Wednesday Backstretch with Gordon

The only reason I can think of that I woke up this Wednesday morning at four o’clock was that this would be my first morning out at The Red Mile for this year’s backstretch tour during the Grand Circuit meet. I couldn’t get back to sleep, and as I tossed and turned I remembered I had a dream. Actually, it was a dream about an upcoming race at The Red Mile, but for now I prefer to keep the outcome of that race to myself and see what happens. I’ll let you know after the fact and I promise I’ll be honest.

 

As I headed to the track I wasn’t sure what kind of traffic I would encounter as I got closer since one of the main roads downtown is closed for construction. Although the line of cars on Broadway was long and I feared the worse, the lights were synchronized enough so that I made it through in one swoop. I did take a glance at the gas stations, and so to get it over with—and about a half dozen people asked me last week at the Jug about the prices—gas was $2.22, $2.19 and $2.19 nearest The Red Mile, and at the latter you get a 3-cent discount with your debit card.

 

Anyway, when I arrived at the track I took my usual walk around the backstretch. The weather is a bit gloomy and the backstretch was quiet. There certainly doesn’t seem to be as many horses as in past years. So I figured I might as well go to Los Angeles. No, not the city, but the Bob McIntosh barn where he has a pair of daughters from the mare Los Angeles. The 2-year-old You See LA is in today’s 10th race, drawing post one in that division of the Bluegrass, while the 3-year-old West Of LA is in Friday’s 12th race, drawing post eight in a Bluegrass split.

 

Bob was wearing his usual Detroit Tigers ball cap so of course our first conversation was about the Tigers splitting the doubleheader with Minnesota yesterday and keeping their two-game lead in the Central division. We lamented about our Tigers blowing a seven-game lead over the past couple weeks, but Bob told me remains optimistic. Then we started chatting about his two fillies.

 

You See LA has three wins and four seconds in eight starts this year, and is coming off a nice win in a Simpson division. West Of LA hasn’t won in seven starts this year, and hasn’t found the winner’s circle in 10 starts overall since she won an International Stallion Stakes division last October here in Lexington.

 

"She trained back good but then she came down with allergies and breathing problems,” Bob explained to me. “She has been a bit of a disappointment this year."

 

Bob also trained the $214,000-winning Los Angeles, who he qualified at The Red Mile in 2003 but never raced here. He told me that she wasn’t eligible to any stakes in Lexington but he needed to qualify her for an upcoming race in Canada (the Three Diamonds, winning her elim and then sixth in the final). I also told Bob that I had done some research and discovered that the dam of Los Angeles, Witchtree, also raced at The Red Mile in 1993, winning a leg of the Kentucky Sire Stakes for trainer Alan Riegle.

 

I wanted to get a picture of West Of LA (You See LA was in detention for today’s race) so he had her caretaker, Nicole Pedden, tidy her up a bit. “We call Nicole ‘Pit Bull,’” Bob told me. When I asked why, he responded with a sly laugh, “Stick around a few minutes and you’ll find out.” I don’t think Nicole was too happy that her nickname was first revealed to me and now to everyone. Still, it was easy getting Nicole to smile for the photo.

 

Bob was holding the leash of his dog and he told me her name was Patti. I figured the dog was named after Bob’s wife, Patty, but he told me that the name came with the dog when they got her.

 

I figured I took up enough time—plus I didn’t want to take a chance on incurring the wrath of Pit Bull. So I wandered back, stopped for a few moments to chat trackside with Bob Stewart and John Cashman, then Myron Bell and Andrew Cohen, then Charlie Bowen and Nick Salvi in Charlie’s office, and finally Whitney and Sasha on the apron getting the flowers together for today’s races.

 

In closing, here’s what the weather forecast is for the next few days in Lexington: Today, a high in the mid 60s and clouds, but tomorrow is supposed to reach 70 under sunny skies. However, on Friday, the call right now is 70-percent chance of rain throughout the day, and a slight chance of more rain Saturday morning, but clearing by the afternoon and the great Kentucky Futurity card.