Three of the jockeys participating. From left to right, Edgar Prado, Julien Leparoux and Rajiv Marah/Photo by Rhonda Lane
The Grand Opening celebration and dedication of the Old Friends at Cabin Creek near Saratoga Springs, NY, kicked off – er, teed off — with a celebrity pro-am, of sorts.
The biggest celebrity of them all wasn’t there, but attended in spirit – Cabin Creek’s namesake and benefactor, the late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel.
But first, some of the most competitive people on earth had the generosity of spirit, time and humor to play mini golf with some of the world’s most excited race fans.
My friend Toni played in jockey Julien Leparoux’s group. I was in Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado’s group.
I managed to keep a lid on the fangirl giddiness. (As in, Holy Derby roses, Batman! It’s Edgar Prado!) After all, there was a game to be played. And I needed to multi-task by taking still photos and shooting video.
I’m not sure that I did anything well, but I had a great time. Come on along to play some mini golf, then visit the farm in a subsequent post.
First: A very special “Thank You” to Sasscer Hill, the author of racing mystery FULL MORTALITY, and Barry Wiseman who helped me with a crucial detail. As the kids say, you guys rock!
Now, on to the fun!
Mini golf
Images of the tourney's namesake reminded us that Little Silver Charm had to hold down the fort back in Kentucky/Photo by Rhonda Lane
The sun rose overhead and reminded us that, mild day or not, this was still summertime on the East Coast.
The tourney was held at Murphy’s Driving Range just off I-87 on the way into Saratoga Springs.
Foursomes became five-somes or even six-somes. Scorecards aren’t built for that, but everyone who showed got a chance to play in a group with a jockey.
Competition heated up, although keeping score became a bit sketchy after a while.
At first, I had gamely volunteered to keep score. I soon realized I couldn’t keep up with the fast pace, the action and my digital documentation, so I flaked – er, delegated the duty to another group member.
Edgar told us that he’d never played mini golf before. He’s so nice that we didn’t care when he smoked us anyway. He sank at least one hole-in-one.
About two rounds in, jockey Calvin Borel showed up and caused the excited buzz to spin up to fever pitch. Reports that he knocked in two holes-in-one swept through the course like cravings for cold drinks.
Mini golf video
My game tends to decline from the first hole on anyway. Add two cameras, conversation and adrenalin spikes? I’m just glad we weren’t competing as teams. If that had been the case, Edgar would have been playing with a handicap
Besides, how could I concentrate with such fun photos just waiting for the camera? (If you can’t see the photos, for whatever the reason, let me know and I’ll set up a page on a photo sharing site. )
A young fan came equipped with cap mount. He's reportedly an "easy keeper."/Photo by Rhonda Lane
Calvin's dog Chloe greeted the fans/Photo by Rhonda Lane
Edgar Prado lines up a putt. For someone who's never played mini golf before, he did pretty well. /Photo by Rhonda Lane
Could you hit the ball through the spokes of the wheel and through the starting gate to the hole for a hole-in-one? Riiiight. Sure, ya could. 
/Photo by Rhonda Lane
The 18th hole, called The Winner's Circle. /Photo by Rhonda Lane
Tags: Calvin Borel, charity event, Edgar Prado, Julien Leparoux, Old Friends, Old Friends at Cabin Creek, Rajiv Marah, Saratoga Springs NY
July 28th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
What fun to have Calvin there, although it appears it was fun anyway!
July 28th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
Susie – It was an absolute blast! And the mini golf thing was just half of it.
August 9th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Rhonda, you are entirely welcome. See you next week in Saratoga!!