Portland Meadows
People's Horse - Backstretch Tour
September 19, 2009

While visiting the Portland Meadows website looking for information as to when the 2009-2010 season would start and what the racing days and first posts would be, I discovered that Portland Meadows issued a press release announcing a Backstretch Tour "to meet the People's Horse and watch her train."  Curious, I signed up for it.

This season's People's Horse is Maria Margarita.  She is by Scrimshaw out of Maria's Romance (by Maria's Mon) and is a Kentucky-bred 3-year-old bay filly, according to information at pedigreequery.com.  

As I understand it, anyone interested can become an honorary owner of the People's Horse simply by sending an e-mail to info@portlandmeadows.com saying you want to become an honorary owner.  Maria Margarita's winnings for the season will be matched by Portland Meadows and donated to the Oregon National Guard Emergency Relief Fund at the end of the season.   Radio station 95.5 The Game apparently selected the donee, but I don't know how else they may be involved in the People's Horse.

We were told that on the days the People's Horse races, Portland Meadows will offer a special drink called the Maria Margarita.

Everyone gathered outside the entrance I think of as the "main entrance", described in the press release as the "south entrance".  It's the entrance with the lobby and elevator.  General Manager Will Alempijevic and Announcer Jason Beem were there and answered questions.  At 8 a.m., we all went to our vehicles to drive over to the backside.  My car was one of the last to leave, and it was interesting to watch the long line of vehicles ahead on Schmeer Road all turn left down the road to the backside parking lot.

Regrouped at the entrance to the backside, we were led past the race office, pausing there for a bit while being given information about how entries are taken and what happens if there are more entries for a race than there are positions available.  The group got a little strung out, and Jason, at the front, was answering questions for people nearest him while Will, nearer the back, handled questions from us trailers.  


Trainer Ben Root and Portland Meadows Announcer Jason Beem at Root's barn.

2009-09-19-02-B2.jpg		 Portland Meadows General
Manager Will Alempijevic.

2009-09-19-01-B2.jpg

Then we went to Ben Root's barn, where the trainer talked about Maria Margarita and the upcoming workout.  The horse, tacked up and ready to go, was in her stall.  

We visited some of the other horses in the barn, and then it was time to go over to the track to watch Maria Margarita's workout from the viewing stand (or whatever it may be called).  

Ridden by Joe Crispin, she was working in company with another horse.  I didn't catch the other horse's name or hear who was riding it.  I was wondering how I would know which horse was her when we were told she was, at that moment, hidden beyond the Tote board.  I watched for a pair of horses to appear from there and followed them around as they galloped nearer.   The workout was to be 5 furlongs, and the 5-furlong pole, where they would speed up, was pointed out to us.  


Unidentified horse on the left,
Maria Margarita on the right.

2009-09-19-06-C2.jpg 		Unidentified horse outside,
Maria Margarita on the rail.

2009-09-19-07-C2.jpg


Unidentified horse outside,
Maria Margarita on the rail.

 2009-09-19-08-B2.jpg

Following the workout, Ben Root commented that they hadn't got off to as quick a start on the 5-furlong work as he'd wanted.  Equibase showed her time as 1:03:40, making her the 9th fastest of 12 workouts that day.  While Maria Margarita returned to the barn, we stayed to watch another of the Root horses work out.


Joe Crispin and a woman who was
doing audio recording and interviews.

 2009-09-19-12-B2.jpg
 Maria Margarita ?
No names on the stalls, so I could only guess,
but the fellow trying to feed her a carrot (you can
see a bit of it in her mouth) said this was she, or
her, whichever is gramatically correct.

 2009-09-19-12-B2.jpg

Back at the Root barn, Joe Crispin was available to answer questions.  Someone asked his opinion of synthetic surfaces, and he said he didn't have one because he'd only ridden on dirt and sand tracks, though he understood the sand (Portland Meadows) was somewhat similar to synthetics.  Asked whether there was a difference between riding colts and fillies, he said he thought there was.  As I understood his answer, it could be summed up that you could be more aggressive with colts but needed more finesse with fillies.  

Eventually, Joe had to go, and we were provided with carrots and peppermints to feed to the horses in the Root barn.  So far as I noticed, none of the horses wanted any carrots or peppermints.  If they took them into their mouths at all, they soon spit them out onto the floor.  We were told that if it's not something with which they're familiar, they don't recognize it as being something good to eat.

My friend and I left the group before the event ended, though it seemed to be near the end, so I don't know what we might have missed.  

It was a fun experience, and I was especially impressed with how wonderful everyone was.  Ben, Jason, Joe, Will -- they all seemed to sincerely care about providing us with a great experience, and they all had good senses of humor.  It was like meeting old friends, though I'd never met any of them before (except a very brief word or two with Will in February 2008).  


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