Spent part of the morning talking about Arizona Helen with a writer from The Horse. It is easy to see why that story is compelling to a magazine that focuses on horse health, since it is one of the more fascinating “conditions” I have ever come across. Arizona Helen is, of course, the mare who became a stallion when genetic testing revealed he was a pseudo-hermaphrodite. Hope everybody got to see the story at http://www.hoofbeatsmagazine.com/pdf/july09/ArizonaHelen_july09.pdf.
We are racing around putting the finishing touches on August, our yearling issue—selecting a fun yearling shot for “Here They Come,” replacing Winner’s Circle with one that ties to a short profile we are running on a woman who recently discovered the joys of Standardbreds.
The best part of my day was talking with Greg Schuler of “The Horseman & Fair World,” with whom I hope to soon be partnering on a claimer! It was Greg’s idea and I appreciate him including me, along with a few others. We are working with trainer Jim Arledge Jr., and we have already picked a stable name—the appropriately titled “Write Stuff Stable.” It has been exactly 10 years since Best Of Dani died—and he did not race for the last nine years of his life—so I am excited to jump back in to the game. And I am excited to be partnering with Greg, who I respect immensely (along with everyone at The Horseman) for all he does for racing.
It was a very fun with dinner with Greg and Tom LaMarra of The Blood Horse in Lexington that led to the recent creation of the North American Standardbred Communicators Association (NASCA), an online social community for people who cover harness racing. I really hope the site helps everyone who needs it with photos, writers, subjects, topics—all the things writers need. Check it out on Facebook!
Have a great day,
Nicole
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