Our two year old colt Backbackbackgone remained undefeated by winning the Jack Goodman Stakes at Santa Anita yesterday.  He is now a perfect 3 for 3, including two stakes wins.  This time around he beat three very nice horses.  The rail horse was undefeated (trained by Carla Gaines and working a hole in the wind), the five horse was rumored to be something special (and turned out to be!) and the six horse (Bob Baffert touted him before the race) just ran in a grade one stakes race at Belmont.

BBBG broke in front and set leisurely fractions of 22.3 and 45.  As they approached the turn, the rail horse (#1) snuck by him on the inside and took the lead.  Jockey Rafeal Bejarano was cool as a cucumber and kept BBBG nice and relaxed.  When they straightened away in the stretch Bejarano asked the question…and BBBG gave him the answer!  He sprinted by the rail horse and accelerated to the sixteenth pole.  The 5 horse came flying up the outside (outside closers were winning all day), but BBBG just kept digging deeper and deeper.  GM Sean Gerson knew it was going to be close.  Team member Rich Siegel yelled, "you gotta believe!"  At my ranch in Oklahoma I was on my feet shouting "don’t you let him get by you buddy – bring him home Rafeal!"  At Santa Anita a crowd of Gerson Racing team members were screaming and yelling their lungs out. 

BBBG and Rafeal Bejarano refused to let the 5 horse get by and won by a nose in 108.4.  Wow!  That is race horse time, and he showed real professionalism by keeping his cool, disposing of the rail horse, then holding off a late closer on a day when late closers were winning every race.  For once I’m going to agree with Sean – there were some VERY nice horses in this race.  There is no telling how good BBBG is.  For today, he is undefeated, and there is no doubt he is 100% runner.  Congratulations to GM Sean Gerson (www.gersonracing.com), trainer Peter Miller, jockey Rafeal Bejarno and all the Gerson Racing faithful.

Speaking of Sean Gerson, I’ll be flying out to LA/OC this week to join him for the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita.   We’ll start the festivities with a private party at the House of Blues West Hollywood, then motor over to Santa Anita for the World Championships of Horse Racing Friday and Saturday.  It is sure to beat the heck out of last years event at Monmouth where we endured sub-arctic temperatures and freezing rain to support our filly Set Play.  By the way, Set Play finished her career with a fifth place finish in the Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland yesterday.  She is retiring to be a Mama.  She gave us many thrills, including a win in the grade one Del Mar Debutante and we wish her all the best!

I’ll post my Breeders Cup picks here on Wednesday or Thursday of next week.

High school football, cooling temperatures and Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner.  Fall is the best season of the year!  For those of us here in Lone Grove, Oklahoma that means snow is on the way.  Love Las Vegas – but the change of seasons in Lone Grove is refreshing.

Susan and I had a whirlwind week in Las Vegas.  Hosted 50 of my clients and friends at Stephen Crystal’s VOX Wine Lounge.  Clint Holmes stopped by.  Gavin Isaacs of Bally Technologies, Scot Campbell of MGM Mirage and Phyllis Gilland of American Casinos were there.  You could not miss Skip Martin of Kool & the Gang and R&B artist B. Taylor.  One of the best groups ever!

The following night Susan, Mom and I attended Cher at Caesar’s Palace.  Sensory overload.  Amazing show, and I appreciate Vicki Stringham putting us right up front.  Great seats.   Finished up the week by hosting 50 technology executives at The Stirling Club.  No sales people, no consultants, no getting gang tackled to buy software – just an opportunity to meet 50 of the best technology executives in Las Vegas.  Thank you to Kathleen Gustafson at The Stirling Club for all her help and to every single attendee for showing up.

We’ll spend most of November in Las Vegas so we can attend the Big Brothers Big Sisters Gala at Wynn Las Vegas and Opportunity Village Camelot.  Great organizations that need our support.  If you have interest in attending, contact me at mwayman@godfatherlv.com.  To whom much is given, much is expected.

I don’t have to tell you…the job market is less than optimal.  Highest unemployment rate in twenty years.  Las Vegas is taking the worst of it.  The good news is that 2009 looks much better.  By the second quarter, I believe we’ll see an uptick in both hiring and real estate prices.  Meanwhile, I have 100 resumes for every available job.  As the Godfather has trumpeted from the highest mountains, "dig the well before you need a drink" and "build your bridge before you need to cross."

Backbackbackgone, our Kentucky Derby horse, runs October 18 at Santa Anita.  Coincidentally, our filly Set Play makes her last start ever in the Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland on the same day.  Thereafter she retires to be a broodmare.  I will be in Los Angeles with my good friend Sean Gerson during October to host an event at House of Blues West Hollywood and attend the Breeders Cup World Championships of Horse Racing.

That is the latest from Lonesome Grove, Oklahoma.  Happy Holidays!