Spending $700 billion on the backstretch with Gordon on Friday

It’s a glorious Friday morning in Lexington and as I walk through The Red Mile backstretch I was thinking about how to break the news that I was purchasing The Horseman And Fair World, compensating the owners generously and taking care of my co-workers—however not too generously since I wouldn’t want them all to quit their jobs since I plan to no longer do anything but sit back and enjoy the ride.

Oh wait! I forgot to mention that the above only comes to fruition if I get my $700 billion package from the government. And with there very little activity in the backstretch today I figured that the best story I’d get today was if I asked some people how’d they’d spend $700 billion. What a difference from just yesterday as there were empty stalls all over as trainers began shipping out as we head into the final weekend of what was a great two weeks of Grand Circuit racing.

So I first see veteran horseman Tom Merriman, and he didn’t hesitate to answer when I asked what he’d do with all that money. “I’d buy an island somewhere and head off there,” Tom told me with a laugh.

I saw Dan Shetler, and after telling him that I’ve learned he is just three winners away from his 2,000^th career driving victory, he simply replied: “I’d retire.” I bet he wouldn’t even be concerned about those next three victories if he got his hands on that money today.

I asked Jim Campbell the same question, but I told him that I didn’t want to hear him answer “a pizza parlor.” He did have a pretty good answer as he told me, “I would be a personal chauffeur for my son James, and I’d also buy him his own personal Toys ’R Us store.”

Doug Ackerman even broke the numbers down for me. “I’d spend 400 of it on horses, 200 on a farm in South Dakota, and 100 on pheasants so I could go hunting,” he said with a laugh.

Moira Fanning, who I saw a bit later, told me she would purchase a large farm and name it Moira Acres, and she’d ensure that no horse would go to slaughter and that every horse would have a place to live its life out.

But the one horseman I wanted to ask because I knew he’d have the best answer for me was Ron Gurfein, and he didn’t let me down. “What do I need $700 billion for?” Ronnie said, before telling me to get lost (with a laugh).

Back to where this all started, yes my co-workers, and boss Kathy, I would absolutely take care of all of you. Greg though, I’d make my personal chauffeur and valet, just as Jim Campbell would do with his son. And I would be very happy with something a bit less than $700 billion. And speaking of happy, Whitney Fields sort of made my morning as when I walked past her trophy stand she told me how much she liked my backside. Trouble was, she soon corrected herself and said she meant my stories from the backstretch, not backside.

Looking forward to some great racing today and tomorrow. It was a pretty good day yesterday, and I especially enjoyed seeing Michigander Brad Kramer come up a winner with the 3-year-old gelding trotter Son Of Nordic for trainer Bill Cottongim. I saw Brad before the next race even went off and he told me that it was his first drive ever at The Red Mile and that it was a great thrill. Brad passed 6,000 wins a little bit ago and it’s great to see how happy he was about his Lexington victory.

I did have to ask Brad what all those ‘x’s’ were on Son Of Nordic’s card and he explained the trotter had trouble trotting and went to pacing, but Brad obviously had that situation fixed yesterday.

Tomorrow’s Kentucky Futurity day and the conclusion of the two-week Grand Circuit stand. The weather is supposed to be similar to last Saturday—without the wind—with a high of about 73.

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