Jump racing: Iroquois & High Hope

One of the best things about getting my divorce is I'm back to the person I used to be and I've been back in the steeplechase fray, enjoying new and renewed friendships with people in that aspect of racing. So I spent two consecutive weekends jump racing.Here is the Iroquois in Nashville. Weather-wise, it was excellent for racing - overcast, slightly drizzly. And the racing was very good too.
These pictures were taken with my iPhone.

Here is Jonathan Sheppards' Sween Shani making her 3rd in a row bid to win this year's race. She pulled up after a pretty scary jump and was ok. At 12, this is her last year steeplechasing and it was little sad she didn't finish.

Here is Tax Ruling, making HIS try to win the Iroquois for the third year in a row. No horse in history has done it and he was leading up until the 4th or 5th fence from home when Arcadius took over and won.

Unfortunately, and these things happen in racing, Arcadius died suddenly from an aneurysm just minutes after finishing his race.

Here are Nashville's foxhunting hounds. This was a great pack of hounds, perfectly trained (you do not call them "a pack of hounds" but I can't remember the terminology). I soooo want to foxhunt.

Now we move on to High Hope steeplechase in Lexington, Ky., last weekend. A horse I'm obsessed with was running and, come hell or high water, I was going to see that horse run!

Here is Bold Adventure with my old friend Matt McCarron up. Some of these are not my pics but I enhanced them on Instagram.

My iPhone does take some good photos. Bold Adventure and the others take the fence chasing Royale, whom I'd pegged to win and took $5 in a wager with the table behind me. :)

Now we get to High Hope's premier race and there on the far right is my boy: Black Bag, trained by Leslie Falini Young. I knew Leslie back in Camden almost 20 years ago.

Isn't he just the most handsome thing??

Early in the race, I was disheartened. I knew Black Bag was going to run out of steam, particularly when I saw the eventual winner, Rainero, (ridden by Matt) under tight hold the second time under the wire. Rainero has won his last four starts under Matt and so I was happy for Matt - he's only the 9th jump jockey in history to have more than 200 wins.

Now for the highlight of my day! Cooling out Black Bag.

Can you tell I'm smitten?

We walked 12 miles, I'm sure of it. I had sweat pouring down my back. My makeup was washed off from hosing down the horse. It was the BEST time EVER!!

Thank you, Leslie!