The Daily Dose/May 28, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
A lot is being made about the number of horses that have died at Santa Anita race track this year. To date, 26 have died, already the track’s highest total of the decade, and there are still twelve racing days left.
Santa Anita has not been standing idly by, either. Though, then and still, completely flummoxed by what is causing the unusually high number of deaths, the track suspended racing for several days in March – after the first 22 deaths – and they have instituted medication limits, provided additional veterinarians, stewards and investigators. The theory that a very wet winter wreaked havoc with track conditions may – or it may not – have some merit.
And it should be noted that horses dying at American tracks is hardly breaking news. In 2018 an average of almost ten horses a week died at American race courses, according to the Jockey Club’s Equine Injury Database. The figure the industry cites is deaths per 1,000 starts, and for the past five years that figure has averaged 1.65 nationally, while Santa Anita’s average has been 2.34.
Interesting is the fact the two-day Breeder’s Cup is scheduled to be held there November 1st and 2nd. It’s billed as horse racing’s world championships and officials are on record as saying they’re considering alternate sites, but only as a precaution; they remain committed to Santa Anita.
It’s a tough call.
On the one hand, there are no guarantee horses won’t break down at Churchill Downs or Hialeah Park or Saratoga or anywhere else they could move the Breeder’s Cup to. And, an inordinately high number of deaths at one track could merely be a statistical aberration.
On the other hand, do you really want everybody holding their collective breath at your biggest event? You probably don’t. This story has people who normally pay no attention to horse racing – like us – paying attention to it. A couple of breakdowns at Santa Anita in November could be catastrophic to an industry sports fans have been ignoring in droves for the last couple of generations.
Now, we’re not PETA members or anything, and we’re not calling for the end of horse racing, but we do own a cat and it is interesting to note that a human sport that had 1.65 human deaths per anything would not be tolerated, but horses dying at that rate is OK. It’s what thoroughbred horses do, though: they run, and us humans bet on them running. And barring three or four of them breaking down in the homestretch of the Kentucky Derby, they’ll still continue to run.
Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow gives a discount to an Army vet, and he looks pretty sharp in his Navy dress blues for the post’s Memorial Day ceremony. Today’s Diary.
This guy was in the Army, so I announce I was in the Navy, toss the card dismissively on the counter and said no discount…They both laff, of course, and then I say sure, I can take $10 off, tho as we move on the registration process it turns out the rate for their room is actually $124, plus tax so I give Soldier Boy his choice, the discounted rate ($129) or the rack rate ($124) and even he’s smart enuff to take the $124 rate without help…
It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life.
The drivel simply does not stop: please click on the button to read The Diary of a Nobody. $5.99 includes all entries, past, present, and future.
Click here to read excerpts and a sample chapter.
On This Date
In 1934 – Five girls, who history refers to as the Dionne Quintuplets, are born in Callender, Ontario, Canada, the first quintuplets to survive infancy. Elzire Dionne, who thought she was carrying twins, had already produced five children and would go on to have three more. Exploited by others throughout their childhood, all five left home when they turned 18. The first Dionne quintuplet died in 1954 and two, now 85, remain alive
In 1956 – Dale Long of the Pittsburgh Pirates becomes the first major league player to hit home runs in eight consecutive games, homering in the fourth inning of a 3-2 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers. The streak had started on May 19 and Long broke the record of six consecutive games with a home run that had been done several times. The record still stands and was tied by Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees in 1987 and Ken Griffey, Jr in 1993.
In 1977 – Waylon Jennings is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the second of six consecutive weeks with Luckenbach, Texas. It was the fourth of 15 #1 country songs for Jennings in America and the seventh of 18 #1 songs on Canada’s country chart and Luckenbach, Texas also peaked at #25 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Jennings is on record as saying he has never liked the song.
Quotebook
…in the long run, success or failure will be conditioned upon the way in which the average man, the average women, does his or her duty… The stream will not permanently rise higher than the main source; and the main source of national power and national greatness is found in the average citizenship of the nation.
Theodore Roosevelt
Man in the Arena speech
4/23/1910
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
One World Trade Center in New York City, at 1,776 feet, is the tallest building in the United States.
Today’s Stumper
What was Waylon Jennings’ biggest hit on Billboard’s Hot 100? – Answer next time!
