Mountaineer Mile update

After days of anticipating our post-BC return to Mountaineer, we ended up getting to the track late on Saturday. But we were still in time for the Mountaineer Mile -- and all of its scratches. By the time the race started, half of the entries had scratched. First out was Ask the Lord, and maybe that was a sign. By the time the race started, only four horses went to the gate, and the only question was whether Bernie Flint's Discreet Hero, the favorite, was the "horse for the course." He wasn't. Despite 4 previous wins at Mountaineer, Discreet Hero was never a threat to Presidentialaffair, who won by 16 lengths. The $2 exacta paid a whopping $9.80. All in all, rather anti-climactic.

For employees at Mountaineer, the excitement might just be getting started. The Mountaineer Gaming Group is threatening to layoff employees early next year if legislation permitting table games is not passed. It's odd to read this, when the parking lot by the slots palace looked so full on Saturday.

On a totally unrelated note, there's a rather moving article at Thoroughbred Times today. "Grieving the loss of a friend", describes how trainers, grooms, and jockeys deal with the emotions that follow when a horse breaks down and is euthanized. The article ends with a quote from Churchill Downs chaplain Ken Boehm:

"I believe there are horses in heaven ... Scripture tells us that Jesus will ride back on a white horse, so [horses] must be there if he’s going to come back on one. ... And I believe heaven is a beautiful place, and there are plenty of pastures with horses in heaven."

Kinda reminds me of West Virginia -- without the slots.