Rounding The Far Turn...

I have been busy working the tree end of things. I got to do another crane job in White Bear Lake. It went well, but with a little gutter work needed afterwords, nothing horrible though.

The tree biz is busy now, but it will slow some and I will probably slide back to the stables during winter time.

Which makes me think of horses, and races.

And things are more than warming up on the race for the votes.

The race to get the votes for Governor here in Minnesota is getting interesting. The primaries led to the unlikeliests taking the endorsement for both the Republicans and the DFL.

The DFL, surprisingly, did not chose to run the mare; Margaret Anderson Kelliher. Instead they went with the gelding; Mark Dayton who had a Dam and Sire with name, and came from a farm with money.

The Republicans, instead of running the winner of the last race, Tim Pawlanty, or the next groomed contender from the House stable; they picked a hot, dark horse named Tom Emmer. [hot to them, I think he's warm... on some days.]

Mark Dayton has paid much of his own money to fund many of his own races in the past. Eventually he won the race for the State Auditor in 1990 and then finally the race for the U.S. Senate in 2001.

As they round the bend and enter the home stretch, they are evening up. Although Dayton looks a little wobbly and Emmer has a good stride the end is where it matters.

The book makers are calling Dayton the favorite, but I smell an upset. I've seen Dayton race before and his record is not so good. Just because you can afford the entrance fee doesn't mean you can race.

But Emmer has yet to race past the crowd cramming the rail on the home stretch, many of whom have bet, and bet big against him. Things can happen.

Pay very close attention now; for it is in that last stretch, and in the photo booth, that "winners" are made.

I may be just a hard bitten old track writer, but I'll always have a soft spot for the underdog.
I think the dark horse has it in him, and can win too big to cheat it out of him.