The Canadian Sportsman
Archive for June, 2010
June 15, 2010
It’s only been a few weeks, but there has already been plenty of movement on the leader board for our 2010 Dream Stable contest as the big money stakes begin to ramp up.
As the updates are posted every Monday, we will also update this page with some interesting notes or trends in the contest. As always, feel free to make observations of your own by clicking “Comment” below.
As of our most recent update (June 14), trainer Shawn Steacy held the top spot, thanks in large part to his preference for Rocknroll Hanover colts, specifically Rock N Roll Heaven and World Of Rocknroll.
Steacy is joined in the top 10 this week by high-profile trainer Ray Schnittker (#10), who seems to be controlling his own destiny after selecting several horses in his care. In fact, all six two-year-olds Schnittker selected are from his own barn, as well as three-year-olds One More Laugh and Shaq Is Back (a write-in selection who has already earned close to $100,000 this year). In all, Schnittker reached outside the fold for just two of his picks, Poof Shes Gone and Hes Gorgeous.
Also making waves this week are the three entrants in the top 20 who benefited from the Bgs Folly’s upset win in the $500,000 New Jersey Classic on June 12 at the Meadowlands. The ‘Bg backers’ were led by the Ambsace Stable, which has climbed all the way into the second spot in the standings with the addition of Bgs Folly’s bankroll of $320,835, followed by eighth-place Out Of The Bubble stable and 17th ranked Barry Fitzgerald. Kudos to all three Dream Stable managers who were wise enough to include the upstart three-year-old pacer as a write-in selection.
By the way, if Ambsace, Out Of The Bubble or Barry Fitzgerald feels like dropping us a line, we’d love to hear the rationale behind the selection and how you came to write him in. If you’re out there, just click “Comment” below.
To see the latest Dream Stable rankings, click here.
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June 14, 2010
Jody Jamieson was a good sport to participate in Kelly Spencer’s day out at the Chicopee Tube Park in Kitchener, ON, but what is he doing in this picture taken by Claus Andersen?
Now…. You write the cutline. Click “comment”.
I don’t get all hyped up over much of anything any more. Truth is, I never really did. I’ve always been the kind of gent who resists whatever it is that everyone else is getting excited about, basically just out of spite.
I will get excited when I see fit and not one second before, and certainly not just because the newspaper or Oprah tells me I should be getting all riled up.
Right now, we are all supposed to be excited about soccer, aren’t we? Well, don’t let my Scottish-German heritage fool you — I’m not excited.
I’m not going out for a stiff drink at 8:30 in the morning. I’m not putting my ’87 Grand Marquis through the indignity of having to drive around draped in dollar-store miniature flags. And I’m certainly not watching a sport than can end in a 0-0 tie or a game that doesn’t seem to end at any specific time. It’s like watching a horse race with a surprise finish line. Nuttier than squirrel droppings, if you ask me.
Ever notice that they don’t even bother hiring a futbol colour commentator for the TV coverage? That’s because there’s not enough action to keep one guy busy, let alone two.
And that’s not even the worst of it.
My wife Bernie accidentally left the TV on CBC after watching that filthy Coronation Road show yesterday. I was napping on the couch and woke up to the most god-awful sound I’ve ever heard. It reminded me of a kid playing the clarinet for the first time crossed with the mournful cries of a beached whale surrounded by an angry swarm of bees.
My son Robbie tells me it’s just some sort of tribal horn that people bring into the games. Well, that’s just great. Congratulations, they’ve managed to bring the experience of flies buzzing around my head in Africa right into my living room in Ontario.
All this soccer hype sort of reminds me of racing. I’ve also grown tired of people telling me to be excited about all the big shot two-year-old horses from last year that are supposed to blow my mind again this year.
Just like I’m old-fashioned about clapping or cheering as opposed to tribal horns, I’d also prefer to wait and see who will be the best on the track in 2010 as opposed to predicting it months ahead of time.
So reading glowing reviews about horses that should come back and race just as well as they did last year impresses me about as much as getting stuck in a traffic jam en route to Flamboro because all the previously-closeted, local Slovenia soccer fans in Hamilton have taken to the streets.
Then I have to hear all about the ‘upsets’ that have been happening in the early stakes season. Well, guess what, they weren’t upsets to me because 2010 is a new year and I don’t give any horse the benefit of the doubt just because it was a two-year-old star. That’s why I look forward to this time of year, when everybody stops talking about who is going to be good and starts talking about who is good. Amen to that.
In the future, let’s just agree to save the hype for someone who is more easily led —soccer fans, perhaps?
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