Racehorse

I was running in the drumroll of hooves
the shouts, the sting of leather, the sharp smell of sweat
I was running over a soft depth of grass
I was running with the cold air in my lungs
I was running when my leg crumbled, wobbled, would not support me, would not let me run,
I was running in the mud and the broken grass when the others left me behind and I leaped up
to follow them through the shattering pain,
I was still running,
I am still running now.

The Breeder's Cup

In the Juvenile Fillies, my pick Folklore got there, but the best performance may have been that of Wild Fit who dropped far back early, encountered traffic and nearly ran down the winner anyway. She looks like one who might improve as she grows into her legs.

In the Juvenile, my pick Stevie Wonderboy seemed significantly best, with Henny Hughes showing he's not as much of a sprinter as thought and First Samurai a bit dull, perhaps because of antics in the gate. Sorcerer's Stone disappointed.

I was ecstatic with Intercontinental's win in the Filly and Mare Turf. Wend didn't do much, and neither did Megahertz (perhaps because of the ground), but I've liked Intercontinental forever.

Lost in the Fog, of course, was very disappointing. Now everyone who's been snide about him will preen and say they told us so. The early pace was fast, but he's run those kind of fractions before. Hopefully he comes back and runs well next year. Meanwhile, Silver Train was an impressive winner with my closer pick, Taste of Paradise, a very good second.

In the Mile, Artie Schiller won and Le Roi Des Animaux was a good second, so no shame there. The race was marred by the fatal breakdown of Funfair.

In the Distaff, Ashado proved as vulnerable as I feared she would be, with little closing kick, ending up a respectable but not outstanding third; Stellar Jayne looked a bit out of condition and finished fourth, while In the Gold closed to be fifth. The winner, Pleasant Home, came out of nowhere for me and I'm sure for many others. She certainly looked impressive drawing away from the field.

The Turf was another knock to my handicapping skills, with none of my picks finishing better than fourth, or was it fifth. Shakespeare did not handle the ground. Shirocco, who wasn't even one of the more likely Euros in my pre-race estimation, won handily and is an especially pretty horse. Leprechaun Kid never made the lead, perhaps didn't like the ground and disappointed.

In the Classic, I had the winner, Saint Liam, who was clearly best. Borrego didn't run a jump, for whatever reason. Flower Alley ran a very creditable second and I was happy to see my old favorite Perfect Drift right there in third. Suave, as expected, did show speed but stuck around only for a very minor award.

As always, it was a great day of watching beautiful horses, though this time around there were none of those electrifying, this-is-a-great-horse performances. Intercontinental (who might really like Johar. I'm just saying) and Saint Liam won't be back, and I expect Shirocco will go home but perhaps we'll see some of the others back again.

Handicapping the Breeders' Cup

Stop laughing -- I heard that.

OK, so the turf is going to be soggy, and the dirt ought to have at least some wet in it, though how much I don't know.

As I don't have past performances for the Juvenile races I can make it quick: Adieu and Folklore seem like the obvious favorites in the Fillies and Stevie Wonderboy and Sorcerer's Stone have impressed me most in the Juvenile. First Samurai will be the favorite but hasn't shown me the kind of foot speed I'd want to see. Not throwing him out, though.

The Classic:
With Rock Hard Ten gone, I have Borrego and Saint Liam picked. These are not entirely comfortable picks, with Borrego being a closer and Saint Liam questionable at the distance. Will Oratorio take to the dirt? Will my old sentimental favorite Perfect Drift finally get the big one? Or will Suave, who has speed and likes the wet, go all the way? I'm also not totally ruling out Flower Alley (one bad race isn't the end of the world) or Sun King (who is slow, but consistent), or A Bit O'Gold, who is being overlooked but doesn't look impossible to me. I don't expect Starcraft to win, but I could root for him after the snide reaction he's getting -- I think it's great sportsmanship on the part of his connections to run him here.

In the Fillies and Mares Turf, I like Megahertz -- I don't see how one could not, with her record and her turn of foot -- but also Wend, and Intercontinental, the psycho mare who's been a big favorite of mine for a while and who's one of the only ones in the field with speed. Whether any of these like soft turf I don't know. Wonder Again, who does, would have to regain some past form here. Ouija Board and Favorable Terms, well, maybe.

In the Sprint, it's impossible not to root for Lost in the Fog, but should he get caught up in a speed duel -- and why are there some totally unqualified horses in there that don't even have stakes earnings? -- I think Taste of Paradise is most likely to get there. Silver Train is the best of the remaining speed and Gygistar of the remaining closers.

In the Mile, I like Leroidesanimaux, along with the rest of the world, but I also like Artie Schiller as a close stalker who could catch The King if he falters -- and I'm not convinced that Artie has been hanging in his recent races; I think he has a pretty good chance. I also like Host a lot as a closer. Sand Springs would be higher on my list were she not a filly -- she turns back to her preferred distance here -- and Gorella would actually be my second choice were she not a three-year-old filly.

In the Distaff I like Ashado and Stellar Jayne as the most accomplished contenders, but there's always the possibility of a speed duel, and to come from off the pace I like In the Gold, who will be a big longshot, a lot. I also give Happy Ticket a chance.

The Turf is hard, because I don't know what to make of the Euros, who all seem to have had awesome records... earlier in the year. I'm tentatively picking Better Talk Now even though I've never really cared for him, because I can't ignore his record, along with the magnificent Shakespeare, and English Channel who may be closer to the pace than the other two. Bago and Azamour look about equal among the Euros, but Bago is said to like soft turf and Azamour not. Fourty Niners Son and Leprechaun Kid (my sentimental favorite as a front-runner with heart who is also grey) are good longshots.

As for what will actually happen tomorrow, I only know I plan to sit in front of my TV and watch it. That's the only thing that I can say for sure.

J. Crew Fur

Today, I got a J. Crew catalog, one of many I normally receive, since I spend a moderate amount of money on their clothes.

Something was different about this one. Among the advertised products was a collar made of mink fur and a sort of collar-muff-scarf thing of coyote fur.

Minks are raised on farms, and so though I happen to consider that cruel, and the image of the Long-Tailed Weasel I saw in the Sierras this summer comes back to me, it's the coyotes that bother me the most.

Were they caught in traps? I mean, I don't think there's such a thing as a coyote farm, you know? Did they wait, afraid, legs trapped? Did they struggle to get free when they saw the man with the gun approach? I think they did.

A coyote is as smart as your pet dog. A coyote protects and teaches its pups and stays with its mate for life.

In the High Sierras, under South Fork Pass, I heard a coyote howl and relaxed in my sleeping bag, where I had lain tense with fear of the next day's crossing, because something vital and alive was on those heights with me.

At Joshua Tree, under a full moon, the coyotes sang in eerie harmonies that made the night into a magic place. Again at JT, as the sun was falling, one called in a voice so like a human's we initially called back.

At La Jolla Canyon, north of Malibu, I saw a coyote hunting mice in the tall grass: ears forward, eyes intent, pouncing on small sounds. Surviving.

They hang out with me at Wilder Ranch, hunting burned-over areas while I watch and crossing the path in front of me, a little cautious, but not afraid. Should they be afraid of humans? It seems so.

Each scarf-thing is a life, a gray-gold cunning sharptoothed life that knows nothing about markets and fashion and money but knows damn well it wants to live.

Coyote spilled the Milky Way. Coyote gave humans fire.

I'm not inclined to spend any more money with a company that hangs dead animals' pelts around emaciated models' necks. It would be gratifying if other people felt the same.