At Aqueduct for the Wood Memorial – April 3, 2010
Track listed as “Fast”. Visible sheen on the outside edge. So much steam rising from the harrowed portion that you could not see the first turn from the grandstand at 1:30.
Steady head wind for stretch runners all day.
By the time of The Wood Memorial you could see your breath.
The best seats in the house, Section 3-J were available all day. For Free. Free Parking! Aqueduct/NYRA could only attract about 8,500 people to this. The second tier of the sport. In the largest metro area in the country.
Eskendereya – looked slow in the paddock. Had two handlers, but no seeming need. Not snappy.
As I watched the post parade, a guy came up to me and wanted to talk. Said he had NEVER seen anyone in a G1 with front wraps. WHAT was going on with Eskendereya? He could only remember one time, in the Belmont,….
I tried to ignore him and he left me kind of rudely. Eskendereya wins by a ton. (9+ lengths) Tried to find the guy but no luck.
Reminds me that the track exceeds even the prison yard for the intensity of the baloney being served. Everyone is a liar. Everyone is deceiving or self-deceiving, or both.
“I would’a had that,but….”
“I had that one, I just didn’t bet him.”
“I had that one last time, remember, I crushed it.”
“Johnny on the rail!! Johnny on the rail!!”
The difference here is, New Yorkers don’t just have opinions, they have OPINIONS. Add 100% baloney to in-your-face arrogance and you get a long afternoon.
