Holiday Hiatus Interruptus

A few brief notes before a return to holiday silence until the new year...there's a commentary in the Blood-Horse about Fairmount Park (where, as I'm sure you recall, every 18 minutes, the place goes crazy). It seems that the ever-struggling track is cutting their racing season from 90 days to 60; while on the one hand, I think that a shortened season for (mostly) tenth-rate horses is no bad thing, it does seem as though the writing is on the wall for Fairmount and other tracks like it. Having spent a lot of time at Fairmount as a child, I can really only say one great thing about it -- it made Bay Meadows look really lively and classy by comparison. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy going there (and there is no 'other' track anywhere nearby to fill the gap if it closes), but it probably needs more investment than it could possibly return financially. I find it hard to imagine that any developer has their eyes on the property, though -- it's certainly not like Bay Meadows from a desirable real estate perspective. In cheerier news, Carter's Grove is to become a breeding farm. This is good news on several levels, but I am most pleased by the fact that the new owner, CNET founder Halsey Minor, will be allowing Colonial Williamsburg to continue doing research on the site. Since this is essentially what I would do with the site, it gets two thumbs up from me. Finally, enjoy new year's eve; I recommend a little Pliny the Elder. See you in 2008!