racingmeridian.com

Sarah Palin would be proud of this Joe Six Pack tonight. I’ve got NASCAR on the sked and plan to chug a cold one every time Dale Junior curses at crew chief Tony Eury. Don’t plan on being up before noon on Sunday…stunner rocks the young NHL season with Jose Theodore being pulled in the second period last night after being shellacked by the Thrashers. The mega dollar signing by the Capitals appears dodgy given Theodore’s inconsistency. What a poor beginning for a Capitals team intent on making noise this year. And, oh yeah, guess who appears in net for the opposition tonight? The goalie they slagged off, Cristobel Huet, now of the Chicago Blackhawk’s…Miikka Kiprusoff had a horrible 2007-08 for the Calgary Flames. No one criticizes the sainted Finn but after a wretched opener against the Canucks I expect the knives will be out before Christmas unless the tiny one finds his game…Seconds Out website traditionally polls fifteen experts for their predictions before the big fights. For tonight’s Klitschko-Peters, Tarver-Dawson Showtime doubleheader, the decisions have come in at 8-7 for Klitschko and Dawson, respectively, the closest margins I have ever seen for title scraps. I’ll pass on the light heavyweight battle but take Klitschko with enthusiasm in the heavyweight match-up…the hapless Evander Holyfield has now offered his services to Nikolai Valuev’s camp for a December fight in Germany. Valuev’s people politely demurred, undoubtedly anxious to gage public response to the potential fight (and easy win for their soft punching giant). Holyfield boasts countless children by countless ex’s and is dogged by serious financial woes. He needs to get legal help and deal with those problems and desist this foolish pursuit of another belt. It is heartbreaking to realize Holyfield is going to end up like so many other great champions, brain scrambled and broke…now appears likely that Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito will face off in late January 2009. World of hurt for the Sugar…Jim Kelly on “The Fan” hopes for a Phillies-Red Sox World Series in order to pair up the world’s most obnoxious and volatile fans…I’m about as interested in following the A J Burnett saga as I was in keeping track of Mats Sundin…go on, son, make some easy money on Sunday, play the Cowboys, Eagles and Packers and enjoy the rest of the week…also think the Jaggies are going to show their claws against the Broncos, nice at plus three and a hay…Rick Dutrow, trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown, faces allegations that his Salute The Count raced with excessive amounts of clenbuterol in his system on May 2^nd. The Associated Press dryly notes that was one day prior to the Kentucky Derby…we provided five winners at Woodbine yesterday, you’re welcome…REAL DILEMMA, in fine fettle for Sid Attard, is our choice to take the opener…in the second SOUTHBOUND AGAIN looks set to break his maiden after a long summer sojourn…LOMAKI gets serious class relief and tries the lawn in the third. The pricey daughter of A P Indy benefits from a sensible move to grass maven Jono Jones…GLASLYN, two sprints to a route, third lifetime, can upset Uniform in the fourth…SAY NO EVIL I s preferred in the fifth. The gelding moves to Emma after running a troubled “Z” in his last…is there a case for playing against the odds-on choice, Sugar Bay, in the sixth, the Carotene Stakes? Maybe, the filly is off a double top and returning on relatively short notice. Might make her vulnerable to NORTHERN KRAZE, fresh off a summer rest and an allowance tune-up. Emma might be close to figuring out the eccentric Night Fever, so we’ll also try her in a mix with the top two…the gun shy BIG CASINO is marketed aggressively in the seventh and that is a cause for concern. If right, he is simply unstoppable against a collection of slugs…we’ll stand against  Monsoon Rain in the Durham Cup and turn to the rugged veteran PALLADIO…MOONSHINE HALL returns from a money making trip to Saratoga to face a humble classification. Use him over Sir Blitz and Andalusian…close out the day with TACTICAL, moving from an apprentice to McAleney for the Asmussen barn…