Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

LOUSIVILLE – Upsets reigned supreme at this year’s Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs, the biggest purse in sports with $26 million handed out during 15 races.

I had enough longshots to win about $100 during the two days of races – all with modest $5 bets.

The weather was spectacular: warm enough for shirtsleeves. My seats had a sweeping view of the track, and there was room for some serious handicapping in the clubhouse.

I ate at a favorite restaurant, Jack Fry’s, and enjoyed the lobby bar at the famous Brown Hotel, where I downed a Manhattan. I spotted some celebrities up-close, such as Bobby Flay. I introduced myself as a fan, and we visited. He’s a racehorse owner.

When it comes to handicapping, my favorite pick was a “comeback” horse that I saw this summer at Del Mar, Tres Borrachos, eek out a third-place finish at about 30-1 odds. I picked three winners (Royal Delta in the Ladies’ Classic – Friday’s feature race – as well as on Saturday with St. Nicholas’ Abbey and Hansen). All told, I cashed seven winning tickets (win, place or show bets; no exotics).

I placed 20 $5 bets for a friend in Grass Valley, and he picked the winner of the Classic: longshot Drosselmeyer with Mike Smith. I had the third-place finisher in that race, which also was a longshot.

The Classic was a thriller. “Game On Dude was within yards of making Chantal Sutherland the first female jockey to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday when Sutherland’s ex-boyfriend Mike Smith and his colt Drosselmeyer surged past on the outside to win the $5-million race before 65,143 at Churchill Downs,” as the L.A. Times reported.

Horses raced regularly in California fared well – two of them were winners besides “in the money” Game on Dude and Tres Borrachos.

Ireland’s St. Nicholas’ Abbey was a father-and-son success. “Trainer Aidan O’Brien was given the second of his two victories Saturday by his 18-year-old son, Joseph, who rode Ireland’s St Nicholas Abbey in the $3-million Turf to become the youngest jockey to win a Breeders’ Cup race,” as the Times reported.

‘”Dream come true,’ Joseph O’Brien said. ‘I’ve been going to the Breeders’ Cup since I was very small. To win this, it’s out of this world.”‘

Next year, the Breeders’ Cup is at Santa Anita in Los Angeles.
Here’s a video of the Ladies Classic from Friday:

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Editor’s note: I’ve written before about CarsonNow.org, a free new media news startup with paid advertising. Now there’s SouthTahoeNow.com as well. It was started by a former Swift newsroom staffer, Kirk Caraway. Look how the publisher of The Union (Jeff Ackerman) and the Roseburg, Ore., News Review editor (Vicki Meynard) are attacking the competition. Both work for the Nevada-Based Swift chain. The Nevada Appeal and News Review just set up a “pay wall” for its news, charging customers to access local news. The Union hasn’t yet announced its plans. In our market, we have blogs such as Sierra Foothills Report, Sierra Voices and the aggregation site NCVoices, as well as Yubanet and “free” sites such as KNCO and KVMR. All of them have been known to “scoop” The Union. Here’s a list from this blog alone. (We’ll do a new one at year-end 2011).

Thank you for the early Christmas present
By Kirk Caraway

When I read last month that the Nevada Appeal planned to start charging readers to access their web content, a tune began playing in my head: “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…”

Since the first step of their paywall (as we in the industry refer to paid access systems) was erected on Wednesday, traffic for Carson Now shot up 50 percent. I expect that to grow even more when the first free trial period ends and they begin asking readers for their credit cards.

So thank you, Nevada Appeal, for the early gift. I will make sure to add you to my Christmas card list this year.

It’s very touching to read the flood of emails hitting my inbox from readers fleeing the Appeal’s paywall. Their offers to spread the word about Carson Now, sending in news tips and even passing along advertising leads goes to the heart of what a community news operation is.

We don’t operate from behind a wall. We are a part of the community, and the community is at the center of everything we do. We can’t do this without help from the community, and we welcome that help with open arms, not closed doors.

You can easily share your news, photos and other items of community interest here. And those businesses and organizations interested in advertising on the fastest-growing news site in Carson City can find out more here.

Thank you, Carson City.

Click here to read Jeff’s and Vicki’s comments below the story in the Facebook templet.

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