by Gordon Waterstone

Is it too soon to ask: Did you miss me the last couple days? Backstretch with Gordon is back and after a couple of rainy days, the two weeks of major stakes racing got underway on Thursday (Sept. 28),

But first, let’s go back a bit. I wanted to be sure to be at Red Mile Wednesday morning since the weather forecast for Thursday was rain. So, I made my way to the track on Wednesday only to have it start storming. It was thundering, lightning and raining when I arrived so I basically turned around and went back home. And in the wee hours of Thursday morning — slightly after 3 a.m. — we had a big storm that included hail. When it kept raining for several more hours, the backstretch tour Thursday also got canceled.

Kudos to the track crew for getting the racetrack ready to go at the scheduled 1 p.m. post time on Thursday. Cindy Solverson, the track’s director of sponsorships, asked if I could present the trophy for the first race, and I accepted the honor. The race — a $96,700 Bluegrass division for 2-year-old filly pacers — was won by the Ron Burke-trained, Yannick Gingras-driven Canigetalouploup.

I joined co-owners Larry Karr, Mark Weaver and others in the winner’s circle to present the trophy. Weaver was holding his dog, Parker, and he remarked to Gingras: “At least you know you won’t get shut out this meet. And you’re now the leading driver.” Which was kind of ironic since Scott Zeron won the next two races with Dame Good Time and Sarasota Hanover and I was standing down by the apron when he came back to the winner’s circle the second time and I congratulated him on being the track’s leading dash driver.

Overseeing the trophy table this year is Jenna Otten, who is now working at Scioto Downs as an on-air analysis and handicapper. Her sister, Jessica Otten, is on hand at Red Mile to serve as an on-air host alongside Bob “Hollywood” Heyden, although the track graphics showed him as “Heyden Hollywood.” I told Jenna she is this year’s “Trophy Girl,” as I used to call Whitney Fields, but Jessica corrected me and said her sister is the “Trophy Gal.”

There was a nice crowd at the track on Thursday, and sitting in the box with Nick Salvi we talked that it probably was the best opening day gathering in a few years. Julie Nash walked by and said hello, and Salvi and I both told her how we missed seeing her husband, former Kentucky basketball star Cotton Nash and prominent standardbred owner, who died in May.

Dave McDuffee came over and told me he had come to the racetrack directly from arriving at Bluegrass Airport. I congratulated him on his recent election to harness racing’s Hall of Fame, and he told me he was “pretty humbled by it.”

Just a few of the people I saw Thursday were Myron and Stephanie Bell, Mario Zuanetti, John Fodera, Jimmy and Christina Takter and John Fielding. Marvin Katz also stopped by to chat for a sec, and I told him I was recently at the French restaurant Le Deauville, where they have an entrée called Marvin’s Chicken, which of course was named for him. Katz kidded Fielding a bit about Marvin’s Chicken, noting that there isn’t a Fielding Chicken, a Frank (Antonacci) Chicken or a George (Segal) Chicken.

When the afternoon of racing was over, drivers Gingras, Zeron, Tim Tetrick and David Miller each had two wins on their resume. One of Gingras’ wins came with the sensational Nancy Takter-trained 2-year-old colt trotter Karl, who just missed by one-fifth of a second of equaling the world record with his 1:51.2 effort that stretched his unbeaten streak to five.

Thursday night was the annual Kentuckiana Farms pre-sale party, which is conveniently held at the Malone’s Banquet Center, which is located directly across the street from where I live. One of the first people I saw was Gingras, and he came up to me and said he was glad I didn’t jinx him with the Karl mention in last Wednesday’s Backstretch column. I again told Gingras how impressed I am with this star trotter.

I thanked both Bob Brady and Ken Jackson for inviting me to the shindig. They bring in crappies and bluegills for the chef to cook up and both kinds of fish tasted great. Huge — did I say HUGE — shrimp cocktail, beef sliders and candied bacon were also on the menu.

I spent a few minutes at the party talking to Canadian-based trainer Shawn Steacy and his wife, Natasha. Of course, we chatted a few minutes about their star filly pacer Sylvia Hanover, who is in-to-go on this afternoon (Sept. 30) at Red Mile (Race 4, an $80,000 Bluegrass division). I told the Steacys I’d be by in the morning to get an up close-and-personal look at Sylvia Hanover, so I’ll get back to her in a few.

I sat with Lexington Selected Yearling Sale co-sales manager Bruce Brinkerhoff and starter Mike Moss, and we were soon joined by the Bells. Despite both being in the business for decades, this was the first time Mike and Myron had met. I admit that I didn’t stay too long at the Kentuckiana party as my Detroit Lions were playing Green Bay so I wanted to head home to watch the game. So I did, and I can say I tremendously enjoyed the beatdown the Lions put on the Packers.

In case you weren’t aware, sports wagering became legal in Kentucky earlier this month, and on Thursday online and phone app betting went live. I actually found some harness racing-related prop bets offered:

1. Will Solverson sell enough banner ads to go the length of the entire stretch to the three-quarter pole: Yes/No

2. Which dog will receive more Backstretch mentions: Marty Byrd or Roxie

3. Which trainer will receive more mentions: Tony Alagna, Ron Burke, Joe Holloway or Nancy Takter

4. How many Facebook posts of winning football wagers will Garnet Barnsdale post this weekend: Over/Under 8

5. How many Backstretch mentions will the breakfast table get? Over/Under 8

6. Leading driver (with odds): Gingras (2-1); Tetrick (7-2); Zeron (7-2); Miller (6-1); Dexter Dunn (6-1); Andy McCarthy (10-1); and Todd McCarthy (18-1).

Speaking of football, I learned Friday morning (Sept. 29) that Meadowlands GM Jason Settlemoir won’t be coming to Lexington this weekend. Settlemoir had planned on coming but when he learned that Taylor Swift would be at MetLife Stadium Sunday night to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce’s Chiefs play the Jets, he decided he would go the game in hopes of getting close to Swift. BTW Jason, I invited Swift to come to Red Mile on Kentucky Futurity Day, but she replied to me that our relationship was indeed over and I had to shake it off because we were never, ever getting back together.

I woke up Friday morning and looked outside to see sunshine and nary a cloud in the sky. The weather people are predicting temperatures in the low-to-mid 80s from here on out until next Friday, with no rain in the forecast. By the way, the rain we had over the past two days was the first we’ve had in the Bluegrass since Aug. 25 so we really did need it.

I made my way to the breakfast table, loaded up my bagel with cream cheese, which received the approval of Chris Tully. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous when I got in line as I was behind Swedish photographer Adam Strom and I was afraid he’d take all the food. Thank goodness he left a bagel for me. The breakfast sponsors were The Deck of Dreams members: Burke Brigade, Team Miller, JB Racing Stable, Alagna Racing and Toscano Stable.

I talked some football with Tully and Al Eferstein, and then I headed over to see trainer Bob Stewart. We also talked football and some gambling stories. Dr. Andy Roberts was in the barn and I told him he looked a bit grumpy, and he laughed and said it was because he was already tired.

The Steacy stable is in the same barn as Stewart, so I headed over to see Sylvia Hanover. Shawn Steacy told me the filly just wants to win. I think that’s obvious to us all when we see her on the racetrack. Shawn told me that regular driver Bob McClure will be making the trip from Canada, and he joked that several drivers have told him that if McClure’s flight is delayed or canceled they’d be happy to step in.

I waved hello to track photographer and KHHA executive director Amanda Stephens and Andy and Julie Miller, and Marcus Melander yelled over “Hey buddy! I then made my way over to see trainer Jack Darling. Unlike last year, when Darling and assistant Johnny Mallia came to Lexington with world champion and eventual Horse of the Year Bulldog Hanover, it was very quiet. I asked Mallia how different it was this year, and he told me after non-stop interviews last year, nobody had yet to ask him a question this year. I told him I just changed that by asking my question.

Darling brought just his 2-year-old filly pacer Tea Party Hanover, and after she finished sixth in the Bluegrass division where I was the presenter, he told me the daughter of Stay Hungry would be headed back home tomorrow. I asked Darling about Bulldog Hanover, and he told me that the stallion has just returned to his home at Seelster Farm in Canada after spending some time in Maryland as his semen was collected to ship Down Under.

Remember, today’s race card gets underway at 1 p.m. and that traffic will be heavy early as UK plays Florida at Kroger Field. Later on, Herman’s Hermits invading the Lexington Opera House.

Apologies to Amy Hollar for not mentioning her, and let’s rejoice as gas prices looked to have dropped a few pennies since last time, ranging from $3.42 to $3.59. I’ll be back with you on Sunday morning (Oct. 1). Thanks again to Steve and Cindy Stewart’s Hunterton Farms and Dave Briggs for the HRU opportunity.