New Year, New President

Inauguration Day

Today, President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn into office in what is turning out to be an awesome inauguration ceremony.

These past two months have shown the state of this country - indeed, the past year has demonstrated how lost and confused a good portion of its people are - and it is in a poor condition. Most of the people want the country to be fairer to the majority, but a large minority, the “left”, the “liberals” (why are they called liberal when they are so tight-fisted and often Ebenezer Scrooge-like?), want it to cater to them. This country was not founded to be ruled by fear. It was founded to give everyone an equal chance to pursue happiness. We cannot please everyone. Those who truly want to improve their lives will work at it, and this country will let them try. They are not locked into their station in life, except perhaps by their own foolishness. Those who wish to be catered to and so are causing such destruction are spoiled brats, products of the devil’s meddling and incapable parents. And the Hollywood stars like Ms. Streep are not helping the situation. We need a strong leader - one who cannot and will not be manipulated by the socialists and the media. Trump is that kind of man. Of course, it could backfire and he could become the next Hitler, but early indications are saying anything but that. Obama is making his last weeks in office the most terrible weeks of his entire eight-year occupation of the White House. Trump is preparing for his first four-year occupation with the most conservative cabinet we have seen in decades.

We must pray that Trump is safely sworn into his office, for with all of this violence it is quite possible that someone will try to assassinate him. The majority of the American public voted him in, and did so in enough numbers in enough places to also make sure he won the electoral vote. Yet there are still people who call his election a farce, saying that the Russians influenced our election, or some other ridiculous nonsense. Trump won the election because enough people in America were sick and tired of Obama’s administration and did not want it to be repeated or expanded on by Clinton. He didn’t necessarily win because of who he is, but in large part because of who she is. She is nothing but a power-greedy hatemonger. He is proving to have a good head on his shoulders. If he does what he says he will, America will be well on her way to greatness again by the end of his term, and we will indeed have a freer country.

He could be a breath of fresh air here. But there are those who do not want fresh air, instead wanting more laws, more rules, more restrictions, and more persecution on those who do not believe what they do. Those people will do everything they can to make it difficult or impossible for the new president to do what he has promised to do, and they will not be afraid to try to kill him to fulfill their wishes.

When Obama took office, many of us were upset, but we did not throw huge tantrums and create riots and protests in the streets. Instead, we accepted the result and moved on with our lives. Now, before Trump has even has his new position completely handed over to him, there have been torturings, murders, riots, acts of terror, lies spread, and false rumors thrown around, and all because somebody didn’t get their way. What has this world come to?

We must pray that Trump uses his office to benefit the country. We must pray that he does what he told the country he would do. And we must pray for his safety, for there is good reason to fear for his life.

Today is the beginning of a new administration. For the next four years, this administration will mean everything to the American public.

Eclipse Awards

Tomorrow evening, down the coast in Florida, the Eclipse Awards will be given out. These awards are to horse racing what the Oscars are to the film industry. They indicate the best of the best in respective divisions, and the horses that earn these titles are granted the title of champion for the rest of their lives. A list of nominees was given to voters, and these voters narrowed the selection to three finalists. Tomorrow evening, we will find out which of those three finalists will earn their division’s Eclipse Award. The most coveted title is Horse of the Year.


The first division is the Champion Two-Year-Old division, split in two - one for fillies, and one for colts. Usually, the victor is the winner of the corresponding Breeders’ Cup race, and that trend is expected to continue. Classic Empire is my choice for the Male award, and Champagne Room is my choice for the Filly award. The other four finalists are Not This Time, Practical Joke, Lady Aurelia, and New Money Honey.

 

The second division is the Champion Three-Year-Old division. Like the Two-Year-Old division and all the other equine divisions - except for Horse of the Year and Champion Steeplechaser - it is split in two. One division is for colts, and the other is for fillies. This division is sometimes hard to make a selection from, but this year is not one of those years. The best colt of 2016 had to be Arrogate, and the best filly was obviously Songbird. The other finalists are Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, Preakness winner Exaggerator, Kentucky Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia, and Eight Belles and Acorn winner Carina Mia.

The third division is the Older Dirt division. For some voters, the female division could be difficult, but it would be odd to find the male division being anywhere near close. Beholder is my choice for the female award, on her strong performances in the Pacific Classic, Vanity Mile, and Distaff, while California Chrome is the obvious choice for the male award. The other finalists are the East Coast favorite Cavorting, two-time vanquisher of Beholder, Stellar Wind, record-setting Met Mile winner Frosted, and top sprinter and unbeaten in 2016 Lord Nelson.

The fourth division is the Turf division. It has been a strong year on the grass, and this could prove to be a difficult to decide contest on both sides. However, my choice for the male award is Highland Reel, for his record-setting Turf and successful globe-trotting campaign, and for the female award I have chosen Tepin. She earned this award last year for her sheer dominance in the Mile, and though she finished 2016 with two straight losses, she did beat the boys in foreign mile races. One of those was the prestigious Queen Anne at Royal Ascot, which had never been won by an American before. The other finalists are Turf runner-up Flintshire, Mile winner Tourist, two-time Grade I winner (over the males) Miss Temple City, and comebacking Lady Eli.

The fifth division is the Sprint division. In my opinion, the female sprinters have been relatively weak this past year, while the males have been particularly strong. Both sides are hard to pick from, but in the end I chose Lord Nelson, who was retired just before the Breeders’ Cup after a four-for-four campaign, and Filly & Mare Sprint winner Finest City. The other finalists are Drefong, winner of the Sprint, A.P. Indian, Ballerina winner Haveyougoneaway, and Paulassilverlining.

The last division for the horses is the Steeplechase division. This one was easy for me, because only Rawnaq has consistently made the news for top-notch races. The other finalists are Scorpiancer and Top Striker.

Rawnaq (far right)

For the people, there are five divisions.

The first is the Best Owner division, and from there I chose Spendthrift Farm, who campaigned both Lord Nelson and Beholder. The other two finalists are Juddmonte Farms, owner of Arrogate, and Ken and Sarah Ramsey.

The second division is the Best Breeder division. I had a harder time here, but ended up picking Clearsky Farms over Darley and WinStar.

The third division is Best Trainer, and for his record-setting campaign I gave the nod to Chad Brown. Bob Baffert and Mark Casse, both deserving of this award, are the other two finalists.

The fourth division is Best Jockey, and I decided Mike Smith should own this one, for his mounts Songbird and Arrogate. Javier Castellano, the perennial earnings leader, and Jose Ortiz are the other two finalists.

The fifth division is Best Apprentice Jockey, and Lane Luzzi is my choice here over Kevin Gomez and Luis Ocasio.

Finally, the Horse of the Year title will be given out, and the three finalists are California Chrome, Arrogate, and Songbird, all of which are pretty much guaranteed to walk away with a title regardless of their result here. My choice came down to the top two finishers in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and despite Arrogate’s victory, I had to pick California Chrome. The flashy chestnut is up for his last Eclipse Award, and he also ran solidly from the beginning of the year to the end, while Arrogate was virtually unheard of until his smashing Travers victory in August. Songbird, like California Chrome, ran well all year, but did not do anything besides whip up on her own division in a year that demanded more than that from a sophomore filly. Arrogate and Songbird will both be able to try again at the 2017 Eclipse Awards. California Chrome will not. He retires after the Pegasus World Cup on January 28, a week and a day after the awards will be decided.

If the awards go the way I hope, California Chrome and Beholder both will walk away with their fourth Eclipse Award. California Chrome earned both the Horse of the Year and Champion Three Year Old Colt titles in 2014, and Beholder earned her divisional title in 2012, 2013, and 2015 - Champion Two Year Old Filly, Champion Three Year Old Filly, and Champion Older Mare. In 2014, it was Close Hatches who took home the Champion Older Mare award.

Songbird and Tepin will  both have clinched their second divisional titles. In 2015, Songbird was Champion Two Year Old Filly, while Tepin was Champion Turf Mare. All the other horses will have their first Eclipse Awards.

Ball Photos

Here is a selection of pictures from last Saturday's ball. It was fun to watch, though D and I never got to dance.

Edit:

At my husband's request I am adding these photos. Last night, after this post had been scheduled, he came home with a trailer load of pallets. There were sixty-four, all from the overflow that his work has. They are in good condition, or at least they were before they got pushed/thrown off in a huge pile in the front yard last night... <chuckle> Anyway, they are to be used in good part for walls in the house - stained & planed. We are slowly getting the house to be entirely wood or sheet rock-walled, instead of paneled. We purchased stain last week, and look forward to getting the walls done! We are also going to use some pallets for a bed frame in the spare room and bedroom. I believe this has turned into a bit of a competition to see how much we can use pallets for in the house! I love my husband's ingenuity. Once the walls are done, we will then just have to worry about painting the sheet rock on walls and ceilings, and then it will be a matter of finding light fixtures and flooring material.