I normally wouldn't go to a grand opening of anything, but I did today because of who else was going to be there. Top thoroughbred trainer Bob Baffert (left), who trained Silver Charm and Real Quiet to win the 1997 and 1998 Kentucky Derby and Preakness respectively but both horses came up short in the Belmont, was there as I came around the front of the building. Baffert is easy to spot with his white hair. He was talking to the media as well as talking to fans. I got a chance to shake his hand and speak with him for a bit. He seems to be a very nice, very approachable person.
Also on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony was famous jockey Laffit Pincay (right), who rode many top horses including Affirmed and Secretariat's old rival, Sham. I didn't get a chance to speak with him. He still looks good for 61. Until he was passed by Russell Baze, Pincay won more races than any other jockey, with 9,530 wins. He retired five years ago.
Anyway, three other jockeys were supposed to be there, including Mike Smith and Kent Desormeaux (the jockey of this year's Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown), but I didn't see them at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. As I was eating hors d'oeurves, which were damned good, I heard somebody say the jockeys were eating and they were going to be out in "about ten minutes." Well, I hung around with other people outside for probably a half an hour, and by that time, Baffert and Pincay had already gone back inside. I had gone inside the casino, which isn't very big, but I didn't see anybody familiar. There was, however, a restaurant which was above the casino area, but I wasn't going to snoop around there and get into trouble.
I went back outside, and in the meantime picked up a free cap with the Bodines logo on it. I had wished I had had something for Baffert and Pincay to have signed. I sat around a few minutes, then I went back inside the casino again. As I was walking near the restaurant where the jockeys ate, I saw what appeared to be a jockey heading towards the men's room. I thought, no, it couldn't be...but I went towards the men's room and saw about five or six people who were standing there waiting. Yep, the person I saw go into the men's room was none other than Kent Desormeaux. I decided to hang out with the other people, including a couple of the casino staff, to wait for him to come out. After a few minutes, which seemed to take forever, Desormeaux came out and met with us and signed autographs. I took a picture of him with a couple of other people, though the picture is slightly blurred. I gave him my red Sharpie and my cap, and wished him good luck in the Belmont. Then Kent (I don't want to type his last name because it is too hard to spell correctly) asked me if I knew "Mike Pegram." I said I hadn't heard of him. Kent said, "You know Real Quiet." I said yes and said I met his trainer Bob Baffert outside. Kent told me, and this was interesting, that Pegram, the co-owner of this casino, was the owner of Real Quiet, and told me I should come there often. Then he signed the cap in big, red letters with his name, and the name of Big Brown on it. I thanked him. It was great he was so nice to do that. Pegram's racing connections explain why these racing greats came out to Carson City.
I never did meet Mike Smith or David Flores, however.
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