Comeback Kid

Wow! Was 50-year-old Gary Stevens not unbelievable today winning the last two races at Pimlico, including his third Preakness after a 7-year hiatus from riding ,both longshots? He gave the youngsters a clinic in Baltimore, taking the relatively unknown Oxbow to the winners circle.

Stevens is clearly an overachiever, being not only a Hall of Fame jockey but also a movie star (see Seabiscuit) and  a television regular (HBO's Luck) and t.v. broadcaster. His comeback will eventually make legend status. Would you have bet that a retired 50-year-old jockey who certainly did not need the money or fame could make it back to the very top of the sport in less than a year after a long hiatus?  Look for his face on an upcoming Sports Illustrated  cover, please.

Shoemaker was 54 when he took Ferdinand to win the 1986 Derby and 54 in '86 is now 64 in today's world.  He was the oldest jockey to win a Triple Crown race. Maybe Stevens plans to better his mentor for the history books. The odds are good.

(Bostom.com photo)

But what makes Stevens' comeback so amazing is his history.  He has undergone 13 knee operations along with many other surgically-repaired parts which forced Stevens to quit in 2005. He had a really comfortable life with his second wife, Angie. He became a well-respected racing analyst for HRTV and NBC.
But what gave Stevens the biggest rush — one he admittedly had missed after he stopped riding — was acting.

Stevens stayed in character when he was hired in the role of veteran jockey Ronnie Jenkins in the HBO series "Luck" in 2011. Though the preview was well-received and a second season was quickly signed, the show was abruptly canceled after reportedly three horses died on the set.

"I had big plans, we all had big plans, I had a five-season contract with them and my role was growing," Stevens said. "It was a shock, a disappointment."  Stevens said that going on the set playing opposite actors such as Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte "was almost like going into the jock's room, I was the new kid on the block." Stevens compared the pressure of acting to that he has experienced in racing.
"It kind of gave me my adrenalin fix," Stevens said. "I do like that pressure. I say I don't put pressure on myself, I guess in a sense I do. The Derby, the Preakness, the Belmont, the Breeders Cup races, those are when you want to shine. When you're in front of a camera, that's when you want to shine as well. You don't want to be the reason for the failure of a scene and hear, 'Take one, take two, take three.'"

Let's just assume that Stevens is back, he knows his calling is not acting but riding.  Thank goodness. 

Merry Marimekko

I remember Marimekko from the 1960's when "mod" was in as was "groovy" and women wore paper dresses if they were really cool.

It seems it's back or maybe it never left.  The Finnish company is based in Helsinki and is noted for its brightly colored printed fabrics and simple styles. I tried on a great striped Marimekko dress recently that fits this bill.

The company was introduced to the US by architect Benjamin C. Thompson and Jackie Kennedy made the brand famous by wearing eight Marimekko dresses during the 1960 Presidential campaign.

Crate and Barrell is also a big fan and has an agreement with the company utilizing its designs on textiles sold in their stores.  But the company floundered as time went on and almost went into bankruptcy in the early 1990's.  Sex in the City helped revive the brand much like Jackie when Carrie Bradshaw wore a Marimekko bikini in season 2 and later on, a dress.  

Today the company has stores in New York City, Cambridge, MA, Oxford, MS, Miami and in Vancouver.  There are 84 stores worldwide.  Keep your eye out for this timeless brand that appears to just "keep going" - gotta love it!

Tunic Time

Summer has arrived here in the south but that does not stop my love for long-sleeved tunics.  Sheridan French is my new best friend.

White jeans, linen pants, leggings, skinny jeans, Jack Rogers sandals, Tory Burch flats, or even barefoot.  Chic is the outcome.  No jewelry needed. Outcome?  Outrageously chic.

Palatial Virginia Plantation With a Pedigree

 

Looking for new digs?  Money no object?  Do you have a Downton Abbey-type staff available to run it for you? Or better yet, are you an American television executive looking for the perfect place to set a new reality show, Brandon Plantation? Look no further than eastern Virginia on the James River where you can bid on the palatial Brandon Plantation in late June.

 

This incredible plantation (the house was designed by Thomas Jefferson) boasts 4,487 acres and has 3.5 miles of James River frontage. There are 11 other homes on the property so bring your family and friends, along with 14 farm structures.

This rare plantation has roots traced back to Jamestown and the settling of America, is being offered for sale by the estate of the late U.S. congressman Robert W. Daniel, Jr., whose family has owned the property for close to a century. Brandon is one of the longest-running agricultural enterprises in the United States. This is only the third time the property has changed hands in over 400 years.

With its Thomas Jefferson-designed main house (still wearing Revolutionary War cannonball scars) and more than 10 other buildings along the southern banks of the James River, Brandon has been designated a National Historic Landmark. It was first constructed in 1765 by Nathaniel Harrison, whose family owned the property until its sale to Robert W. Daniel, an RMS Titanic survivor, in 1926. Daniel’s son, a former U.S. Representative from Virginia, oversaw the operations of the working plantation until his death in early 2012.

The owners of Brandon had a history of public service. The Harrisons (the original owners) were a prominent political family in US History producing numerous governors of Virginia and two U.S. presidents. The Harrisons are also related to James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Ulysses S Grand and Winston Churchill. Mr. Daniel, Sr. was a Virginia state senator, financier and survivor of the Titanic. His predecessors included an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, first attorney general of U.S. and Secretary of State. Robert W. Daniel, Jr. served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Although the construction date of the plantation house is uncertain, its architecture is considered one of the most sophisticated of Virginia's 18th century structures. Style is Paladian with family tradition attributing design to Thomas Jefferson. It is the consensus that the two-story dependencies were built initially and the center two-story section and hyphens were built later. The residence were damaged during both the Revolutionary and the Civil War and remained in the Harrison family until 1920's when Mr. Daniel, Sr. acquired. Under his ownership, the mansion was modernized, restored and the west wing enlarged to accommodate modern bathrooms. Also, during the Daniel era, many of the farm buildings and tenant houses were built; most appear to fall between the 1920's and 1950's.









The auction is scheduled for June 26.   This place makes Tara seem trivial.

Bids are sealed and will be unsealed on the date of the auction.  Bidders must submit a cashier's check in the amount of $250,000 to bid. 

Tiptoe Through the Trelliage

If I could add just one room to my house it would have trelliage.  I am in love with this stuff both inside and out.  Maybe its my southern roots, my love of preppy style, even though its provenance is France.   (all photos below are from Pinterest).  Trelliage or latticework was invented in the 12th century by French farmers as a way to support heavy vines.  Who knew?  Its influence has been growing ever since.

Love Meg Braff's wallpaper too!

 Bunny Williams loves it too!

If you love trelliage like I do there is a great article in the Wall Street Journal about it.  You find find that here.

Have a great Monday!

Hollywood Park to Close in 2013

(wikipedia photo)

Racing fans everywhere are lamenting the news that Hollywood Park in Los Angeles will close in December.  When the track was sold in 2005 by Churchill Downs to a development company, most knew its fate was sealed.  One can always hope.

(Pinterest photo)

The track was opened in 1938 by the Hollywood Turf Club and was designed by noted racetrack architect Arthur Froehlich. At the time its chairman was Harry Warner (of Warner Brothers fame) and its 600 shareholders included Al Jolson and other Hollywood luminaries.  In 1949 its grandstand and clubhouse were destroyed by fire and the facility was rebuilt and opened again a year later.  A card casino was added in 1994.

(Pinterest photo)

In 2005, the track was sold to Bay Meadows Land Company for $260 million in cash.  Under the terms of the deal the company was to operate the property for at least three years as a race track.

Some notable Grade 1 races run at the park include The Hollywood Gold Cup, the Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes, the Citation Handicap, and the Hollywood Derby.  There are others.

It's a sad day for racing history when a historic property closes for good, probably to make room for yet another housing development.  It was here that Seabiscuit won the inaugural running of the Hollywood Gold Cup.  Other greats also ran here:  Citation, Swaps, Round Table, Ack Ack, Seattle Slew, Cigar.

Demolition should begin soon after Dec. 22.   Ironically, the Hollywood Park Casino will remain.  

Retired Racehorse Training Project - Get Ready to Ride

For all of you OTTB (off the track thoroughbred) lovers, here's a contest/project you won't want to pass up.  Retired Racehorse Training Project, an organization dedicated to increasing demand for Thoroughbreds off the track, is celebrating Derby weekend by accepting applications from trainers for its Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium. 

The Makeover will feature twenty-six trainers who select and train twenty-six Thoroughbred ex-racehorses throughout the summer in preparation for a public appearance at the RRTP Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium on October 5 and 6 at Pimlico Racecourse. Application forms must be completed no later than Friday May 17 at 5pm Eastern Time on the eve of the Preakness.

Applicant trainers may enter as professionals, amateur adults, or juniors. They will identify the equestrian disciplines in which they have achieved recognition, list experience working with racehorses and ex-racehorses, list references, describe the facilities where training will take place, share videos of themselves riding on horses they have trained, and identify any organizations, farms, or institutions that will be a part of their team. The RRTP Board of Directors will consider the need for diversity of discipline, diversity of trainer background, experience and reputation of applicants, connections of applicants to respected organizations and institutions, and skill level of applicants. The Board will conduct its own research to supplement the information provided in the applications and will not share or publicize its deliberations.

You can get additional information here.