Cloudy in the Santa Anita Paddock Before His Awesome Effort in the Breeder's Cup Marathon

2009-12-26T19:01:00.000-08:00

Sheppard's Assistant Trainer, Barry G. Wiseman, Cloudy's Knight, and groom Anna Sinchak.

A Sasscer Hill Photo.

BREEDER'S CUP FRIDAY 2009: Watch this VIDEO!

2009-12-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

Barry G. Wiseman exercising Informed Decision

Ernie Munich, the Official Vlogger (video blogger) for the Breeder's Cup, made an awesome, and sometimes humorous video of Breeder's Cup Filly and Mare day on Friday, November 6, 2009. It's really great, like you are next to Ernie, experiencing what he does!

It opens without sound -- listen carefully, as the first two voices heard are Ernie talking to Barry Wiseman. Barry is walking the grey filly, Informed Decision before her run in the Breeder's Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

Ernie takes you through that day at the track, introducing you to some real characters. His short video ends with the grey filly powering down the stretch and another quick interview with Barry as he leads the wonder-filly into the winner's circle.

I will never forget this day and am so grateful to Ernie for sharing this footage!

Watch this video! Paste the address below into your address bar, or even easier, click on the link at the top of this page on the right hand side, where it say's "Ernie's video."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ2FNUC05lo&feature=player_embedded#

Dear reader, add your comment. Scroll down and click the word “comments” below to open your comments form.” Thanks so much for reading!

THE MYSTERY OF THE CROWDED CAR

2009-11-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Who were those people in that little car?

Suspected perpetrators of the Crowded Car Incident were found in the official Winner's Circle photo above, taken when Informed Decision (the grey filly) won the 2009 Breeder's Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, earning her large share of a million dollar purse.

Suspects above: First row, far left, Sasscer Hill, wearing the purple scarf on her shoulders, three people in, the man with the ball cap and tie, Jonathan Sheppard. Next to him, the blonde in dark glasses, Cathy Sheppard. Next to her, the brunette in dark glasses, Blythe Miller Davies. Not at all suspected is the gal in the turquoise hat, the mysterious Julia -- constant companion to other non-suspect, Campbell's Soup scion, George Strawbridge, aptly wearing a straw hat. Next to George and holding the filly is person-of-interest and assistant trainer, Barry G. Wiseman. In the very last row, behind George's straw hat is suspect Cathy Sheppard's son, Joe. The groom, Ann Sinchak, believed to be among the car riders, remained in hiding during this photographic session.

THE MYSTERY OF THE CROWDED CAR

It’s hours after Informed Decision’s big win, and the light is fading to dusk outside Bob Baffert’s barn where Jonathan’s three warriors are stabled.

I stand in a group of seven people made up of Jonathan Sheppard, his wife, Cathy, her son, Joe, and the Mid-Atlantic steeplechase trainer, Blythe Miller Davies. The young groom, Anne Sinchak, Barry Wiseman and I complete the group.

We are done with the horses, press and well wishers. No matter how extraordinary the day has been, we are more than ready to leave the backstretch. But the races aren’t over for us yet.

Jonathan has rented a compact Honda hybrid, and the group of seven eye the little car somewhat uneasily. Somebody may have to trudge on foot to the hotel where everyone is staying, only Cathy’s not having anyone walk.

Jonathan slips into the driver’s seat – he is, after all, the consummate pilot – and Blythe Miller rides shotgun, probably because it would be difficult to fold her amazingly long and shapely legs into the back of the car.

The remaining five of us sardine into the tiny back seat. Jonathan takes off, and as we head out the stable gate, I wave at the security guards. We zoom forward about 10 feet and hit a quagmire of traffic. Almost 50,000 people attended the races on Friday and packed in their cars, they surround us.

We bump along, creeping and easing to yet another standstill. Barry talks with Joe about “passenger endorsement,” an absurd conversation that started the previous day when Joe drove us around Arcadia. Their plan is for Joe to drive professionally for a fabulously wealthy client.

“What you need to collect,” Barry says, “are passenger endorsements.”

“I don’t see any coming from of this ride,” Joe says, shaking his head.

“We’re going to work on that in Florida,” Barry says, referring to the Gulfstream Park meet that will open in January and last until April.

I’m totally wired from the day and have a bad case of motor moth. Since I’m directly behind Jonathan, he’s probably thinking I’d fit nicely in the trunk.

Cathy is sitting on her son Joe’s lap. She bends in half, her head almost on my knee.

“We could get in a lot of trouble for having this many people in the car,” she says.” I’m staying down.

“I see the headline,” Barry says, “Jonathan Sheppard, trainer of Breeder’s Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, busted in Arcadia for reckless driving and passenger endangerment.

Anne, the groom, is cramped between Cathy and Joe, and Barry and me. She makes a little noise of discomfort.

“Do you think you could move your arm? It’s kind of pressed into my leg.”

“Sorry,” I say, realizing I’ve been impaling her thigh with my right elbow as a means to balance. I remove it and to keep from falling over, I grab Jonathan’s head rest. He hunches even further over the steering wheel. I am sure it’s not because I’ve been rattling on about how if we’d walked, we’d already be there.

Jonathan seems determined to find a way through the mob of cars. But we are boxed in and no one will leave us a hole to thread through. Jonathan attempts to switch lanes.

“Blythe, I say. “Stick one of those lovely legs out the window, and someone will let us over.”

“Oh, no,” says Joe. “I’ll never get my passenger endorsement now.”

Outside his window, a cop on a moped has pulled alongside us and is staring at the crush in the back seat. I bend over Cathy, my nose touching her blond hair. We are like ostriches sticking our heads in the sand.

The cop putts past us and disappears in the tangle of traffic ahead.

“It’s not like he could have pulled us over,” says Barry.

My back is killing me and I mumble something about liniment.

Still bent in half, Cathy says, “Lynda, you’ll probably remember this as one of the best times of your life.”

“It already is,” I say.

A wailing sound and twirling lights grab our attention. Groaning in pain, six of us turn our heads to look back and see what’s coming now. Jonathan, of course, uses his rear view mirror.

An ambulance is trying to bust through the traffic. The cars around us make an effort to squeeze to the side. Jonathan doesn’t. The drivers on our right crunch their vehicles over just enough to let the ambulance lurch past.

Jonathan pulls clear of the pack and locks on the ambulance’s bumper. He’s off, and like Informed Decision, there’ no stopping him. “We’re three lengths back,” he says. “We should be two lengths back.”

“Just ram them,” Barry says. “Go to the inside rail.”

“No, don’t encourage him, Barry,” says Cathy, her mouth still somewhere near my knee.

Several exuberant and unprintable comments follow as we tear through a number of intersections, the reflection of ambulance lights coloring our faces red and blue. Within moments we reach Huntington Avenue, where Jonathan uses the gap formed by the ambulance to execute a most unlikely left turn.

Seconds later, he pulls up to the hotel, and we pry ourselves from the car, everyone moaning and stretching.

I realize that a group of ten or so people, standing outside the lobby entrance to the hotel, are forming an audience. They seem mesmerized, like children watching circus clowns spill from a tiny prop-car. Or maybe they just recognize Jonathan.

As I rub the small of my back, I notice the gleam in Barry’s eye.

“What we’ll need to do in the future, Jonathan,” he says, “is to call for an ambulance.”

Dear reader, add your comment. Scroll down and click the word “comments” below to open your comments form.” Thanks so much for reading!

Hot Walking the Breeder's Cup

2009-11-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

Since I was on Jonathan Sheppard's "Badge List," I was able to purchase a hot walker's license. This enabled me access to the backstretch, which was totally amazing. Plus, I thought when I wore the badge, I probably looked hot.

Can you imagine marching onto the backstretch at Santa Anita by yourself, not having any idea where you are going and the first person you see is Bob Baffert? Then imagine that he was in Jonathan Sheppard's barn, along with Steve Asmussen. Then realize that you are not delirious, and it's all true

Houston, we have lift off!

SANTA ANITA ROCKET RIDE

Cloudy in the Santa Anita Paddock Before His Awesome Effort in the Breeder's Cup Marathon

BREEDER'S CUP FRIDAY 2009: Watch this VIDEO!

THE MYSTERY OF THE CROWDED CAR

Hot Walking the Breeder's Cup