How To Meet Calvin Borel

It's really very simple. First you go here...

then you notice a not-too-tall guy who looks extremely familiar, and realize that you watched him on TV winning the Kentucky Derby the year before, and then you nearly faint, and then you pull yourself together and try to act cool and wait until someone else asks if they can get a photo with him, and then you shake his hand and smile like a grinning fool when he puts his arm around you and his wife takes your picture...

and then you send it to all your horsey friends and they're really, really jealous. :-)

Yep, I met Calvin Borel at the Maker's Mark Secretariat Center (MMSC) in 2010 during the WEG! I actually had been told he was going to be in the MMSC trade fair booth signing autographs later that afternoon, and the employees and volunteers were very excited to meet him. Since I was on my way out of Lexington I was very disappointed I would miss seeing him. What nobody knew was that he was going to drop by the Center (which is in the KHP) before he went to the trade fair. I was happily looking at horses in the barn when all of a sudden I turned around and there was Calvin!

The rest happened just the way I described. We were all kind of tongue-tied but Calvin could not have been nicer or more friendly, and his wife was a doll, too. She was also an expert at taking people's photos with her famous husband. I can't imagine what that would be like... I think Mrs. Borel probably gets a fair amount attention herself, though as she is taller than her husband and an extremely attractive young blonde.

One of the OTTBs in the barn. I especially noticed this one because he was a) grey and b) had the most Arab-like head I think I've ever seen on a TB:

After my barn tour I stopped by the MMSC office. I really wanted to scoop up this mailbox and spirit it out to my car but I think they might have noticed. I did get Calvin to sign a poster of Big Red that I bought from them, though. 

After I left the MMSC, I had one more stop planned before I headed back to St. Louis. It, too, was related to Calvin Borel: I went to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum. I am going to try and post about that visit before I leave for KY this time so you all will feel ready for the First Saturday in May!

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P.S. I may go back to the MMSC on this trip to Lexington, but I'm not sure if I'll have time. I will definitely be stopping by their booth at the Rolex trade fair, though, to see if any other celebrities make an appearance on their behalf!

I've Won An Award!

I am ever so pleased that my blogger friend Jessica, over at Hopeful Jumpers, was kind enough to pass this along to me. THANK YOU, JESS! Please check her blog out; she most often writes about Prince, her darling horse, but also covers her other animals. I love reading this blog for several reasons, not the least of which are her terrific pictures. Would you believe that Jess is a veterinary student (and writes about that, too) but somehow finds the time to ride/take care of Prince, her dog, her cats and her guinea pigs (something else we have in common - I'm also a "pig person"). I have no idea how she does it!

Apparently "liebster" means "dearest" in German, and this award is strictly for bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. I will take this opportunity to thank each and every one of my 27 - you are appreciated!

Here are the rules:
1. Copy and paste the award logo onto your blog.
2. Link back to the blogger who gave you the award.
3. Pick your five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers, and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.
4. Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs!

So without further ado, here are my five choices (but of course I still recommend all the blogs on my sidebar):

From Racehorse to Showhorse: Wendy's blog is one of the very first I started reading. This is the place for you if you enjoy absolutely splendid horse photography, because that is now Wendy's job - taking pictures of the finest of (mostly TB) horseflesh in Lexington, KY! Wait 'til you see the stunning head shot she recently published of new mom, Rachel Alexandra. She herself owns two OTTBs, Ollie and Toby, and her blog of course gives plenty of details about their latest activities. If you recall I was lucky enough to meet them and Wendy when I was down there. Also of interest is Wendy's cool connection to "War Horse," featuring her beautiful, much-missed guy Jaguar Hope (he's shown in her header).

Brays of Our Lives: If the cute title alone doesn't get your attention, the amusing ramblings of Fenway Bartholomule certainly will. He and his mom FarmWife live on a small farm in Washington state, along with a large cast of other animal and human characters. I enjoy hearing about the bunnies, dogs, goats and chickens because they always seem to be doing something interesting. Marnie is a professional writer and editor so you can expect an entertaining and well-written post every time. I knew next to nothing about mules prior to reading this blog, so it's fun to hear about the likes/dislikes and rides on a different kind of equine. Marnie currently takes FenBar out on trails, has worked on training him to drive, and hopes that one day he will decide he can stand to do a little dressage.

Princess Witchface: I recently found this blog about a mare and her girl who live in FL, and it's really entertaining, if only because we're all waiting to find out her horse's true lineage. It's like a mini-episode of "As The Barn Turns:" Who are this horse's parents? Did her father really jump a fence and knock up an unsuspecting TB mare? Why is someone hiding her identity? Stay tuned for the next episode! In the meantime, this pair do fun things like charity trail rides and costume contests. They are not show-oriented and spend a lot of time just enjoying each other's company, which is cool.

The Vault: Horseracing Past and Present: This blog is a little more esoteric, in that in order to truly enjoy it you should be a fan of Thoroughbred racing. Abigail doesn't post too often, but when she does - watch out, because you're in for a treat! All of her articles are impeccably researched and beautifully written, and contain amazing archival photos. My all-time favorite is the one about Eddie Sweat and Secretariat. Dear Eddie was Red's devoted groom, and no one deserves more credit for keeping that horse happy and healthy during his racing days. I am glad that posthumously he has been recognized so much (e.g., the life-size bronze statue of Secretariat with Eddie and Ron Turcotte riding that's in the KHP). Read this blog to steep yourself in knowledge!

Riding Aside: Julie has to be one of the most positive and enthusiastic people I've run across on the Internet. When she likes something, she really plunges right in. She always loved the idea of riding sidesaddle... so she bought one, and she persevered in learning how to ride in it, and she trained her gorgeous Saddlebred to accept it, and she had beautiful costumes made, and by golly she goes out and shows that way! I am fascinated by all this because riding sidesaddle is definitely on my horsey bucket list. The whole deal with the flowing skirt, fitted jacket and smart hat with a veil just add to the appeal (though where I'd find all that I have no idea). I still remember seeing a gal riding aside at a H/J show when I was about 10 years old, and just being blown away at the elegance. Julie also collects sidesaddle-themed art and other items and publishes lots of photos of those as well.

Honorable Mention to (I had to put this here, as she has slightly over 200 followers so doesn't truly qualify):

Braymere Custom Saddlery: Raise your hand if you had Breyer horses as a kid. Now raise it again if you have a clue as to how many adults currently exhibit their Breyers (and other small horses) in model horse shows? And exactly how amazing model horse tack can get? I, for one, had no idea until I found Jenn's blog and was plunged into the fascinating world of model horses all over again. Jenn is also a rider and currently leasing the world's most adorable palomino pony, and we hear about their adventures, but her vocation is as master tackmaker for model horses. Every time she posts a photo of a new creation I am astonished anew. You simply won't believe the level of realism! She attends quite a few shows and other equestrian events, so it's fun to read about them, too.

Whistling "The Call To The Post"...

Okay,  I promised a blog about the Run For The Roses, so here goes!

Gosh, who could that be... besides the nice man in the loud pants. :-)

There haven't been too many years in my life when I've missed watching the Kentucky Derby. As a kid it was a much-anticipated event at our house, sometimes complete with guests and my mom mixing up a bunch of Mint Juleps. My most favorite memory of the race from childhood is seeing my hero, Secretariat, win the Derby in record time. He was simply too beautiful to be true. ** Other memorable winners from that time frame who stand out in my memory include Riva Ridge, Canonero II, Seattle Slew, Affirmed and Genuine Risk.

During the mid-80s to mid-90s, I know I missed a few Derbies when I was busy being a college student and then working full-time. I was almost totally "away from horses," though I certainly never stopped thinking about them (when Secretariat died in '89 I wrote to the vet at Claiborne asking why they couldn't save him... no reply, alas). For example, I can't conjure up any memories at all of poor Ferdinand, or Sea Hero. Only recently did I learn of Swale's tragic story. How crushing his untimely death was to Claiborne Farm!

The mid-90s brought a resurgence of my interest in the Kentucky Derby. I had become a full-time mom by then, and keeping my sense of self intact meant taking some time to enjoy "my" things. This included keeping my saddle in the living room and watching all of the Triple Crown races. Luckily, some really exciting years came along, with Silver Charm, Real Quiet and Charismatic all winning the first two, then falling short in the Belmont. For a bonus, Charismatic was a stunning red chestnut with white socks, just like You-Know-Who. I know for sure I've seen every Derby since 1996, when Grindstone won in a photo finish (I'm positive I had been rooting for the grey Skip Away, since that's my usual policy).

Besides Secretariat, though, I don't recall ever knowing much about the runners before Derby Day. With the advent of the Internet I should have been more prepared to watch. However, in the absence of anyone being billed in the media as the "next superhorse," most years I've pretty much been content to turn on the TV the day of the race and see who's running. A few years I've looked at the Derby website or made a bit of an attempt to familiarize myself with the runners, but nothing really involved.

This year has been a different story. What changed? Well, it's a combination of things. I went to the World Equestrian Games last fall, managed to meet Calvin Borel ("Calvin Bo-Rail"/freakishly successful Derby jockey) completely by accident (what, you want THAT story now? Okay... stay tuned - yes, there's a photo!), and spent a blissful couple hours cruising around the Kentucky Derby Museum at the Downs. This all definitely served to put me in the Derby mood.

Then I have to go back to my idol, Mr. They-Finally-Made-A-Movie, and another gentleman, this time human. It goes like this: the Secretariat movie came out and there was an upswing of interest in the big guy. Somewhere, maybe on Facebook, I saw a link to a story about Secretariat by a guy named Steve Haskin. As it turned out, he was a very well-known turf writer, and he also had some wonderful personal photos of Red. Well, anybody who's a diehard Big Red fan has got to be cool, so I "Friended" Steve on FB. I learned he wrote a regular blog for Bloodhorse.com, and started reading it (along with the rest of the website - sure am glad it's free!). What's the main topic of conversation in the late fall and spring? You got it. Next thing I knew, I'm waiting for Mondays and Steve's column, "The Derby Dozen," reading the paper for Derby trail news and combing the Internet for updates on my favorite contenders. I have paid far more attention to this year's Derby than ever before and am terribly excited for Saturday's race.

So who do I like? Check back Friday!


** Watching Red win the Belmont five weeks later is, of course, indelibly stamped in my mind. Just thinking about it gives me chills to this day. How sorry we were that we didn't just get in the car that morning and drive to the track! (Belmont Park was about an hour and a half away, but the traffic was sure to be brutal) Mom said, "Okay, next time a horse wins the Derby and the Preakness we're going." And we did. And that's how I got to see Seattle Slew win the Triple Crown...  (I'll blog about this little adventure for sure another time.)