WARM WEATHER BRINGS HIGH HOPES

FEBRUARY 11th

A very ancient trivia question:

Bacchus was the Roman god of celebrations and festivities. 

He also ruled over:

A) Wine

B) Fertility

C) The Theater & the Arts

The Answer is: All of the above!

He was the most popular of the Roman deities and 

Old Bacchus was definitely "The Dude."

JANUARY 31st

It's been nippy alright but the coldest temperature in Ohio occurred one year during a February blizzard and was minus 39 below zero.

Where abouts and when?

A) 1888 - Willoughby (located up by Lake Erie)

B) 1901 - Edgarton (in the northwest corner of the state)

C) 1899 - Milligan (60 miles southeast of Columbus)

Milligan, a small hamlet 17 miles south of Zanesville & 30 miles east of Lancaster & in a valley alongside a river, got its claim to fame as the coldest spot ever in Ohio. They were without electricity and phone service for years ...until they brought  electricity and phone service to Perry county  in the 1930s.

JANUARY 14th

 PROXIMITY WAS AN 8-YEAR-OLD WHEN SHE WAS HORSE OF THE YEAR (& THE FIRST MARE) IN 1950.

SU MAC LAD WAS EIGHT WHEN HE TOOK THE HONORS IN 1962.

WHAT OTHER 8-YEAR-OLD GRABBED THE AWARD?

A) GOOD TIME

B)  FRESH YANKEE

C) SAVOIR

A) GOOD TIME WAS  THE OTHER 8-YEAR-OLD WHEN HE WAS A REPEAT WINNER IN 1952 . HE HAD ORIGINALLY TAKEN IT IN 1949 AS A 3-YEAR-OLD

JANUARY 5th

WHO WAS THE FIRST DRIVER TO WIN 200 RACES IN A YEAR?

A) Delvin Miller

B) Hugh "Doc" Parshall

C) Bob Farrington

C) Bob Farrington beat out some pretty lofty competition such as Haughton, Dancer, Miller, Simpson, Ervin,  O'Brien etc in 1961 when the 32-year-old storied son of Richwood, Ohio  (years before he developed Rambling Willie) was the best in North America

DECEMBER 22nd

Who was the first to earn over $500,000 during their career?

A) Good Time

B) Scott Frost

C) Adios Butler

C) Yes, Kato... the Butler did it when he retired in 1961 with record earnings of $509,875. He would stand his entire 22-year stud career at Fair Chance Farms in Washington Court House, Ohio

DECEMBER 5th

B) Niatross was the first in October of 1980... now the sub-1:50 mile is as common as eyebrows.

AND BONUS IF YOU KNEW THAT ALBATROSS WAS THE SIRE OF NIATROSS WHO WAS THE SIRE OF NIHILATOR

NOVEMBER 19th

C) BEN FRANKLIN PROPOSED MAKING THE TURKEY OUR NATIONAL EMBLEM.  IT IS VERY CUNNING & WILY IN THE WILD UNLIKE THE DOMESTICATED ONES.

IT WAS NAMED "TURKEY" AS THE COLONISTS THOUGHT THAT WAS THE COUNTRY THEY ORIGINATED FROM.

NOVEMBER 11th

In 1951 Tar Heel, with catch-driver Del Cameron aboard for trainer Delvin Miller, graced the Delaware County Fairgrounds in 2:00 flat. It would not be equaled until 1955 when the filly Dottie's Pick (with Del Miller for trainer Billy Haughton) set a World Record  in the 2nd heat.

NOVEMBER 3rd

Hobbles have been in existence since ancient times when prisoners were captured and had leggings of wood/iron/rope around their ankles to  keep them from running.  The Indiana Pants made the horses hop instead of galloping and thus were also called "hopples' by the wits of the day.

OCTOBER 27th

THE ANSWER IS C)

MESHUGGAH  IS YIDDISH FOR SOMEWHAT CRAZY... WITH A DISMISSING WAVE OF THE HAND & A "HE'S NOT QUITE RIGHT" IT CAN BE WELL USED WHEN SOMEONE SAYS "THIS IS THE BEST HORSE THERE EVER WAS!"

OCTOBER 22nd

GREENWOOD, A MAINSTAY OF DOWNTOWN TORONTO FOR OVER 100 YEARS, WAS A 5/8ths MILE TRACK WITH TIGHT TURNS AND A LONG STRETCH. IF YOUR HORSE NAVIGATED THOSE TURNS YOU WERE GOOD TO GO ON A HALF-MILER

OCTOBER 13th 

TAKING A LIFETIME MARK 2:03.1h IN JUNE WAS A GOOD OMEN OF THINGS TO COME FOR ZUMMA WORLD AS THE GELDED SON OF SUMMA CUM LAUDE CAPPED A FRESHMAN YEAR WITH OVER $67,000 IN EARNINGS INCLUDING A MILE  IN 1:55.3h IN THE FINALS

OCTOBER 10th 

In the Lucy -Desi Comedy Hour's first season of 1958 in episode #4 Lucy wins a racehorse and has to drive it herself to support it. She committed so many driving infractions she set a "NEW WORLDS RECORD!" for offenses.

AUGUST 22nd