First Post: Saturday, July 9, 2011

Flag of South Sudan

Birth of a nation!

All right, all right, ya D.W. Griffith loversz. Say hello to this planet’s newest nation: South Sudan. It becomes the 54th country on the African continent, and its capital is Juba. Good to know, in case you get on one of those televised quiz programmes, or just want to be ready for your next round of pub trivia. (We know of a good ringer for your team, should you need one!)

The flag looks good, complete with the usual pan-African colours of green, red, black (and, to a lesser extent, yellow), though that blue triangular field seems a bit out of place. Quick, get the South Sudan consulate on the phone!

Sure. Free ones:

Rundown
Belmont 4, 6, 9
Calder 7, 8, 12
Hollypark 2, 5, 8

That Hollypark Race 5 is one of those infamous “Kitts (Anderson) Races”, so named for the erstwhile Vice President of Inside Sales at the Cynthia Publishing Co. in the 1990s. (When?!) The guy was notorious for pulling inscrutable miracles out of his hat in these bottom-level claimers. In today’s case, the exciting new LifeLiner Speed Column Analysis (b. 2010s) says this heat is a veritable scramble, a collection of eligible and qualified hard-knockers who take turns offing each other. Good luck!

Otherwise, the other eight races on the complimentary end are stakes-heavy. Have fun!

Pay-side:

Rundown
Monmouth 8, 9, 11
Woodbine 5, 6, 9
Ellis 3, 6, 9
Colonial 4, 6, 9
Arlington 9, 10, 11
Louisiana 3, 8, 9

Pretty good at Monmouth, even with the washouts on turf. Lukewarm at Ellis and Louisiana. The other three are worthy.

WMF Report:

Speed
Assiniboia 6f
Belmont 6f
Chas. Town 4½f, 6½f
Evangeline 6f
Finger 6f
Fairmount 6f
Hastings 6½f
Lincoln 6f
Lone Star 5f (T)
Marquis 6f
Mountain 6f
Monmouth 6f
Northlands 6½f
Keystone 6f, 1m70y (!)
Presque 6½f
River 6f (WMF 350)
Ruidoso 5½f, 6f
SunRay 4½f
Thistle 6f

Rally (Bona fide, now)
Woodbine 7f

Nocturnal Submission: Stabbing in the fourth at Chas. Town (8:33 p.m. EDT / 5:33 p.m. PDT), an open affair in which #6 Adam’s Intro can grab the apple. …Later on there, in the seventh (9:58 / 6:58), #10 Dixie’s Prize might whistle into the winner’s circle at a decent price. …Finally, one more tossup in the eighth (10:25 / 7:25), where the trizacta boxers of #6 Fred High, #1 Coastal Drive and #5 Preachin Heat figure strongly. …

So long. Best wishes.