The Breeders' Cup 2008 at Santa Anita

Yesterday I went to the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita and had a really good time. I almost didn't go but when I turned on the tv in the morning and saw the coverage of the event, I decided I really wanted to go. The main reason I wanted to go, is that one of the best horses ever was going to be there. Last year's horse of the year was Curlin, and he was coming back to the Breeders' Cup to go for a second win in the Breeders' Cup Classic this year. He had never raced on synthetic surface so this was a big change for him, and no one knew what to expect. But I just wanted that chance to see him in person and get some good photos. He lives back east and chances are, this will be the only time he will make the trip out here to CA. He didn't win the race, but it doesn't really matter because he's already won it once. He is a gorgeous horse and I was giddy that I got to take some close up photos of him. I waited at the walking ring for 45 minutes to make sure I had a spot. :-) Here are some photos from the event.

Big Brown is still a great horse

Yesterday was the 140th running of the Belmont Stakes.   At stake was the triple crown of horse racing- a prize that hasn't been won for the past 30 years.  Horse racing fans were very hopeful that Big Brown would finally be the horse we've been waiting for.  Most everyone was confident that he would win by a great deal of lengths and we would all celebrate seeing history being made. Instead, Big Brown didn't seem to feel like racing yesterday. And I can understand that as it was in the 90's at the track and this was the longest distance Big Brown had ever run.  Running 3 races in five weeks is a lot of racing and maybe Big Brown was worn out.  Maybe it was his cracked hoof that was bothering him, or maybe he got bumped in the beginning of the race and that caused him to get upset. No matter what the reason, no one can deny that Big Brown has talent.  He won the Derby and the Preakness with ease and is a very fast, high endurance, beautiful horse.  I read an article today that said he was posing for photographers today like he had won the race yesterday. :-)  Here is one photo that I love that was taken by associate press photographer Kathy Willens.  It's Big Brown' owner giving him a hug after the race yesterday. 

I went to Hollywood Park to watch the race with thousands of others who had high hopes for the day. This is Big Brown getting ready to get into the gate. 

A couple photos of one of the later races at Hollywood Park on the turf.  It was a pretty day.  If you click on this one you can see it bigger. 

New way to get to work

With gas prices skyrocketing, a lot of people are looking for alternate transportation options. In Los Angeles, mass transit is becoming very popular but it is rather limited depending on where you want to go. If there was a subway that took people from the San Fernando valley to the West Side, I think it will be widely used. Considering the fact that the 405 and 101 freeway interchange is the worst in the nation, there seems to be a high demand for a subway or some sort of train. It would cost a huge amount of money because the train would have to go through a mountain... but I think it would be worth it. When I got to work this morning, the gas stations near my workplace were charging 4.39 for one gallon of regular unleaded. I couldn't believe it!
Yesterday there was a news story about kids who are starting to ride horses to their high school to save money. I think that's a fantastic idea! I would totally ride a horse down the freeway if everyone else was riding horses or some other type of animal. Don't you think that would be fun? :-)

Trip to Paso Robles

Chad and I took a trip to Paso Robles this weekend to visit his parents and we had a very nice time. It had been a while since we had been up there and it was great to see them and catch up on everything that's been going on. As a little sidenote- my camera has been "on the fritz" lately and we were able to pick up a new one on our way up there at Best Buy. I got the Canon Powershot SD1100 IS - Digital Elph and these pics are some of the first I took with the camera. I've been very happy with the results so far.

This is their dog Skipper and he is such a little bundle of energy. He provided much entertainment during the weekend. :-)

This is Skipper posing for me with his favorite toy ball.

We went out to dinner here the first night we were there and it was very tasty!

The pretty foliage around their house.

We went over to the stables near the house and made some horse friends while we were there. This one liked Chad a lot and was licking his hand. :-)

Another horse friend posing for the camera.

My camera was on "kids and pets" mode when it caught this horse's tongue mid-lick. :-)

This horse also liked Chad a lot. :-)

And he liked Chad's shirt even better... we think he thought it was food.

A sneaky hiding horse. :-)

Lake Nacimiento- near the house.

All in all we had a wonderful time and look forward to our next trip.