If it’s the Friday before Derby, it must be Oaks day and the running of the ladies for the lilies.
At Churchill Downs there’s also Lily of the fillies (and stallions too) pictured in the Courier Journal story “What calms a nervous Derby horse? These playful goats on Churchill Downs’ backside.”
more about Lily and her buddies from courier journal
All eyes are on the racehorses during Kentucky Derby Week. But in barns on the backside of Churchill Downs, you might find a behind-the-scenes animal napping in a horse’s stall: goats.
There’s Lily, who gets in trouble for eating flowers and is known for headbutting people who stop scratching her.
And there’s her pal, Roxanne, whose horns get painted pink for the Kentucky Oaks and who has a sixth sense for knowing which horses are running.
You might see Trevor, the ornery, one-horned goat, who some say likes to eat Doritos. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll spot Oliver and Max, the baby goat duo, sprinting around — maybe even with a stuffed jockey on one of their backs.
Goats, their owners say, can serve as companions for a nervous thoroughbred. Much like barn ponies, miniature donkeys or other animals that can help steady jumpy racehorses, goats make for a soothing presence in the stall.
Helen Pitts-Blasi, the trainer who owns Lily, said she got her goat years ago for a filly that was stall walking, pacing back and forth in her stall without settling down. Lily helped her to calm down, almost like a “security blanket.”
Later, Lily grew close to another filly named Athena, Pitts-Blasi said, and she’d find the horse covering up the goat with straw on cold days.
So, what makes Lily Lily? What makes horses fall for her as a companion?
“Well, she’s fat, for one thing,” Pitts-Blasi said, laughing. “When she was little, she used to jump up and fit in my feed cart. But she no longer fits.”
Lily tends to get along best with fillies, female horses, Pitts-Blasi said, but she doesn’t let them push her around.
“If a horse tries to mess with her, she’ll turn around and rear up at them,” Pitts-Blasi said. “She stands her ground.”
That goes for other goats, too. Lily and Roxanne will play-fight with each other and race around the barns at Churchill Downs, which is a quasi-home for both. The two met when they shared a barn together a few years back, and now Lily searches Roxanne out when they both bunk in Louisville’s Churchill Downs.
Lynn and David Vance inherited Roxanne when she was young from an owner who passed along a horse, Lynn Vance said. Like Lily, Roxanne can have a bit of a mean streak when it comes to people.
“You’ll be petting her and then all the sudden she’ll decide she doesn’t want you anymore. And she’ll horn you. She’s over it,” said Vance, who recommended staying close to a rake in case Roxanne got into a mood.
“She will just have her mean periods when she doesn’t want everybody near her. She can charge you pretty good,” Vance added.
[continues]
from NYTimes “best of late night”
As promised, William Barr did not show up to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. The panel wanted him questioned about the Mueller report by staff lawyers, not just members of Congress, and he objected.
Democrats were not happy with Barr’s decision. One congressman, Steve Cohen, brought a chicken statue and a bucket of KFC to the hearing. He was making a point, but Trevor Noah wondered if he’d just been hungry.
[…]
“You already know in amongst all of this that Trump is jealous about all of the attention Barr is getting right now. Do you know what I mean? Trump is like ‘What? Hey, I’ve committed way more crimes than that guy. He covered up my crimes.” — JAMES CORDEN
“Yes, when the attorney general lies to Congress, it is a crime. When the president does it, it is the State of the Union.” — STEPHEN COLBERT, on Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats calling for Barr to resign
R.I.P.
Peter Mayhew, known for playing Chewbacca in Star Wars, dies at 74
pogo, your favorite op ed-er Alexandra Petri:
Bill Barr goes to Hell. And finds a client.
There is no second day of the testimony of William P. Barr because William P. Barr has decided not to appear before the House Judiciary Committee. So, to him, it comes as a surprise to find himself in a limousine on his way to testify.
“Testify where?” he asks, sounding a bit snitty. It is dark in the car. The figure in the front does not turn, but Barr thinks he sees something red and luminous — like eyes, but not quite like eyes — glinting in the rearview mirror. “I told the House ‘no.’ ”
“After seeing your performance yesterday,” the driver says, “my boss wanted you to come testify on his behalf, as well.”
“Your boss?”
“Call him Individual-0, if you like.” He holds up a tiny plastic bag with what look like some dirty coffee grounds in it. “Here, do you want the remnants of the credibility of the Justice Department? If not, I’m going to toss it next to the little chunk that is all that remains of John Kelly’s soul.”
[continues]
Patd
Great article on the goats.
Flatus, Still need a replacement for you now that Omaha Beach has scratched
Kentucky Derby
1 – War of Will 15-1 RR & Whiskey Jack
2 – Tax 20-1 XR
3 – By My Standards 15-1
4 – Gray Magician 50 – 1
5 – Improbable 5 – 1 Pogo & Lani
6 – Vekoma 15-1
7 – Maximum Security 8 – 1
8 -Tacitus 8-1 Sturgeone
9 – Plus Que Parfait 30-1
10 – Cutting Humor 30-1
11 – Haikal 30-1
12 – Omaha Beach 4-1 /SCRATCHED Flatus
13 – Code of Honor 12-1
14 – Win Win Win 12-1 Blue Bronc
15 – Master Fencer 50-1
16 – Game Winner 9-2
17 – Roadster 5-1 Patd & Jamie
18 – Long Range Toddy 30-1
19 – Spinoff 30-1
20 – Country House 30-1
21 – Bodexpress 30-1
Patd Trifecta – Roadster, Maximum Security, and game winner.
the hill:
The California state Senate on Thursday approved a bill to require candidates appearing on the presidential primary ballot — including President Trump — to release five years’ worth of income tax returns.
The measure was approved in a 27-10 vote, according to The Associated Press. California, for the first time, will be one of the first states to hold its presidential primary in the 2020 cycle.
The bill is a response to Trump’s insistence that he will not release his tax returns as presidential candidates traditionally have done, claiming he is under audit. If the bill becomes law and Trump does not release his returns, he may not appear on the California primary ballot.
[…]
The state’s legislature passed a similar bill in 2017, but then-Gov. Jerry Brown (D), who did not release his own tax returns, vetoed the bill. A spokesman for Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) told the AP that if the bill was sent to Newsom’s desk, “it would be evaluated on its own merits.”
Other presidential candidates would also be subject to the bill, but several 2020 Democrats have already released their tax returns.
Trump is facing one primary challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld (R).
Similar bills are making their way through the Washington and New Jersey state legislatures.
Jamie, Code of Honor, please
Polls are largely irrelevant because the GOP cheats.
Bad horse names:
Everybody Loves Dahmer
(Courtesy of Bob and Tom)
The New York Times is taking down its pay wall for three days. Enjoy reading.
OK, everyone – the world is going gaga over the April Jobs Report from Bureau of Labor Statistics. I’ll let you look at the summary and decide how you think this demonstrates strength in the economy. What I see is that manufacturing has flattened out in the last 3 months and services in the professional and business sectors, construction (nonresidential) and civil engineering, healthcare, social services have accounted for the increase. My take is that we are indisputably a service economy now and that the service side of the economy is where the growth is. Other folks may read this differently. Remember where job growth is occurring when SFB starts talking about the NAFTA redo (or since Congress ain’t gonna approve it, the NAFTA re-don’t). Remember, he didn’t include services when he was lying about the trade deficit we have with Canada. Anyway, have fun with it.
Jamie, according to this a.m. courier journal “Haikal scratched from Kentucky Derby with abscess on left front hoof”
so as the mad hatter would say `let’s all move one place on.’
things are looking up for roadster now if he posts at #15 up from historical loser #17. according to bleacher reports:
No. 15
Five of 57 horses have won out of this position, including Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who was the most recent to do it in 2015, while Orb did it in 2013.
Interesting CNN general election poll out today. Joe and Bernie tied at 6 better than SFB. Beto wins the day at 10 over SFB. SFB 1 over Lizzie.
I’m going with BB’s pick Win Win Win
Ya know… I get that the Dems stretching out the impeachment process to the point that there is no point might be politically astute…. BUT… they keep talking about “maybe” citing Barr for contempt and issuing subpoenas. If the shoe was on the other foot, does anyone here think the repubs would be saying “maybe”. HELL NO…. they’d do it. So get to it Dems!
Jamie, correction on the posts. now I hear that they will shrink in from both sides IOW posts 1 & 20 will be vacant.
Without even looking at the details, there is something wrong with that poll
pat, Loved the Petri piece – brilliant.
I know several republicans here in this one horse town that love to answer polls… because they’ve told me they always lie and say the exact opposite of what they really think or how they would vote. And yes… these are people above the age of 70.
KC, here’s the report on that CNN poll. The Head to Head general election results are on page 6.
KGC & Flatus …. I have your picks
Patd – Yes the horses keep their numbers but move towards the center of their gates.
Droopy Dog Barr
I vote for the “breaking bad” toon on barr as the best one I’ve seen so far due to the message it sends, but also like the droopy dog one because it captures his look and walk so well.
politico:
Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham on Friday asked Robert Mueller if he’d like to testify about any “misrepresentation” by Attorney General William Barr concerning a phone call they had about the special counsel’s report.
“Please inform the Committee if you would like to provide testimony regarding any misrepresentation by the Attorney General of the substance of the phone call,” Graham wrote to Mueller in a letter dated Friday.
Earlier this week, news outlets reported that Mueller sent a March letter to Barr expressing disagreement with the way Barr handled the release of his report, specifically that Barr’s four-page summary “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance” of Mueller’s report.
In a subsequent phone call, Mueller voiced concern that the media misrepresented the report’s investigation into whether President Donald Trump committed obstruction of justice.
During his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, Barr said that Mueller did not dispute the accuracy of his four-page summary to Congress.
Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, declined to comment Friday.
House and Senate Democrats have called on Mueller to testify before Congress about the report. But so far, Senate Republicans have been reluctant to bring in the special counsel, arguing that his appearance before Congress is not necessary given the report’s conclusions.
I think all 21 can beat trump. Weld and x can, too.
However, the media accurately fwded barr’s bs assessment
I mean, the meanstrain muddya
One of today’s more interesting stumbles by SFB was his yapping about his love of KGB agent Putin. Because he cannot comprehend economics, low intelligence gets in the way, he goes to what he craves, which is power. To him power is killing opponents, not just suing them, but getting rid of your bad itches. Putin lets him see what absolute power is. And that reminds he does not have it, however, the greedy old perverts are trying to make him he thinks he has it.
Glad I’m not a betting man. I’da lost my ass in the Oaks.
58% of the American people said the kids had it coming to them. I was 16 at the time and agreed with the 58%. Over the years I’ve always wondered why, any rational adult(which I wasn’t at the time) would see that unarmed protesters didn’t earn a death sentence but at the time……..
Think it can’t happen again?
NEW THREAD