Santa Claus has already gotten his COVID-19 vaccine, so he’ll be on his way once again on Christmas Eve. In his bag this year are some special presents for all his friends in horse racing. He made his list and checked it twice and thanks to our special connections at the North Pole, here is that list. ~ Steve Haskin
Merry Christmas Horse Racing
By Steve Haskin
- Bob Baffert — An office sign that reads: “Gimme the Success Without the Stress.”
- Spendthrift Farm — A year’s supply of bubble wrap for Into Mischief.
- Tiz the Law — A finish photo of the 2003 Kentucky Derby signed by Funny Cide, which reads: “These old shoes are still hard to fill; good luck in 2021.”
- Gamine — A stall sign that reads: “Please Wash Hands Thoroughly Before Entering.”
- Gary and Mary West — A check from Saudi Arabia.
- Sol Kumin – Four bookkeepers, three accountants, two public relations agents, and a partridge in a pear tree.
- Maxfield — A special elixir that removes or prevents warts, sores, fractures, sore feet, fever, mucus, infections, runny noses, and anything else that might prevent him from getting through the year with no setbacks.
- All U.S. stallions standing in South Korea — A one-way ticket back home.
- Steve Asmussen — An advanced GPS system to locate and track all his horses.
- Maximum Security — Win photos of the Kentucky Derby and Saudi Cup with the title of the Gershwins’ big hit, “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”
- Swiss Skydiver — Copies of the top 20 current bestsellers to read on the plane all year.
- NBC — A defective aerial camera (Please Santa, have Prancer and Blitzen stomp on it).
- All those who passed on buying a micro-share in Authentic – A CD of the Katy Perry song “The One That Got Away.”
- MyRacehorse.com — A CD of the Deborah Cox song “Where Do We Go From Here?”
- To the anti-racing groups – An autographed photo of their two favorite “A Christmas Story” characters they can relate to, Scut Farkus and Grover Dill. And a message from everyone in horse racing: “Oh, fuuuudge.”
- Secretariat — A 50th birthday he never got.
- Santa Anita stewards – A photo of the finish of the 2018 Santa Anita Derby signed by Justify with the words: “Whew! Thank you.”
- Enable — A recording of “La Marseillaise” and a DVD of the film “The Last Time I Saw Paris” to keep her from getting bored on the first Sunday in October.
- Seth Klarman — A glossary of Wall Street terms in case he runs out of “catchy” names for his horses. Still waiting for him to name a horse Alternative Investment Market.
- Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co. — To the owner of the history making group 1 winner Sodashi, a recording of “White Christmas.”
- Zenyatta — An anonymous letter explaining why her fans never come to visit her.
- Chad Brown — A print of the famous painting of General Burgoyne surrendering at the Battle of Saratoga.
- Monomoy Girl — A stall sign that reads: “Miss you, Dad.”
- Oaklawn Park — A thank you letter from trainers and owners all over the country for being the first racetrack other than Churchill Downs to be the center of the racing universe on the first Saturday in May.
- Whitmore — A DVD of the movie “The Magnificent Seven.”
- Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola — To racing’s newest New York Italian connection a $500 gift certificate to Bamonte’s restaurant in Brooklyn and a bottle of Vino Rosso compliments of the house (Anthony Bonomo of course is invited).
- Christophe Clement — A DVD of the movie “Splendor in the Grass”
- Spendthrift Farm, MyRacehorse Stable, Madaket Stables, and Starlight Racing — A welcome letter from the Guinness Book of World Records for averaging $1.7 million per start in 2020. So they earned approximately $50,000 a furlong. And that is an authentic figure.
- WinStar Farm — An additional stallion barn and free lifetime membership to The China Horse Club.
- Elliott Walden — A DVD of the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
- Racetracks all over the country — Finally and most important of all, a large sign to be put up at all front entrances at some point next year that reads “O Come All Ye Faithful.”
“Ho Ho Ho. Merry Christmas!”
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