Gethsemane in South Africa

Well, Tiztastic did not win the Kentucky Derby; he placed tenth. More importantly, though, no horse or jockey was injured during a race that was run on a very sloppy, muddy mess of a track. Congratulations to Sovereignty for the win!

Photo retrieved from Google Images.

And I came across another YouTube video about Gethsemane. The reviewer is from Johannesburg, South Africa and he does an amazing job of analyzing all the parts of the piece and then explaining how they came together to create such a masterpiece.

Finally, I've been  working on what's turning out to be a very long blog post  since yesterday and it's still not done. Look for it later today (maybe) or tomorrow (more likely.) 

Stay 'tooned!

It's Derby Day!

Derby Day has really snuck up on me this year. I did get my Derby glasses out (one for each of my kids' birth years), but that's it.

An interesting Kentucky Derby fact was circulating on social media last week. Every horse that is running in today's race is descended from Secretariat.

Including Tiztastic, the horse I am rooting for.

He's probably not a contender for the roses, but I am still hopeful. And how can I not root for him when there is a very distant but real pedigree connection to him through my Quarter Horse, Cee Hunt? It's not a direct line, but if you trace back through the Tizzy line, you come to Cee's Tizzy, the King Ranch, and Leo who was my Cee's grandsire.

That's enough for me to be pulling for Tiztastic today!

He is at the 14th post position and his jockey is wearing maroon silks. The original field was of twenty horses, but two have scratched. (Grande and Rodriguez due to foot bruises according to one source, another said cracked heels.)  

The track is also going to be very muddy and that will certainly play a role in who wins. I don't like muddy tracks for racing - I don't want to see a horse slip and fall or injure themselves due to the slick track. The jockeys, too, are at greater risk when the track is sloppy.

Some Derby decor from a past year. That's my carpet herd Man o' War. Such a rich color! Metal race horses, a real shoe from Churchill Downs (complete with track dirt still in it), and my Derby salt and pepper shakers.

A close up of them. Another antique shop find.

Ever heard of a Crying Towel? I had not until I found this one while out thrifting.

They were popular in the 1920s - 1950s for a variety of sports, not just horse racing. I no longer have it as I gave it to a friend.

Mila has a soccer game this morning and Ian one this afternoon, so I won't have time to make a Kentucky Derby pie as I usually do. Here's my recipe in case you do:

Maybe I'll stop by a bakery after one of the games and pick up something to celebrate the race. A cupcake would be just fine! 

Happy Derby Day! And go, Tiztastic!