Just back from another disappointing and frustrating night at the Garden—the ineptitude of the Rangers on the ice makes my forays at the betting windows look successful by comparison. Ugh.
So a few random notes:
My DRF watch list informs me that Evening Attire worked four furlongs in :47.80 over the Belmont training track, the fastest at the distance. Dana at Green but Game alerts us to the DRF article in which Pat Kelly notes that the grey guy will run in a week and a half at Aqueduct.
In other NYRA news, the website contains a photo show of big moments in New York racing, beginning with Wood Memorial day at the Big A last spring. Check out Corinthian, Rags to Riches, Lawyer Ron, Curlin, Ginger Punch, Teammate, Lear’s Princess, and the aforementioned Evening Attire, among others; all photos are by NYRA photographer Adam Coglianese, whose work I love, and it’s a great trip through New York racing in 2007.
I was out of town on January 1st, so I missed getting my free NYRA calendar at Aqueduct; they’re now selling for $10 on the NYRA website and for about half that on ebay. I really, really want one.
The debacle of the synthetic track at Santa Anita has been covered in depth in too many places for me to be redundant here; my favorite comment comes from Steve Crist’s blog at the DRF, in which a commenter notes that the synthetic track is indeed preventing breakdowns; unfortunately, it’s also preventing racing.
Brooklyn Backstretch 
Oh no my snarky side is coming out – My favorite comment was the “Fun with Oxymorons – All Weather Track.” I guess they didn’t include monsoon season when then where considering possible weather scenarios.I really like Coglianese’s work as well. Just love the pictures that are so close you can see the into the horse’s eyes, like the one of War Pass. It would make a cool screen saver for my computer at work – everybody is probably getting tired of Barbaro! Good thing you wasn’t at Aqueduct on New Year’s I might have sent you through a second time to get me a calender as well -lol.
For you, Trip, I’d have swallowed my pride and been a spinner for your calendar.I liked the oxymoron, too. If the whole situation weren’t so awful, it would be funny.