Thank you for your humanity, Muhammad Ali. You are forever The Greatest.
It was the early 1970s in New York City. The traffic around the Holland Tunnel was crawling. This was New York City in the early 1970s: gritty, grimy, ready to fail at any moment. A giant-painted Hotel Bar Butter advertisement was fading away on the side of a condemned redbrick building. Horns were honking on top of the slow rumble over cobblestone streets. This was the real New York City, not the prettified safe zone it now resembles. Back then, there was no Disneyfication, no infantilization, just Nixon and Vietnam and heat and anger. A middle-aged immigrant father from the Philippines is stuck in the traffic approaching the tunnel, trying to keep his young kids in the car with him calm. All of a sudden, the Filipino rolls down the driver-side window and punches his left fist into the carbon monoxide. He yells, ‘Ali! Muhammad Ali!’
His two young sons stop their bickering. They are transfixed. Later he will tell them that he has just spotted Muhammad Ali riding in a limousine next to their car, all of them stuck in traffic. ‘Ali!’ The father will claim that Ali gave him a fist-gesture in return. The boys listen. They will remember this long after their father dies. The younger son — who once identified nuns as ‘church girls’ — will tell his mother excitedly when he arrives home, ‘Dad says we saw Mahollie Dollie!’
The older one will look back some 40-odd years later and think of his dad, Ali, blacks, Filipinos, Indonesians, Asian-Islanders retaining traces of Islamic culture, all of those things as though they possess some universal connection. But mainly he will realize that in that moment those many years ago, his dad was not merely acknowledging Ali’s fame, but also saluting his courage. And at this, the older son cannot help but feel more than a little grateful.
Today’s Stakes Pageantry: Belmont 8 on the free page. Arlington 7, Churchill 9, Woodbine 8 on the pay-side.
Should be OK for #6 Kiss to Remember in Gulf 10. Likewise #7 Awesome Banner in the next race there.
More chalk on tap in Churchill 10: #3 Limousine Liberal.
Also obvious is #11 Brandy’s Girl in Monmouth 10.
Contentious in Pimlico 8, and #8 Ramblin N Gamblin can do it.
#5 Patty’s Treasure edges out Assiniboia 4.
A free-for-all in Evangeline 6, with #1 Zendelphian, #6 Rate Maker, #5 Bill’s Production comprising an insane trizacta triumvirate.
Should be a scramble in PennNat 4, with #7 Unbridled Daddy meriting live-longshot-type status.
Six-to-five on the morning line is probably about right for #6 Disco Chick in Keystone 5. Another legit fave appears to be #4 Eighth Wonder in the — yup, you guessed it ’ eighth there. However, the patented Equine Lotto-Ball Hopper gets rolled out for Race 10, and #1A Duff/#1 Edge of Reality, #8 Red Doctober and #2 Cardio Cowboy are not out of it.
OK. Exhale. Too much horseys. Sometimes.
Yesterday’s Activity:
Track (Win Mutuels $20+/Gettable)
Arlington (1/0) — John Lackey & Cubs blank visiting Arizona, 6-nil; Addison Russell and Javier Baez each drove in a pair.
Arapahoe (2/1) — Dual Qualifier Slew Up His Sleeve (91, 89) won a noncontentious finale at $20.20; ’Sleeve went gate-to-wire to win by 1½, though maybe only High-Octane Chancers were going to cash in on him. Good work.
Assiniboia (0/0) — Tornado touches down near Elgin.
Belmont (1/0) — Jankees lose at Balto., 6-5; New York’s Carlos Beltran, still in the league, had a 2-run HR, his 13th of the season.
Belterra (0/0) — Reds trounce visiting Wash., D.C., 7-2; Eugenio Suarez went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and a solo HR, his 13th of the season.
Canterbury (0/0) — Host Twins fall to Tampa Bay, 4-2; Trevor Plouffe went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the loss.
Churchill (1/1) — Publicly touted Storm Temple Pilot won a contentious Race 6 for Scott Weiland at $35.80; ’Pilot was a Dual Qualifier (87, 85) who went gate-to-wire to win by 1. Good work.
Chas. Town (2/1) — Lunar Odyssey had a good-enough LifeLiner Speed Column analysis rating in a contentious Race 5; he closed like the champion he could have been, winning by a clean head at $40.20. Good work.
Emerald (0/0) — Mariners lose at Texas, 7-3; Kyle Seager went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Seattle.
Evangeline (1/0) — St. Martinville P.D. arrest 2 for narcotics following search.
Finger (2/1) — Dual Qualifier Bail Bondsman (87, 94) went gate-to-wire to win by 1 in a contentious finale, paying $23-even. Good work.
Golden Gate (1/1) — A contentious Race 5 filled with first-timers found Mystical Image with a fine connection-line readout of 12pc/23pc/17pc; he won by 3 at $35-straight. Good work.
Gulf (1/0) — Host Marlins lose to Mets, 6-2; Florida’s Marcell Ozuna homered, his 11th of the season.
Hazel (0/0) — Tigers rout visiting White Sox, 10-3; Ian Kinsler, Victor Martinez and James McCann each drove in 2 runs for Detroit.
Indiana (2/2) — Babe the Bull had a qualifying 83 on the LifeLiner Speed Column analysis in a contentious Race 6; she rallied to win by 2 at $37.40. Next race, the dynamic was not contentious, but Pilot House had the squeaking-by 80 on the LifeLiner Spread Column analysis; he went nearly gate-to-wire to win by a clean half-length at $24.20. Good work.
Los Alamitos (0/0) — Angels clobber host Pgh., 9-2; Yunel Escobar, Kole Calhoun and Gregorio Petit each drove in a pair for Los Anaheim.
Louisiana (1/0) — High water temporarily closes several boat-launch areas on Red River.
Lone Star (1/0) — See Emerald commentary.
Marquis (0/0) — Police arrest man who carried loaded gun and drugs in Sask. resto.
Monmouth (1/½) — Not a contentious race, the opener, but Old-School Champeens will have seen the Fair Odds of 5-1 on the debuting Phone My Posse, possessor of a fine connection-line readout 10pc/13pc/21pc. Phone My Posse won by 1¾ at $62.20. Half a get here.
Northlands (1/0) — Motor home on fire causes evening traffic delays west of Edmonton.
PennNat (1/0) — Host Fightin’ Phils end 7-game losing streak with 6-3 win over Milwaukee; Andres Blanco had a 3-run HR for Philalala.
Pimlico (2/0) — Orioles edge visiting Jankees, 6-5; Chris Davis hit his 11th HR of the season for Balto.
Prairie (3/2) — Race 6 found Durantula, 83 on the LifeLiner Speed Column analysis in a noncontentious race, winning by 3 parts of a length at $24.40; probably High-Octane Chancers would have been required to take that one. Next race, also not contentious, Gospel Arrow, the best LifeLiner Spread Column analysis rating in the field (89), went gate-to-wire at $54.60; another one for the High-Octane Chancers. Good work.
Santa Anita (2/2) — No public touting of Race 6 winner Bendable possible, due to low 4-1 odds on the morning line; however, Bendable was atop the contentious, conventional V6 Betting Line at Fair Odds of 3-1 and with a connection-line readout of 18pc/17pc/16pc; High-Octane Chancers and Old-School Champeens collected $31.40 on the win-end. In the finale, publicly touted Rosarita, a Dual Qualifier (90, 83) in a contentious race, went gate-to-wire to win by 1 at $26-straight up top. Good work.
Thistle (0/0) — Host Indians whip K.C., 6-1; Danny Salazar pitched 8 innings of 1-run baseball for his 6th win of the season.
Woodbine (1/0) — Visiting Blue Jays beat Boston, 5-2; Juan Encarnacion and Devon Travis hit homers for Toronto.
WMF Report:
Early Assiniboia 5½f Churchill 6f Chas. Town 4½f Finger 6f Fairmount 6f Gulf 6f Hastings 6½f Los Alamitos 4½f Mountain 1m Northlands 6f PennNat 6f Keystone 6f Prairie 5½f (WMF 1000), 1m70y Santa Anita 6f
Nocturnal Submission: Sifting through the wreckage…
First Post: Saturday, June 4, 2016
Thank you for your humanity, Muhammad Ali. You are forever The Greatest.
It was the early 1970s in New York City. The traffic around the Holland Tunnel was crawling. This was New York City in the early 1970s: gritty, grimy, ready to fail at any moment. A giant-painted Hotel Bar Butter advertisement was fading away on the side of a condemned redbrick building. Horns were honking on top of the slow rumble over cobblestone streets. This was the real New York City, not the prettified safe zone it now resembles. Back then, there was no Disneyfication, no infantilization, just Nixon and Vietnam and heat and anger. A middle-aged immigrant father from the Philippines is stuck in the traffic approaching the tunnel, trying to keep his young kids in the car with him calm. All of a sudden, the Filipino rolls down the driver-side window and punches his left fist into the carbon monoxide. He yells, ‘Ali! Muhammad Ali!’
His two young sons stop their bickering. They are transfixed. Later he will tell them that he has just spotted Muhammad Ali riding in a limousine next to their car, all of them stuck in traffic. ‘Ali!’ The father will claim that Ali gave him a fist-gesture in return. The boys listen. They will remember this long after their father dies. The younger son — who once identified nuns as ‘church girls’ — will tell his mother excitedly when he arrives home, ‘Dad says we saw Mahollie Dollie!’
The older one will look back some 40-odd years later and think of his dad, Ali, blacks, Filipinos, Indonesians, Asian-Islanders retaining traces of Islamic culture, all of those things as though they possess some universal connection. But mainly he will realize that in that moment those many years ago, his dad was not merely acknowledging Ali’s fame, but also saluting his courage. And at this, the older son cannot help but feel more than a little grateful.
Free ones: Rundown…
Belmont 1, 6, 7, 8, 9
Gulfstream Park Proper 1, 4, 7, 8
Santa Anita 9, 10
Pay-side (Weekend/Weekday): Today…
Arlington 4, 5, 7
Belterra 2, 4, 6, 7, 8
Churchill 6, 7, 9, 11
Delpark 6, 8
Golden Gate 3, 4, 6, 8
Louisiana 5, 7
Lone Star 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Monmouth 2, 3, 7, 9, 11
Pimlico 4
Woodbine 4, 8
Today’s Stakes Pageantry: Belmont 8 on the free page. Arlington 7, Churchill 9, Woodbine 8 on the pay-side.
Should be OK for #6 Kiss to Remember in Gulf 10. Likewise #7 Awesome Banner in the next race there.
More chalk on tap in Churchill 10: #3 Limousine Liberal.
Also obvious is #11 Brandy’s Girl in Monmouth 10.
Contentious in Pimlico 8, and #8 Ramblin N Gamblin can do it.
#5 Patty’s Treasure edges out Assiniboia 4.
A free-for-all in Evangeline 6, with #1 Zendelphian, #6 Rate Maker, #5 Bill’s Production comprising an insane trizacta triumvirate.
Should be a scramble in PennNat 4, with #7 Unbridled Daddy meriting live-longshot-type status.
Six-to-five on the morning line is probably about right for #6 Disco Chick in Keystone 5. Another legit fave appears to be #4 Eighth Wonder in the — yup, you guessed it ’ eighth there. However, the patented Equine Lotto-Ball Hopper gets rolled out for Race 10, and #1A Duff/#1 Edge of Reality, #8 Red Doctober and #2 Cardio Cowboy are not out of it.
OK. Exhale. Too much horseys. Sometimes.
Yesterday’s Activity:
Track (Win Mutuels $20+/Gettable)
Arlington (1/0) — John Lackey & Cubs blank visiting Arizona, 6-nil; Addison Russell and Javier Baez each drove in a pair.
Arapahoe (2/1) — Dual Qualifier Slew Up His Sleeve (91, 89) won a noncontentious finale at $20.20; ’Sleeve went gate-to-wire to win by 1½, though maybe only High-Octane Chancers were going to cash in on him. Good work.
Assiniboia (0/0) — Tornado touches down near Elgin.
Belmont (1/0) — Jankees lose at Balto., 6-5; New York’s Carlos Beltran, still in the league, had a 2-run HR, his 13th of the season.
Belterra (0/0) — Reds trounce visiting Wash., D.C., 7-2; Eugenio Suarez went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and a solo HR, his 13th of the season.
Canterbury (0/0) — Host Twins fall to Tampa Bay, 4-2; Trevor Plouffe went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the loss.
Churchill (1/1) — Publicly touted Storm Temple Pilot won a contentious Race 6 for Scott Weiland at $35.80; ’Pilot was a Dual Qualifier (87, 85) who went gate-to-wire to win by 1. Good work.
Chas. Town (2/1) — Lunar Odyssey had a good-enough LifeLiner Speed Column analysis rating in a contentious Race 5; he closed like the champion he could have been, winning by a clean head at $40.20. Good work.
Emerald (0/0) — Mariners lose at Texas, 7-3; Kyle Seager went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Seattle.
Evangeline (1/0) — St. Martinville P.D. arrest 2 for narcotics following search.
Finger (2/1) — Dual Qualifier Bail Bondsman (87, 94) went gate-to-wire to win by 1 in a contentious finale, paying $23-even. Good work.
Golden Gate (1/1) — A contentious Race 5 filled with first-timers found Mystical Image with a fine connection-line readout of 12pc/23pc/17pc; he won by 3 at $35-straight. Good work.
Gulf (1/0) — Host Marlins lose to Mets, 6-2; Florida’s Marcell Ozuna homered, his 11th of the season.
Hazel (0/0) — Tigers rout visiting White Sox, 10-3; Ian Kinsler, Victor Martinez and James McCann each drove in 2 runs for Detroit.
Indiana (2/2) — Babe the Bull had a qualifying 83 on the LifeLiner Speed Column analysis in a contentious Race 6; she rallied to win by 2 at $37.40. Next race, the dynamic was not contentious, but Pilot House had the squeaking-by 80 on the LifeLiner Spread Column analysis; he went nearly gate-to-wire to win by a clean half-length at $24.20. Good work.
Los Alamitos (0/0) — Angels clobber host Pgh., 9-2; Yunel Escobar, Kole Calhoun and Gregorio Petit each drove in a pair for Los Anaheim.
Louisiana (1/0) — High water temporarily closes several boat-launch areas on Red River.
Lone Star (1/0) — See Emerald commentary.
Marquis (0/0) — Police arrest man who carried loaded gun and drugs in Sask. resto.
Monmouth (1/½) — Not a contentious race, the opener, but Old-School Champeens will have seen the Fair Odds of 5-1 on the debuting Phone My Posse, possessor of a fine connection-line readout 10pc/13pc/21pc. Phone My Posse won by 1¾ at $62.20. Half a get here.
Northlands (1/0) — Motor home on fire causes evening traffic delays west of Edmonton.
PennNat (1/0) — Host Fightin’ Phils end 7-game losing streak with 6-3 win over Milwaukee; Andres Blanco had a 3-run HR for Philalala.
Pimlico (2/0) — Orioles edge visiting Jankees, 6-5; Chris Davis hit his 11th HR of the season for Balto.
Prairie (3/2) — Race 6 found Durantula, 83 on the LifeLiner Speed Column analysis in a noncontentious race, winning by 3 parts of a length at $24.40; probably High-Octane Chancers would have been required to take that one. Next race, also not contentious, Gospel Arrow, the best LifeLiner Spread Column analysis rating in the field (89), went gate-to-wire at $54.60; another one for the High-Octane Chancers. Good work.
Santa Anita (2/2) — No public touting of Race 6 winner Bendable possible, due to low 4-1 odds on the morning line; however, Bendable was atop the contentious, conventional V6 Betting Line at Fair Odds of 3-1 and with a connection-line readout of 18pc/17pc/16pc; High-Octane Chancers and Old-School Champeens collected $31.40 on the win-end. In the finale, publicly touted Rosarita, a Dual Qualifier (90, 83) in a contentious race, went gate-to-wire to win by 1 at $26-straight up top. Good work.
Thistle (0/0) — Host Indians whip K.C., 6-1; Danny Salazar pitched 8 innings of 1-run baseball for his 6th win of the season.
Woodbine (1/0) — Visiting Blue Jays beat Boston, 5-2; Juan Encarnacion and Devon Travis hit homers for Toronto.
WMF Report:
Early
Assiniboia 5½f
Churchill 6f
Chas. Town 4½f
Finger 6f
Fairmount 6f
Gulf 6f
Hastings 6½f
Los Alamitos 4½f
Mountain 1m
Northlands 6f
PennNat 6f
Keystone 6f
Prairie 5½f (WMF 1000), 1m70y
Santa Anita 6f
Nocturnal Submission: Sifting through the wreckage…
Thank you. Best wishes. Goodbye. So long now.
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About Steven Unite
The unofficial spokesperson for the Boys In The Backroom...