Railbird 2004–2019

Miscellany Archive

How to Make Burgoo

You could serve mint juleps and Derby pie on Derby day, or you could make up a big pot of classic Kentucky burgoo:

The more kinds of meat the better. Minimally, a good burgoo contains some lamb for authenticity (sheep being an important industry in Kentucky), but many recipes also include beef, pork, veal and chicken. Including local game would put your burgoo in the winner’s circle. Horsemeat, however, would be considered tacky, especially on Derby day.

Vegetables include at least potatoes, cabbage, onions, corn and tomatoes, although many recipes add okra, beans, peppers and carrots.

If this all begins to sound more or less like a vegetable meat soup/stew, it is, with some hot peppers and Worcestershire sauce for kick. What seems to be critical is that you cook the hell out of everything. Many recipes say cook as long as possible, sometimes up to 12 hours for it to be authentic burgoo. This requires either a two- or three-day period of extended cooking sprints, or a burgoo marathon from morning until evening. Besides the initial cooking and separating of the meats, you don’t have to do a lot but keep it simmering.

Too much work? Order burgoo by the gallon online.

Posted in Miscellany on April 27, 2006

A Worthy Cause

If you’ve ever scrolled down the front page and looked to the right, you’ve probably noticed the photo of the curious chestnut. That’s Ascot Doll, one of my all-time favorite racehorses. His career wasn’t exactly illustrious: He started 111 times, earning slightly more than $253,000 in claiming and allowance races at tracks like Woodbine, Delta Downs, and finally, Suffolk, which is where I came to know him, but he always ran with a lot of heart and his sweet, goofy personality made him a favorite around the barn. Retired last year with a minor ankle injury, Ascot Doll is now at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Secretariat Center at Kentucky Horse Park, where he awaits adoption and is well cared for by wonderful people like farm manager Mimi Davis, who was kind enough to update me recently on how well he’s doing in retirement.
Mimi also let me know that she is taking part in this year’s High Hope Steeplechase, which will be held at the Horse Park on May 21. For more than 40 years the High Hope, a full day of jump and flat racing, has been raising money for equine causes. Hoping to increase awareness of the Center and its many talented wards, Mimi will be riding Sure Sure, another of the Secretariat Center’s horses, in the Lexington Derby that day, and she intends to win. You can help her do that, and help support the Secretariat Center, by donating to High Hope. The more money Mimi raises for the event, the farther up the course she gets to start, and all monies donated will go to the Secretariat Center and two other worthy organizations, Riding for Hope and the Bluegrass Farm Chaplaincy.
If you would like to donate, please make out a check to the High Hope Steeplechase, and mail it to:
Mimi Davis
The Secretariat Center
4089 Iron Works Parkway
Lexington, KY 40511
Donations are 100% tax deductible. For more information about High Hope Steeplechase, please visit its web site.

Posted in Miscellany on March 23, 2006

Catching Up

Now that I’ve returned from my little jaunt to Lexington, Kentucky, it’s time to start blogging again. That is, as soon as I catch up on news, emails, mail etc. I was in Lexington to do some work on my book about America’s greatest racehorses (due to the publisher August 1, a deadline approaching with angst-inducing speed) at the Keeneland Library, and while I did spend several hours there, I also took time to visit Old Friends (a wonderful organization devoted to caring for retired thoroughbreds), Kentucky Horse Park (which celebrated John Henry’s 31st birthday on Thursday), and Turfway (no big wins, but I came away impressed by the excellent customer service and glad to have had the chance to see Polytrack up close). I also stopped at Ramsey’s Diner in downtown Lexington to try a bit of Kentucky cuisine, the hot brown, a dish that horrified me when the waitress plunked down a plate that appeared to be filled entirely with melted cheese, but turned out to be quite tasty once I found the turkey and tomato underneath (thanks to Ed for the recommendation).

Posted in Miscellany on March 13, 2006

This Week

Railbird will be on hiatus this week, as I’m in Kentucky for a few days. Posting will resume on Monday, March 13.

Posted in Miscellany on March 6, 2006

Odds & Ends

– Jockey, 62, has never broken a bone. “I’ve had many spills but I’ve never broken anything,” said Nuke Shim. “That’s why I keep going.” Shim started riding in 1959 and says he may continue until he’s 65.
– Forget handicapping. Just sprinkle some race track occult powder over your Form.
– Polytrack moves west. The California Horse Racing Board will require all tracks running meets longer than four weeks to install the surface by the end of 2007.
– Imagine the embarrassment. Given a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream of calling a race, reporter Roger Clark badly bungled the call of the third at Aqueduct on Thursday. Listen to the debacle on NYRA’s RaceReplays site.

Posted in Miscellany on February 17, 2006

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