My Worlds Collide
Posted by Billy at 4/21/2009 8:54 PM 
Categories: The Triple Crown
Tags: Triple Crown Kentucky Derby Twitter Facebook Affirmed
Categories: The Triple Crown
Tags: Triple Crown Kentucky Derby Twitter Facebook Affirmed
Wow - let me just start by telling you that I have Derby Fever, finally.
I have been very excited about Chocolate Candy because a) I think he's way on the improve and b) his 3rd dam is ALSO the dam of the great and powerful Affirmed (you know he's my favorite). I keep trying to really get myself inspired - to the point Desmond and I were almost buying tickets to go to the Derby. Then I thought I'd throw my party that I was going to do annually starting last year. Then I decided I'd not do either and just go through the Keeneland drive thru with my friend Beth like we do every year we aren't in Louisville. After that we'll part ways - maybe after a Culver's burger and enjoy races comfortably from our couches at our respective homes.
So I have been paying some attention to the quality of say the top 10 runners for the Derby but haven't really put my thoughts down on paper (or fake internet pretend wannabe save the rain forest type paper). I was sitting here last night in bed - cat buggin because she thinks it's her time - and I was looking at Twitter, Facebook, Kentuckyderby.com, Thoroughbred Times Triple Crown page, etc. I was trying to figure out some things and was kind of just going through the motions.
Usually - I'm all about a horse for the Derby after they've run the Breeders' Cup Juvenile - and other than
Stardom Bound - I was not in love with anyone on that day for this year's Triple Crown. I mean I picked Alysheba for pete's sake (who's Pete btw?) on BC Day. Yeah - I realize that was long ago - but it's usually that race that has me revved up. Hard to get revved up over a synthetic race for a 1 1/4 mile dirt race. Messes me up.
I'm wandering.
Back to last night. So I kind of stopped bothering as I got an instant message from my sister (it's a huge deal to have either of them on Facebook btw). We bs'd for a bit and I mentioned the Derby and she said that her neighbor Chip was going but she couldn't remember the horse or owner. I chuckled to myself and said - so he's going as someone's guest or just for fun or something? She said "he's going as a trainer." WTF? I thought to myself (sorry Crystal) she doesn't have a clue. I said "no he isn't, he doesn't have a horse in the Derby." I even snarled my hateful lips at it all.
I kept thinking - if it weren't late I'd pick up the phone and put an end to all this nonsense. She said something about unless she misunderstood yes he has a horse in the Derby. I thought - maybe under card because NM races have picked up heavily in quality and who knows. But not Derby. Not MY Kentucky Derby. So I asked her what his full name was - I'll Google the man and tell her she's wrong. I'm so damn smart - I'm the horse racing guy in the family.
She said Chip Woolley. I said Hmmm. Googled his name and Kentucky Derby and found out that my sister, a hairdresser in the heart of oil and gas country in my hometown of Bloomfield, NM (population 6,420 - last census) was ahead of me on a Derby horse. My sister - who used to make me chase her while on a bike (me and my little sister Vickie on foot) while playing a game called Little Liza Jane (DO NOT ASK) and we could never catch her because she's 6 years older. Mean! My sister, who used to tell us she was magic and would disappear at night to go to a place called Copacabana where she would meat Queen Athena (uh huh) and her assistant Toshiba (stay with me now) and if only I could remember the male assistants name - probably Quasar or something.
She even drew pictures of these places and we believed her - little kids, we were little kids. She wasn't mean to us - she just enjoyed lying to us. Nice. She was good too - because we couldn't find her EVER. And had Bob Barker not given away a Toshiba product on The Price is Right - she may have fooled us for years to come.
This same girl - who didn't move to the heart of the horse to follow a dream of being near the Kentucky Derby - lives across the f'n street from a trainer of probable Kentucky Derby starter - Mine That Bird. I'll tell you the names of all the horse trainers that know me by name - after growing up in the business, Michelle Nihei, Kenny McPeek and Pat Swan. If there are others that know who I am by sight - I didn't know they did. Now - before you think I'm bitter about this - I'm not. I just am bitter about that Queen Athena Copacabana crap - Barry Manilow was magic too and he wrote the song about this place she went to every night. I mean really. Gullible little kids. I'm surprised we ever made it out of the house.
Back to my world's colliding. I mentioned to my friend Liane about the story (sans all the childhood trauma) and she said - Amy knows him from her Quarter Horse Association days. Get this - I've known Amy Owens for about 8 years now. Met her at Thoroughbred Times when we were both there. One day we're talking and turns out she knows Pat and Tomey Swan very well. They are good friends that trained/rode my first/only QH winner back in NM. All the way in Lexington, KY I meet someone who puts me back in touch via email with Tomey.
Then it turns out that Amy worked with my 2nd cousin A.J. Mangum while at the AQHA - he's like 6 days younger than me - and we lost touch years ago. Hadn't spoken to him probably since the year I moved to KY and he made a visit for work. All the way in Lexington, KY I meet someone who puts me back in touch with A.J. via email - and he's family.
Since I've moved here I've met people that knew someone I sort of knew somehow in the industry - NM to KY. I even met a guy (I'll keep his name out) that told me "I knew your Dad - I rode for him in Texas." I just said "right" and walked away - my Dad would have never lived in Texas and wasn't a trainer. I did meet some people that knew my Dad while at a party with my partner however just after my Dad passed away. It was several years ago - but this older couple knew him from long long ago in New Mexico - so frickin' random. They were genuine not like the drunk former jockey that I won't mention.
The horse industry completely amazes me - because it's so vast and so different from state to state - and I'm talking racing, showing, breeding, rodeo, etc. - but we all are connected somehow - not just by the horse but because of the horse.
Take from this 2 things: 1) be careful what you say/do because someone knows someone that knows you and it will affect you someday and 2) don't lie to your siblings when they are little - (or ever), they can be very impressionable and one day they will tell all!
Love you Vickie and Crystal. Good Luck Crystal's neighbor on Derby day!
I have been very excited about Chocolate Candy because a) I think he's way on the improve and b) his 3rd dam is ALSO the dam of the great and powerful Affirmed (you know he's my favorite). I keep trying to really get myself inspired - to the point Desmond and I were almost buying tickets to go to the Derby. Then I thought I'd throw my party that I was going to do annually starting last year. Then I decided I'd not do either and just go through the Keeneland drive thru with my friend Beth like we do every year we aren't in Louisville. After that we'll part ways - maybe after a Culver's burger and enjoy races comfortably from our couches at our respective homes.
So I have been paying some attention to the quality of say the top 10 runners for the Derby but haven't really put my thoughts down on paper (or fake internet pretend wannabe save the rain forest type paper). I was sitting here last night in bed - cat buggin because she thinks it's her time - and I was looking at Twitter, Facebook, Kentuckyderby.com, Thoroughbred Times Triple Crown page, etc. I was trying to figure out some things and was kind of just going through the motions.
Usually - I'm all about a horse for the Derby after they've run the Breeders' Cup Juvenile - and other than
Stardom Bound - I was not in love with anyone on that day for this year's Triple Crown. I mean I picked Alysheba for pete's sake (who's Pete btw?) on BC Day. Yeah - I realize that was long ago - but it's usually that race that has me revved up. Hard to get revved up over a synthetic race for a 1 1/4 mile dirt race. Messes me up.
I'm wandering.
Back to last night. So I kind of stopped bothering as I got an instant message from my sister (it's a huge deal to have either of them on Facebook btw). We bs'd for a bit and I mentioned the Derby and she said that her neighbor Chip was going but she couldn't remember the horse or owner. I chuckled to myself and said - so he's going as someone's guest or just for fun or something? She said "he's going as a trainer." WTF? I thought to myself (sorry Crystal) she doesn't have a clue. I said "no he isn't, he doesn't have a horse in the Derby." I even snarled my hateful lips at it all.
I kept thinking - if it weren't late I'd pick up the phone and put an end to all this nonsense. She said something about unless she misunderstood yes he has a horse in the Derby. I thought - maybe under card because NM races have picked up heavily in quality and who knows. But not Derby. Not MY Kentucky Derby. So I asked her what his full name was - I'll Google the man and tell her she's wrong. I'm so damn smart - I'm the horse racing guy in the family.
She said Chip Woolley. I said Hmmm. Googled his name and Kentucky Derby and found out that my sister, a hairdresser in the heart of oil and gas country in my hometown of Bloomfield, NM (population 6,420 - last census) was ahead of me on a Derby horse. My sister - who used to make me chase her while on a bike (me and my little sister Vickie on foot) while playing a game called Little Liza Jane (DO NOT ASK) and we could never catch her because she's 6 years older. Mean! My sister, who used to tell us she was magic and would disappear at night to go to a place called Copacabana where she would meat Queen Athena (uh huh) and her assistant Toshiba (stay with me now) and if only I could remember the male assistants name - probably Quasar or something.
She even drew pictures of these places and we believed her - little kids, we were little kids. She wasn't mean to us - she just enjoyed lying to us. Nice. She was good too - because we couldn't find her EVER. And had Bob Barker not given away a Toshiba product on The Price is Right - she may have fooled us for years to come.
This same girl - who didn't move to the heart of the horse to follow a dream of being near the Kentucky Derby - lives across the f'n street from a trainer of probable Kentucky Derby starter - Mine That Bird. I'll tell you the names of all the horse trainers that know me by name - after growing up in the business, Michelle Nihei, Kenny McPeek and Pat Swan. If there are others that know who I am by sight - I didn't know they did. Now - before you think I'm bitter about this - I'm not. I just am bitter about that Queen Athena Copacabana crap - Barry Manilow was magic too and he wrote the song about this place she went to every night. I mean really. Gullible little kids. I'm surprised we ever made it out of the house.
Back to my world's colliding. I mentioned to my friend Liane about the story (sans all the childhood trauma) and she said - Amy knows him from her Quarter Horse Association days. Get this - I've known Amy Owens for about 8 years now. Met her at Thoroughbred Times when we were both there. One day we're talking and turns out she knows Pat and Tomey Swan very well. They are good friends that trained/rode my first/only QH winner back in NM. All the way in Lexington, KY I meet someone who puts me back in touch via email with Tomey.
Then it turns out that Amy worked with my 2nd cousin A.J. Mangum while at the AQHA - he's like 6 days younger than me - and we lost touch years ago. Hadn't spoken to him probably since the year I moved to KY and he made a visit for work. All the way in Lexington, KY I meet someone who puts me back in touch with A.J. via email - and he's family.
Since I've moved here I've met people that knew someone I sort of knew somehow in the industry - NM to KY. I even met a guy (I'll keep his name out) that told me "I knew your Dad - I rode for him in Texas." I just said "right" and walked away - my Dad would have never lived in Texas and wasn't a trainer. I did meet some people that knew my Dad while at a party with my partner however just after my Dad passed away. It was several years ago - but this older couple knew him from long long ago in New Mexico - so frickin' random. They were genuine not like the drunk former jockey that I won't mention.
The horse industry completely amazes me - because it's so vast and so different from state to state - and I'm talking racing, showing, breeding, rodeo, etc. - but we all are connected somehow - not just by the horse but because of the horse.
Take from this 2 things: 1) be careful what you say/do because someone knows someone that knows you and it will affect you someday and 2) don't lie to your siblings when they are little - (or ever), they can be very impressionable and one day they will tell all!
Love you Vickie and Crystal. Good Luck Crystal's neighbor on Derby day!
Mine That Bird finished way back in the BC Juvenile and has finished 2nd and 4th at Sunland. Enjoy the Derby ride Chip, anything can happen.
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I gave Mine That Bird zero chance, questioned why he was even running. And I was overjoyed for them when he won. Why? Because I attempt to study all connections, grow to love them, and prepare to celebrate with whomever wins. And I have spent that last month defending those cowboys and talking them up when others shot them down.
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