We discussed the day's races. First, Bobby G's friend's horse Step Dancer had competed in the 6th Race at Belmont in the Pilgrim Stakes, an open race on the turf at 11/16. Step Dancer, owned by Hayward R. Pressman (Richie), previously ran for the first time in a 11/16 turf maiden special weight race at Belmont on September 4, winning going away, coming from out of the clouds like lightening at 24-1.
Due to a colossal communication error I didn't know Step Dancer was running that day. Thus I had bupkus on the horse. Only several hours after that race did Bobby G. call and was surprised to hear I didn't have the horse on my Watch list. There is some news you just don't want to hear.
Thinking I was always on top of these things, Bobby G. didn't call or email prior to that race that Step Dancer was running that day. Bobby G. collected, but like any person who bets on a winning horse, he didn't have enough on the horse because of an anemic telephone betting account balance that was at a level just high enough to buy a large pizza with mushrooms.
Richie on the other hand did quite well and walked into an IRS exacta many times over that he was only too happy to collect after informing them of his social security number.
Getting my Watch list up-to-date I knew of Step Dancer's entry yesterday. As of course did Bobby G. and naturally Richie. The win was not to be repeated. Step Dancer ran well enough, finishing third a neck in front of the fourth place finisher, but a decisive four lengths back of the longshot winner Fire At Will. The odds-on-favorite, trained by Chad Brown, finished second.
Bobby G's unusual across-the-board bet saved his bacon a bit, but didn't result in making any money on the race.
The results of the Preakness run later in the day cemented everyone's shutout. The filly Swiss Skydiver pulled off a significant upset at nearly 12-1, becoming the 6th filly to win the Preakness. Joe Drape has that story
But horse racing stories are never over until the next race. And the story that doesn't appear in the paper is the one you provide on your own.
I forget who said it on the NBC telecast, but it was mentioned that Peter Callahan, the owner of Swiss Skydiver, gave the horse their name at birth when he got the alarming news from one of his granddaughters that she had been skydiving in Switzerland—successfully. Blended with the sire's name of Daredevil, Swiss Skydiver seemed like a name you could attach to the horse no matter what your grandkid had done.
I asked Bobby G. if he heard the story on the telecast and did he have any grandkids who had done some something just as worrying. He had.
One of his grandsons went skydiving somewhere on Long Island years ago. The usual "are-you-crazy" reaction eventually subsided, and they apparently only did it the one time—successfully.
Since my own grandkids are not yet old enough to legally sign any kind of waiver, I shared a story about my daughter Susan eventually confessing she had bungee jumped in Cancún with some girlfriends years ago—successfully. She admitted she didn't like it one bit, and would not look forward to ever doing it again. There is a God.
This is the same girl who a few years before that told us of a leap off a 10-meter diving platform. She's an excellent competitive swimmer and former Jones Beach ocean lifeguard, but platform diving, or even jumping, was not supposed to be in her wheelhouse. Apparently she only did it once. Thank God.
Owning or breeding horses is not in my future. Thus I won't get the chance to breed a mare to Daredevil and name if after my daughter, say Bungee Jumper. I'll settle for my usual ways of wining and losing at the races.
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