one week
after Behindatthebar won the Grade 2 Lexington Stakes, also at
Keeneland.
While the Withers
did produce 2006 Preakness winner Bernardini, Harlem Rocker is
most likely going to target the $150,000 Plate Trial Stakes at
Woodbine on June 1 and then the $1 million Queen's Plate on June
22.
Under Eibar Coa,
Harlem Rocker settled into fourth position while J Be K set fractions
of 23.91 seconds, 46.41, and 1:09.53 being chased by Double or
Nothing.
Harlem Rocker
moved into third after a half-mile, came four wide into the stretch,
went past J Be K inside the eighth pole, and drew clear while lugging
in somewhat late. Harlem Rocker ($6.60) covered the mile in 1:34.50.
"I was a
little bit concerned that he was a little bit too close today,
but he took me there himself so I kind of let him be,'' said Coa,
who has ridden Harlem Rocker in all three starts. "At the
five-sixteenths pole I thought if Garrett and J Be K are just good
enough they're going to draw off and beat me, but I knew he was
going to finish. At the end he started playing around just because
he's still green, but he showed he can compete against these horses.''
Harlem
Rocker Wins GIII Withers April
26TH, 2008
I was able to
watch the race on TVG, and the analysts liked J Be K. "Simon" made
him his sole pick in his Pick 4 for the day. I hoped Harlem Rocker
would prove him wrong. Harlem Rocker was clean out of the gate,
J Be K to the front, followed by Double or Nothing, HRock and Face
the Cat. They stayed this way down the back stretch with J Be K
taking the lead and Harlem Rocker hanging Back in third with the
Cat. On the corner to the front stretch, Harlem Rocker made his
move, and Face the Cat started to fade. Harlem Rocker powered down
the stretch, passing J Be K who could not rally, and both of them
left Double or Nothing in the dust. Here's the results:
Harlem
Rocker Pointed to Queens Plate April
6TH, 2008
Word has filtered
through from Dave W that Harlem Rocker will be pointed towards
the Queens Plate, Canadas version of the triple crown.
It is run at Woodbine outside of Toronto on June 22nd. So you know
where I'll be in June.
Powerful Storm
ran an "uninspiring" race on Saturday April 5th and finished in
10th. He never really showed much interest in the race.
Harlem
Rocker did it again. Winning his second race, a $42,500 allowance
race from Gulfstream Park, on Sunday March 30th.
Don't
know yet when he will race next. Hopefully some class of stakes
race. Hopefully a race he will win. A quick search of google.com
on Harlem Rocker shows he is nominated for the Queens Plate at Woodbine
in Toronto June 22nd. It's Canada's version of the Triple Crown.
Since we live in Rochester, a quick trip up to Toronto is definitely
not out of the question.
I
added MP3 Audio for Harlem Rocker's win at Gulfstream on February
14th and Powerful Storm's come from behind second place finish
at Turfway on February 16th.
Because
of a VERY small share we purchased in a horse racing venture, we
can now be considered winning horse owners! One of our horses,
Harlem Rocker won its maiden race on Thursday.
It
was a great race. Harlem Rocker had a terrible start and dropped
into the trialing pack. Back by over 7 lengths at one point. On
the turn he started making up ground, and by the final corner he
went three wide and made for the lead. He seemed to race down the
stretch with little effort and won by 1 3/4 lengths.
Infrared
Digicam Modifications Update - Kodak DC280
February 5TH, 2008
I
added some pictures and instructions of how to modify a Kodak DC280
2.1 Megapixel camera to be an Infrared Camera. Instructions are
available from the Digicam Mods
Page.
Or directly from here.
Infrared
Digicam Modifications Update
January 29TH, 2008
I
added some pictures of an Olympus Camedia D-390 that I did not
modify to be an Infrared Camera because it was just too complex
inside. Hopefully the pictures I have taken will be of use to someone
who is curious what their camera looks inside. Pictures are available
from the Digicam Mods Page.
Or directly from here.
So
Far, So Good
January 29TH, 2008
Things
are going well at scaredycat minicity. We are able to add industry
and improve transportation. Only one click per PC per day though.
Population is up to 109!
Want
Red Sox Tickets? Get In Line...
January 29TH, 2008
Or
get in the "Virtual Waiting Room" more likely. Saturday January
26th was the day single game tickets went on sale for the Boston
Red Sox home games. I had 3 PCs running with 22 windows split between
them. Online from 9:45am to 5pm and never even got the chance to
order tickets. Never made it out of the waiting room. You know
the scalpers got them though...
Go
See Cloverfield!
January 23RD, 2008
I
went to see the monster movie Cloverfield last night, and it was
fantastic. I am still thinking about it. Just a
really great movie, and I highly recommend you see it in a theater,
as some of its awesome-ness will no doubt be lost on a smaller screen.
Everything about the movie was well done. A few nitpicks here and
there, but nothing major. Its the best movie I've seen in a looong
time. I love the quote I read from some dude on Youtube:
"okay, a lot of people said the movie sucked.
You know
why they thought the movie sucked? Because the ending
made you think,the entire movie made you think. And
people dont like that now a days, they wanna be told
what happens, cause noone has an imagination anymore."
Wasting
Time On The Internet
January 23RD, 2008
Ran
across this fun site that will let you know how likely it is for
you to have cannibal tendencies! Here's my percentage:
I've
been having a little fun recently with Adobe Photoshop Tutorials
that I've been finding online. There's a lot of neat effects that
you can add to your photographs to make them look really unique.
I first ran across some of these neat photoshop features after
reading about Lomography on
a photography blog. Seems that the trademark color saturation and
blurriness can similarly be applied to any photograph using some
common photoshop effects.
I
also ran across some neat tutorials for making photographs look
like the style from the 300 hundred movie, and Sky Captain and
the World of Tomorrow, which had a very unique blurry/sepia toning
to it. I also have tried out an effect that makes pictures look
like miniature models. I think it came out really good for some
San Francisco pictures I took several years ago. I am going to
try and add some photographs I have touched up to my
portfolio.
Lomography Example
Sepia Blur Effect
Model Effect
Do
It Yourself Infrared Camera
January 13TH, 2008
I
have added instructions for how I modified a Samsung
Digimax 200 camera to take Infrared Photographs.
There
are step by step instructions with photographs, and some sample
shots too.
Happy
Time...
January 13TH, 2008
Everything's
going pretty good at myminicity. Population is up, 43 people as
of Jan 13th.
Rocky
Run Trail, Middletown Twnshp, PA
Photographed: 12-25-07
Camera: Canon A200
View
of State College, PA
Photographed: 11-23-07
Camera: Canon A200
Rocky
Run Trail, Middletown Twnshp, PA
Photographed: 12-25-07
Camera: Canon A200
I
thought it was an interesting time to get this gallery up, as Kodak
has just announced it plans to discontinue production of its
HIE-135 infrared film. I believe that photographers can get close
to the same quality of images using digital cameras now, making the
film obsolete. Read the whole
article here.
The
2008 Travers field is taking shape, and it looks like there will
be a field of around 11 or 12 horses this year. Its a welcome
sight, as I have gotten a little tired of the smaller fields
with one horse expected to win. I think this is a really great,
deep field. pretty much any horse in the field can win this race.
An 
Grumblings
are afoot on the NTRA and picked up by ESPN today that Harlem
Rocker could be headed for the Travers at Saratoga this August.
The $1 Million Mid Summer Derby is one of the biggest races of
the summer. Quotes from Pletcher:
