Deconstruction

News from the Weekend:

Of course the big news as far as this blog is concerned was the 2010 NHC Finals.

From the DRF: “Troop only had one winner and a second-place horse on the day, but it was enough as only four competitors were able to surpass his Day 1 score. Robert Gregory, 53, of Durango, Colo., finished second with a score of $249.80 to collect $150,000. Tim Simmons, 55, of Lexington, Ky., was third at $249.20 to win $100,000 plus another $5,000 for having the top Day 2 score of $181.80. Brian Herrity, 53, of Mankato, Minn., was fourth at $240.80 to take home $40,000 as well as another $1,000 for having Saturday's third-highest score. Elaine Kowaleski, 57, of Farmingdale, N.J., was fifth with $237.80 and earned $25,000 plus $2,500 for having Saturday's second-highest score.

Even though he only scored $33.40 on Saturday, Troop still posted the third-highest winning score in NHC history under the current format - instituted after Steven Walker won NHC I with a score of $305.40 from 40 total plays. Only Steve Wolfson Jr.'s $279.60 in NHC VI and Richard Goodall's $272.30 in NHC IXwere higher than Troop's score this weekend. Troop's Day 1 score was higher than three past champions' two-day scores.

NHC finalists represent the sites where they qualified for the finals. Troop made the field at the Turfway Park tournament on Dec. 6. He finished fourth in the tournament that awarded three spots but was moved up because two of the players ahead of him had already qualified for the NHC. Troop, a member of the NHC Tour that uses qualifying tournaments throughout the year as a circuit, would have still qualified as one of the tour's top point-earners. Three of the top five finishers qualified in online tourneys: Gregory (TwinSpires.com), Simmons (TVG.com) and Kowaleski (NHCQualify.com). Herrity earned his seat by finishing second in the $10,000 buy-in Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge at Santa Anita on Nov. 6-7.

In all, the top 30 finishers were paid out of a purse of $947,850.”

As for this blog, after testing various formats throughout January, I’ve settled on a little closing summary format. Some combination of one or all will summarize the day.

The Day: (From 1 to 3 plusses or minuses)
Hottie: (Favorite play of the day)
Dream-Maker: (Longshot/highest odds play of the day)
Heart-Breaker: (The play that didn’t score)
Stable-Baker: (Horses that go into Stable Watch as they just need a bit more time)
Bank-Raker: (Play that cashed the best)
Video-Taker: (Replay worth watching)

The Bon Vivant took a little spill today. We are still thawing out from the weekend of snow and ice, and the ice got her. Nasty little gash/lump on the back of the head with a couple of stitches. Maybe I’ll get her a jockey cap to wear around, that should draw some stares. Maybe I’ll get me a riding crop.


Slip Sliding Away, You know the nearer your destination, the more you slip sliding away. ~ Paul Simon
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