Between the wheels . . .

Today--like most Tuesdays--I found myself on the track instead of in the announcer's booth (although for the quintet of non-wagering events, I ended up occupying my cosy sixth-storey office).  Before the first qualifier, as I was going out to train a two-year-old filly who had never been at Chester before (she ended up schooling in 1:59-ish), I'm following George Teague onto the track.  He looks back at me and says, "Announcer by day, horseman by day."  Shortly after, I went a 2:30 mile--and it felt pretty comfortable at that clip (back half in about 1:10).  Then, while I'm warming up another horse for a later race, a driver with whom I'm not particularly close drives up alongside with his horse and says to me "You do a helluva job up there."

Despite the comments made by people outside the industry, hearing the horsemen themselves say what they did on their own accord and initiative far outweighs any negative.  Life truly is good.

And I get to see a very special someone this weekend in Chicago! :)

A racecallers' homecoming . . .

Today took me to The Meadows for a United States Harness Writers' Association meeting, and as a result, a view of the work-in-progress that is their new grandstand.  The last I had been there, the old grandstand was still intact, I had yet to be at Chester, and I was still toting a tape recorder and Crayola markers in the grandstand's top row.

Before the meeting, Roger Huston pulled me aside and asked me if I wanted to call a couple races on today's card.  And even though the old grandstand has been replaced by a construction site for the new plant, and horsemen were the only people in attendance live, it was an absolute thrill and honour to call a pair of races at my old home track.  It truly was good to be home, even just for the day.