One of my pet peeves about Rose Parade coverage on TV is that producers tend to cut away from the equestrian units. Not this year, by cracky. Especially if you have access to RFD-TV.

In celebration of Roy Rogers’s 100th birthday in 2012, the TV network’s float will feature their stuffed Trigger and Bullet, bought at the Christie’s auction of Roy Rogers memorabilia last year.

Uh, they’re not gonna cover them nose-to-tail with flowers, are they??

Rose Parade floats are famous for being covered with plant material. Surely not --

Never fear. The parade committed granted permission to use the real, uh, preserved Trigger and Bullet.

The RFD-TV site refers to them as “the actual preserved remains.” Um, okay, but I would have used a different phrase, a little less funereal but less casual than “stuffed,” a word I admit I’ve used.

The Rose Parade float will be led by a color guard of 100 golden palominos and will include Roy Jr. and his son Dusty singing “Happy Trails.”

RFD-TV is all over this one

I admit I’m a little jealous. My cable system doesn’t offer RFD-TV, so I’m going to miss a lot of the fun, like

• Equestfest (a program presented by all the equestrian units appearing in the parade) – Dec. 30 from 3 to 5 pm EST (Yes, I realize that’s today. My bad. I just found out about this story late last night.)
• A pre-parade broadcast – January 2 (note the date!)- from 10 to 11 am EST.
• The Tournament of Roses Parade – January 2 (again, it’s not on New Year’s Day) – starting at 11 am to 1 pm EST.

Come to find out, the RFD-TV site will live stream the parade and pre-parade show on Jan. 2, if you’re a subscriber.

I’m guessing parade coverage will begin around 11 am EST for other less-equestrian networks?

Even other networks besides RFD-TV are liable to cover this float, too, considering Roy’s status as a Boomer icon, if only for the nostalgia factor.

How I really feel

The whole preservation-of-remains thing has me a little creeped out, but as a worshipper of the First Ammendment, I understand. As a pet lover and owner, I also understand.

Yet, I also see “remains” as sacred, even though the spirit/energy/lifeforce is gone.  That’s why people come to pay their respects when RFD puts them on tour.

I also reckon I’m jingoistic enough to be glad Trigger and Bullet are still on American soil.

Still, I’d rather remember movie star Trigger gleaming and dancing in the California sun. No wonder Roy loved him too much to truly let him go. And no wonder we still love Trigger, too.

Then there’s Trigger Jr.

I also wish I knew where Trigger Jr., the registered Tennessee Walking Horse of the two, ended up. The preserved Trigger Jr. sold for $18,750 – about half of what RFD-TV paid for the preserved Bullet – to an undisclosed buyer.

If you happen to see Trigger Jr. somewhere along the way or know where he went, please give me a shout-out.

Even if the reality creeps us out, the “remains” of our icons hold meaning.

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If you can’t see the embedded video, click here.

Colonel Sherman T. Potter’s farewell on one of the most-watched nights of television ever – the series finale of M*A*S*H.

Actor Harry Morgan recently passed away at age 96. He’d also co-starred in TV’s “Dragnet” and various movie and TV westerns.

Note the McClellan saddle on Sophie.

Over and out.

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But we’re not all-about-racing here. No sirree. A USA gold medal, ze fillies making a sweep and stylin’ are part of October’s Twitter fun.

Pan-Am Games – YAY!

Historic Team Gold Medal for US Eventing Team at the 2011 Pan American Games http://bit.ly/oJydgW (via @SouthernHorses)

Who wasn’t at Breeders Cup 2011

BTW, the QEII is Frankel’s ninth straight win. #horseracing. via @BloodHorsehttp://ow.ly/6Yphv

RT @ejxd2: I said it once, and I’ll say it again: Frankel’s burst is like hitting the nitrous button on Off Road. #horses#racing

What’s French for “Girls rule. Boys drool?” (Uh oh. That sounded a bit disreputable.)

Shades of Rachel/Zenyatta days. Fillies across-the-board in recent Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. http://ow.ly/6O1dP via @drf.#WANA1011

Back in My Old Kentucky Home

Top 25 horses to race at Keeneland in time for #Keeneland75. Lotsa big names. http://ow.ly/6RlyM

::sigh:: Homesick now. RT @gardenandgunmag: Getting reading for a day at the races in KY @keenelandracinghttp://yfrog.com/h7wqvchnj

RT @roodandriddle: Just gave tour to nice people w/an Irish horse running at #keeneland on Sat. We offer tours during the week by res only.

High time. Kind of a “duh,” huh? RT @horseswork: Horses added to Kentucky Proud Program… http://fb.me/G3Wsl0Ck

Stylin’ – equestrian attire and design

Who sez English horse riding attire is boring? Show jumping fashionistas – from @trotontv http://ow.ly/6WBbk

Brocade and rhinestones – era of Tennessee Walking Horse glitz. Talking about riding jackets with @dappledgrey http://bit.ly/tjh2Iy http://ow.ly/7zulL

Medieval noir author @jeriwesterson saddles up in armor w/ @junglereds http://ow.ly/6XwH3 Plus her post on Horsey Set http://ow.ly/6XwLK

Watch a horse sculpture come to “life” with photos in stages. http://ow.ly/76fw6

Excellent ambassador of style and fun. RT @paigeroberts90: Sad to see @CarsonKressley leave #DWTS. You made the Saddlebred world so proud

Horse tweeps, you’re gonna love it. RT @carsonkressley: Filming something special in $y apt today! http://yfrog.com/h88v2phj

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One of the gardens at Planet X Pottery outside Gerlach, NV/Photo by Rhonda Lane

Happy Halloween!

As for you wonderful regular readers and RSS feed subscribers (or you soon2Bs):

I’m going to try to update our guide to TV coverage of the 2011 Breeder’s Cup up into the big weekend. At least, that’s the plan.

When you click on the link, you’ll find that I’ve already added some videos to the article. Keep checking back  on that link up into #BC11 weekend as I add more info.

I’d write new posts, but that would only dilute my carefully strategized Google mojo. I think.

Now, go get ready for trick-or-treat.

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If you can’t see the embedded video, please click here.

It’s time for our version of The World Series. The 2011 Breeder’s Cup races.

ESPN/ABC will air the Breeder’s Cup 2011 races, some of which you’ll be able to watch online or via your mobile device on ESPN3.

Post positions and jockey assignments

ESPN also has the post position listings for the races. (At least, that’s the only one I found so far with jockeys listed.) If you’d like more information, Equibase has a race program-like listing, just click on the links for each race.

Advantage of Breeder’s Cup on US TV

We get to see some of the best jockeys in the world ride, especially jockeys based in the UK and France. I listed about sixteen of them in my latest Glenfiddich Explorers article about jockeys in the saddle. You have to be of legal drinking age to see my GFExplorers list, but never fear – you’ll see many of them in action at the Breeder’s Cup. Looks like you might have to go up to the upper right hand search window on the GF Explorers page and do a search on my name Rhonda Lane.

The three we’re slated to see are Olivier Peslier, Frankie Dettori and Johnny Murtagh. Peslier, Goldikova’s regular ride (she could make history this weekend) has been called a “Concorde jockey.”  He’s a huge star in Japan and Dubai, too.  Johnny Murtagh has won five Gold Cups at Royal Ascot, two of them aboard the great superhorse Yeats.  If Lanfranco Dettori wins, he’ll do an Angel Corder0-style flying dismount in the Winner’s Circle.

The ESPN commentator team for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships includes:

Host – Joe Tessitore
Analysts – Randy Moss and Jerry Bailey
Handicappers – Kenny Mayne and Hank Goldberg
International Expert/European Horse Analyst – Nick Luck
Reporters – Jeannine Edwards, Jay Privman and Caton Bredar (on horseback)
Narrator, Historian – William (Bill) Nack
Race Caller – Trevor Denman

Keep reading for the specifics. As usual, check your local listings.

All times are EDT.

Friday – 11/4

ESPN2 and ESPN3

Coverage starts at 4 pm on ESPN2 and ESPN3 and runs til about 8 pm. Both on TV (ESPN2) and on your computer or mobile device (ESPN3).

Races covered will be:

#5 – Juvenile Sprint – post time 4:10 pm (all times are EDT)
#6 – Juvenile Fillies Turf – post time 4:50 pm
#7 – Filly and Mare Sprint – post time 5:30 pm
#8 – Juvenile Fillies – post time 6:10 pm
#9 – Filly and Mare Turf – post time 6:50 pm
#10- Ladies Classic – post time 7:30 pm

Saturday – 11/5

TVG will cover the Breeder’s Cup Marathon, post time 1:20. If you have TVG,  coverage this year is extensive, starting with shows during the week before.

ABC

Coverage begins at 2 pm in a time period that will include:

(If you don’t have TVG, I bet ESPN shows highlights of the Marathon and probably the Juvenile Turf, which has a post time of 2:02 pm.)

Live races:

#5- Juvenile Sprint – post time 2:32 pm (again, all times are EDT)
#6 – Turf Sprint – post time 3:21 pm

ESPN and ESPN3

Will air for the rest of the day and for all the Breeder’s Cup races from 3:30 pm until 7:15 pm (Did you notice? All times are EDT.)

Live races in that time slot:

#7 – Juvenile – post time 4:01 pm
#8 – Mile – post time 4:50 pm
#9 – Dirt Mile – post time 5:35 pm
#10 – Turf – post time 6:07 pm

Programming for the Breeder’s Cup Classic starts at 6:15 pm
#11  – Breeder’s Cup Classic – post time 7 pm – under the lights*

Sources:

The Breeder’s Cup website, along with the listing of pre-entered horses

and

Horse Racing Nation for post times and race cards
The Blood Horse for which channel and when to watch

Click here if you can’t see the embedded video.

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You guys who only follow my blog miss all those goodies. But don’t worry – I intend to keep you better up-to-date.

I used to write a series of posts I called the Twitter Round-Up. I think it’s time we revived that tradition.

That said, here are some of my Tweets from August – with a little set-up for some.

Hurricane season tip

Tips for dealing with Hurricane Irene flew over Twitter in August, including tips for horse owners. I can’t take credit for the idea of suggesting the tip below, but I saw how well those things worked when I went to the endurance ride in Rhode Island. Actually, my source for the tip below is the lady offering me donuts in the video I included with the piece.

Take a tip from endurance riders and write ID info for your horse on its body with hard crayon livestock pen. Won’t wash off in rain. #irene

Arts and crafts

Need something to wear? Want to gamble on a new way to commune with your horse? An an indie author enjoys international attention.

 Yikes! RT @dappledgrey: FRE performance artist Marion Laval-Jeantet creates the first real “horse woman” bit.ly/oPdpcE via getmyfix.org blog

Wow. Need costumes for a production of “Equus?” RT @trotontv: London based fashion designer and saddle maker combines the two. http://tinyurl.com/3vswrnj

You KNOW you want one. RT @besthorsegifts: Back to School With Pink Pony Lunch Boxes! http://nblo.gs/mkrkW

Did you love “The Horse Boy” book and or movie? Check out this new site: Horse Boy World http://bit.ly/nLYpp5 (thanks @pollson)

BIG Congrats to @SasscerHill for her #horseracing@mystery FULL MORTALITY being named Kindle Book of The Day! http://ow.ly/6a1jB

Horse racing

Always good for news and updates is The Sport of Kings. And this summer we could watch some of the races from Saratoga on TV.

RT @ntra: The news is good and the view is fantastic when racing is on national television: http://bit.ly/peg31z@nbc_sports#horseracing

Like Summer in Saratoga on NBC? Wait til you see Autumn at Keeneland in Oct on NBC/VS. (waitaminute – I’ll be homesick!) http://ow.ly/68sEy

On Travers Stakes Day, the name on everyone’s lips – at least, at their fingertips on Twitter – was Uncle Mo. Caleb’s Posse may have squeaked past him to cross under the wire first, but Uncle Mo was “trending,” among the top ten most talked about topics on Twitter that afternoon.

LOL! RT @ntra: Excellent! Let’s keep him trending! RT @NatashaFL#UncleMo LOVE IT. #UncleMo#UncleMo#UncleMo#UncleMo#UncleMo#UncleMo

RT @franjurga: Travers: Shackleford sticks with glue-on shoes for summer’s bigger horse race! Hoof Blog analysis! http://ow.ly/6euOF

Then, Mo’s stablemate – what’s his name anyway? – won the Travers.

Not #UncleMo‘s “second banana” anymore. Stay Thirsty wins Travers Stakes. (G1) win. VIDEO via @ttimes: http://bit.ly/pedrl1

Not to be omitted is the humanity of racing’s elite. They don’t get enough credit for their compassionate choices.

Thank you for taking care of him, Emma-Jayne. RT @bloodhorse: Grade I Winner Rahy’s Attorney Retired  http://bit.ly/nr0ShK

The link tells you a lot about the Firestones and their horses, at least, a lot “that counts.” So did the walk from the finish line to the winner’s circle when Diana Firestone herself led Winchester to the Saratoga winner’s circle, which we saw on national TV.

Congratulations to Firestones for Winchester’s win in Sword Dancer. Sweet to see cuz they gave Genuine Risk a good life. http://ow.ly/62yhO

Go for Gin, ’94 Kentucky Derby winner, retires to KY Horse Park Hall of Champions w/ ’04 Derby winner Funny Cide, Cigar and Da Hoss.

A fact that always blows me away

After all, answering the question of “whose horse is the fastest” has universal appeal. Plus, it’s a big ol’ planet. If you’re sweating, someone elsewhere is freezing cold.

Like Jan. 1 in northern hemisphere. RT @dearfilly: August 1st is considered the official birthday of all horses in Australia. #horseracing

A promotional stunt at the Del Mar racetrack

How did I not hear about this? Battle of the Exes match race at Del Mar between @jockeychantal and Mike Smith? http://ow.ly/5X7Rt

Miscellany

The Kentucky State Fair Horse Show is part of the American Saddlebred Triple Crown.

If I didn’t like U, I’d B wildly jealous. Njoy! RT @michael_sargent: Just got my wristband for rail side coverage of the WCHS in Louisville.

That way, you know someone there really loves you

Tennessee Walking Horse attends his owner’s funeral. http://ow.ly/62JNN (yes, reporter confuses TWHs and ASBs) #walkinghorses #fieldtrials

So true (or is it $o True?)

 =:-D $o very funny. RT @franjurga: “The horse has no idea how much he cost.” –Klaus Balkenhol

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NBC's "Summer at Saratoga" programming screenshot/Courtesy NBC Sports

Saratoga Saturdays and the Hambletonian

Make a date to hide out from the heat and catch some fine racing in the US Northeast on network and cable TV this summer.

Summer in Saratoga

Racing in Saratoga begins in late July and runs through Labor Day weekend. NBC Sports plans live coverage for each late Saturday afternoon – and one Sunday – during the season.

The above photo taken by cell phone camera of the screen, shows dates, stakes races covered and where they’ll be aired. If you can’t read the photo, here’s the info:

All broadcast start times will be 5 pm EDT. Checking your local listings, too, is always a good idea. All except for the Alabama and the Travers, all these Saratoga races will be aired on the cable TV channel Versus:

• 7/23 – The Diana Stakes and the Jim Dandy – Versus
• 8/6 -  The Whitney Handicap and the Test – Versus
•  8/7 – The Vanderbilt Stakes – NBC
• 8/13 – The Sword Dancer Invitational – Versus
• 8/20 – The Alabama Stakes (for 3-year-old fillies) – NBC
• 8/27 – The Travers Stakes (for 3-year-old colts) and the King’s Bishop Stakes – NBC
• 9/3 – The Woodward and the Forego – Versus

I see that the broadcast network NBC took the two major races for 3-year-olds, The Alabama (for fillies) and the Travers (for colts). The Travers is known as the “mid-summer Derby.” I’m guessing that makes the Alabama the mid-summer counterpart to the Kentucky Oaks and the Black-Eyed Susan.

On Saratoga’s opening weekend under a 93-degree-F sunny day, It’s Tricky won the Coaching Club American Oaks and is expected, as of this writing, to run in the Alabama later in August.

However, Uncle Mo who smoked his peers in the 2010 Breeders Cup Juvenile but had to stay out of the Kentucky Derby due to illness won’t be starting in the Travers but will be racing on Travers Day in the King’s Bishop.

(Dear NBC Sports who we thank for bringing us horses on TV when other networks abandoned us for team sports – Please let us see Uncle Mo run as part of the Travers programming. You’ll be glad you did because Uncle Mo is a star who’ll draw an audience. Thank you. Your friends at The Horsey Set Net) (Update: YES! We’ll see The King’s Bishop.)

The Hambletonian

Anyway, NBC will run its coverage of the 2011 Hambletonian, an American classic for trotters going off with a $1.5 million purse, on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 3 pm EDT.

Here’s the website for the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands at the Meadowlands’s website. The Hambletonian Society also has a website, to help us keep up with the news.

This weekend, elimination races leading up to the Hambletonian  will weed through what blogger Frank Cotolo called the “Hambo-eligible.”

My Spideysense tells me I’m going to do a little pre-race cramming to get my knowledge up to Hambo-speed.

Big Day – August 6

Most people get all excited over Travers Day, and I do. Except we’ll have one day this summer with two different kinds of racing.

Anyway, let’s take a look at the Big Picture for horse TV on August 6.

We’ll have coverage for BOTH the Hambletonian from the Meadowlands in New Jersey and The Whitney Stakes from Saratoga. So, the Hambletonian coverage starts at 3 and then Saratoga coverage at 5, all times EDT.

Then …

The next day, Sunday 8/7, will have the running of The Vanderbilt Stakes at 5 pm. Big weekend for race fans.

So, pencil in the dates or set your Outlook Calendar to set your VDR or your VHS. We’re gonna see some fine horse racing.

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To quote “Game of Thrones” – “Winter is coming.” And so is “War Horse,” the movie version directed by Stephen Spielberg. Late December, I hear.

With a “thank you” to the WinStar Farms Facebook news stream and to The Guardian, which is already proclaiming the movie “Oscar bait,” for finding the clip for us.

Between the music and what I know about the story, no wonder I have tears in my eyes.

Interested in the stage versions of “War Horse” and the source materials for both stage and screen? Check out his post in which I reviewed the Broadway production of “War Horse.”

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In case you can’t see the video I embedded in this post, click this link to watch the video

Disclaimer: My husband works for ESPN, a division of the Walt Disney Company, the producer and distributor of this film. I used to work for ESPN, too, back in the day, but long before Disney became associated with ESPN. Of course, you regular readers of this blog know that I’d be writing about this movie anyway. Horses and culture, y’all. That’s why we’re here. Can’t get much more “horses-and-culture” than with a major biopic of the greatest racehorse of the past 50 years.

Kentucky Derby week may have come and gone, but America has a second chance this year at “horse fever.”

We’ve got the World Equestrian Games going on, along with various avenues for online and broadcast TV coverage of the KYWEG, PLUS the long-awaited movie about Secretariat is about to come out.

Early reports — and the blessing of Secretariat’s owner Penny Chenery — have been encouraging.

And this weekend offers a relatively wide-release sneak peek of the biopic.

Coming early to a theater near you?

The Secretariat film officially opens Oct. 8. However, 800 theaters all over the US will get a sneak peek on Saturday night, Oct. 2, for one showing only. Click this Secretariat link at the Disney website to look for the the closest participating theater near you.

Yes, that link goes to the movie’s official website, but if you want to go to the screening, look up into the black background at the top of your screen. Type in your zip code. Theaters close to you will be listed along with the showtime.  If you want to buy tickets now, a link will take you to Fandango, where you can buy tickets with a credit card.

On Saturday night – or even next week – I have a feeling that a lot of us will have tissues next to popcorn. Disney does like to pluck those heartstrings, but even without that sentimental Disney movie magic, the name “Secretariat” inspires deep wells of emotion for many horse-lovers.

More to come

Also, FWIW  (means “for what it’s worth,” if all those online initials get you confused), I’m working on a couple of blog posts associated with the movie.

As I pointed out in the disclaimer, my husband works for ESPN/Disney, so I do have some financial interest in the success of the film. Because of that association, I’ll have to stick a similar disclaimer on the top of each post I write about the film.

So be it.

Even if the movie had been made by Universal or Paramount or MGM or a small indie studio, a biopic of Secretariat is a Very Big Deal in the world of this blog.

Photo courtesy Walt Disney Pictures, a download from the Secretariat movie website

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The USEF Network will pick up some of the gaps and stream, for free, some of the events not covered by the other providers. Some will stream live and others will be available through an “on-demand” basis.

Reining, paraequestrian, driving, vaulting can be viewed on the USEF Network. Also, the USEF Network site shows other times to watch various events, even after the Games have closed.

Go to the USEF Network site (click on the link) and then click on “Broadcast schedule” for times, all of which are in EDT.

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