Marble and me going gold!

Tonight at Starbucks, during my weekly blog outing, I got the walnut maple tart and the birthday cake pop. I only have two more of the petite treats to try and then I'm off to the more indulgent treats.   I also got a light mocha Frappuccino which is only 140 calories vs. the regular 400 calories.  Although it uses sugar free flavored syrup and fat free milk, it tastes amazing!  It’s even better if you get some sugar free caramel syrup added to it. Food wise, the cake pop was a little bit of a disappointment.  Even though it was moist and delicate and only 85 calories (for half of it), it just didn't seem worth the price. The maple tart, however, was quite delicious. It is a nice warm nutty pastry complimented with streusel icing. It would be even better if paired with the pumpkin spice latte or ginger bread latte. 

This past week ended in one of the most fun exhilarating ways possible :). I galloped my buddy Marble, whom I groomed the first half of the semester and experienced some difficulty galloping in the past. This week, he was such a gentleman and was absolutely awesome.  Of course, my being considerably more in shape this semester could be the reason things went so well lol.  At the end of the week, Chris surprised us with not only letting us breeze on the upper mile track, but that we could breeze in company and the last 1/4 of a mile we could actually race our company down the stretch. My heart went pitter patter.  Although I had galloped in company, I had never experienced it while breezing. Since I had galloped Marble all week it made it even more special.  I was partnered with Gus and was given the instructions to back them up to the 3/4ths pole gallop and then start breezing at the 1/2 mile pole. I started my breeze on the inside next to the rail.  Marble and I started off a little slow compared to Gus. As we went thundering down the track, Gus was already a length ahead of us when we turned down the stretch.  The other students urged our steads onward, encouraging us to run with all our heart to the wire. I finally pulled head to head with Gus as we thundered down the stretch, but sadly at the wire we lost by a length. Even though we didn't come out in front, I never felt so proud of my boy.  It was exhilarating to gallop him all week and end in a company breeze. What a way to end the week. It was absolutely fantastic. This coming week is Derby week, so there will be all kinds of exciting information in the upcoming blog. 

Enjoy your week and treat yourself to a light Frappuccino. It’s only 140 calories and completely worth it! 

P.S.  A big thanks to everyone who has donated to my Starbucks outings.  With your help, I have achieved the Starbucks gold level status and received my very own personalized Starbucks’ card :). Thanks for all your generous support. 


Jesse

Pies, good rides, and fun times!

Today I had drunk so much coffee that when the time came to head to Starbucks to do my blogging, I really didn't feel like having anything coffee related. So I went with the caramel apple spice. It is an amazing drink that is apple juice combined with cinnamon and caramel syrup with a caramel drizzle that is warmed up to perfection. It is the perfect amount of sweet n spicy. I got it without whipped cream so the total calories for a grande came to 280. I then ventured on to try their apple pie as well as the cherry pie. Both are 170 calories each, but I only ate half of each so I could also enjoy my beverage :). I would highly recommend both the pies and the drink together; they compliment each other so nicely. However it is really more of a fall treat than a lush spring snack. It is highly recommended to have the petite pies warmed up; otherwise the dough is rather hard and the filling is cold and bleak. But once warmed it is a soft pillowy masterpiece of sweetness.

This past week was another fantastic week of riding. I rode JC, a strong-headed filly, and Joker, an easy going but very moody horse who tends to buck when asked to pick up the pace. I was able to increase my balancing skills while riding Joker and hone in on being able to ride with a soft but firm touch with JC. At the beginning of the week I couldn't get her to relax and she would carry her head up, trying to pull hard and run off with me. But no matter how hard she pulled I kept her at an even keeled pace. By Wednesday I improved my riding with her so that she relaxed and became a joy to ride and she barely pulled at all. Riding these magnificent creatures is all about finding what they like best and how to get them to relax. With JC you have to be firm but gentle. On Friday I had the privilege of breezing Gus, the horse I groom. Since some of these horses will be in an upcoming race featuring the previous NARA graduates, we have been getting them conditioned for this event. Mr. McCarron wants these horses to achieve more stamina than speed, so our breezing instructions on Friday were to get them running, then sit against them in order to build up their core stamina rather than rushing them to the wire to increase their speed. What another great week of riding!

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to attend "The Road to The Triple Crown", an event hosted by the University of Kentucky Horse Racing Club. It featured Jean Cruguet, who rode Seattle Slue to the triple crown, Jimmy Bell, president of Darley USA (owned by Sheikh Mohammed himself), Barry Irwin, who is the president of Team Valor (the group that owns 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom), and trainer Dale Romans, who trained Shackleford (which came in fourth in last year's Kentucky Derby but ended up winning the Preakness). All of these great individuals have participated in the triple crown races. It was great to hear of their experiences, peaks and downfalls, and great achievements in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont. Prior to the start of the panel discussion, this classy event served hors d'oeuvres, which included a simple turkey sandwich, delectable crab cakes, savory wrapped asparagus, and hardy baked potato puffs. Being the foody that I am, I had to have one of each. It was a good thing I forgot to eat dinner before the event so I had saved enough calories for all the awesome bite-sized delicacies. I look forward to more of these classy events. I can definitely foresee them in my future, especially with the high class owners and trainers when I enter further into the world of horse racing!
have a fantastic week
Jesse 

Amazing food and a fun reenactment

Since I have so much to talk about in this blog, I’m going to post a table of contents so you can

skip over a section if you feel so moved.

1. Starbucks/Coffee

2. Horse Rides

3. Seabiscuit Reenactment

4. Fine Dining

5. Photos

1. I would like to start this blog off with thanking a very close friend who has been extremely generous to me and shares my passion for great food. She recently gave me a bag of coffee beans from her trip to Ethiopia. This coffee is the best I've ever had. It has such a smooth bold taste that isn't too strong or too sweet. I have never tasted anything like it. It is absolutely marvelous. As I entered the Starbucks this evening, a fantastic idea sprung into my head. Since I've been reviewing their tasty treats, I haven't been able to indulge in their lattes. Then it hit me; why not just eat half the pastry and then I would also have enough calories saved up for a latte as well? I went with the petite hazelnut tart (180 cal.) and vanilla bean scone (140 cal.). The first couple of bites into the scone where very dry and the dough stuck to the roof of my mouth. It was not a pleasant experience. But once you added the drink, it was wonderful! The scone was delicate and delicious while the hazelnut tart had a rich smooth hazelnut cream inside. I highly recommend eating these two items with a drink; otherwise you’re in for a great disappointment and a very dry mouth.

2. This past week was a fantastic week of riding. It was my best week since I've been back. Every day I had two good rides and on breeze day I had the 2nd fastest time. I was overjoyed that I finally completed a week without any problems! Things are going great. What made it even better was the fact that I rode on some of the tougher horses.

3. On Tuesday, I participated in a reenactment of Seabiscuit for 900 kindergartners as a part of a literacy project. I was honored with the opportunity to play Charlie Kurtsinger, War Admiral’s jockey, while Mr. McCarron played Seabiscuit's jockey. The show opened with Sea Biscuit's trainer doing a brief overview of the story. Then the press announcer welcomed the owners of Seabiscuit and War Admiral who arrived on scene in period time cars and costumes. After interviewing the owners, the horses' trainers and jockeys (Chris McCarron and me) entered the arena to be interviewed. This was all impromptu, so I had to come up with my own lines on the spot. When I was asked: "What do you think of War Admiral?" I replied: “He’s big, fast and  knows how to win. You're looking at America's champion, War Admiral!" The press man then asked: "Do you think the Biscuit has a chance?" I cockily replied: “You think a horse that small and named after a cracker will win? (laugh) War Admiral will be America's Champion!" It was an awesome experience and very fun to dress up in jockey silks and have a mock race. I can't wait until the day comes that I'm actually participating in a real race. It was great fun riding in front of the kids and hearing their cheers and screams. I loved the atmosphere and can only

imagine what it will be like riding in front of thousands at an actual race.

4. Easter Sunday was my first Easter away from the family. I decided I had to do something special. I knew my family would be hanging out with my uncle, aunt and cousins enjoying an awesome meal and the annual family Easter egg hunt. Since I wasn't going to be able to participate in these activities, I decided to do something I've never done, but always have wanted to do. I went to a fine dining restaurant, ready to drop as much money as needed to get the full experience. When I arrived, I was warmly greeted and seated in the outdoor enclosed patio. When the waitress came to take my order, she gave me a funny look like “You have the money to be eating here? I sure hope you tip.” I started my meal off with salmon topped chibatta with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. The flavors blended together in an exquisite way. All of a sudden, it got quite cool on the patio, so I requested to be moved inside and I was seated at my personal 8 person booth. The waitress removed all the place settings to make it feel like my own private dining area. For my entree, I couldn't resist the temptation to order the lamb chops even though it was on the pricy side. Once again the waitress gave me the "Are you sure you can afford this" look. When it came out I was in shock. It looked very beautiful. I've seen things like this on TV, but never in real life. I have never tasted a more tender, juicy, melt in your mouth piece of meat in my life. The lamb was seated on a pool of rich demi glaze that was so sweet and rich with flavor I could have drunk a cup of the stuff. Although I was filled to the brim, I had to complete my experience with dessert. I was sort of disappointed with the choices they had, but I went with a very berry bread pudding with homemade vanilla bean ice cream. The bread pudding was great but nothing to get excited about, but the ice cream on the other hand was very smooth and velvety that just melted away in a sweet vanilla flavor. The only thing that could have made this experience more complete would have been a specialty wine, but I'm not 21 so that wasn’t an option. It was a fantastic meal and I tipped the waitress quite well. The meal plus tip cost…. well, let’s just say it was the most expensive food outing I had ever experienced. I enjoyed it so much, I am now saving a portion of my tips each night towards another fine dining experience :)

5. Seabiscuit reenactment photos

                                                           Walking in with the trainer

                                                 team War Admiral vs team Seabiscut

                                                   Receiving last minute instructions

                                                                      and we're off

A big thanks to all my faithful followers

have a great week
Jesse

It's all for the dream!

Today, as I entered Starbucks, I was prepared to test their mini cherry and apple pies at 180 calories apiece. To my disappointment, they were out of the pies so I decided to abandon the idea of going from the lowest calorie items to the highest. This time around I went with a reduced fat very berry coffee cake. It was absolutely delicious featuring blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. It would go great with a white chocolate mocha latte, but since I'm a jockey and have to keep track of the calories, I had to go with a plain coffee:( Either way, this coffee cake is a good recommendation if you are a very berry lover.


As for riding, I never had any bad days this week!  Tuesday's ride was absolutely fabulous!  I rode Sticky and Polo and they were fantastic. I'm getting better every week :)  Tuesday evening, all the horses where vaccinated with their yearly shots.  By Wednesday morning they all had fevers, so we didn't ride.  Thursday, we let the horses have another day off because their fevers had just broken. Thursday afternoon we went to Keeneland to watch the 2-year old pre-sale breeze. Keeneland holds breeze days before the sale where blood stock agents and owner prospects can see the horses work.


Friday was the opening of the Keeneland meet. I went without hesitation and had a fabulous time. There is nothing better than spending time at the race track. I just love the atmosphere and can't wait until I begin to race.


If you want to make it big and attempt some of the feats of my mentor/trainer Chris McCarron did in his career, it is a 24/7 job. Free time, fun outings and even some sleep have to be sacrificed in order to compete with the best of the best. I have always known this, but never really lived it until now. I'm at school from 6:45-3:45 and then work at Steak-n- Shake till 10 or later (weekends until 12 or 1). I am almost always low on sleep and worn out, but I'm OK with it because it is my passion and I will do what it takes to be the best I can be. We used to have the weekends off, but recently we (the students) have started rotating weekends, going in at 8 AM and then back again at 3:00. These horses need to be taken care of and I might as well accept the fact that I won't have much free time.  The little time I do have needs to be cherished and not wasted watching TV or sleeping. It is very tempting to quit my job, take out a bunch of loans and get food stamps so I can have some free time.  But that is not who I am.  I will continue to push on because this is my dream and I'm willing to do what it takes to be the best I can be.

Hope everyone had a fab Easter.

Jesse
 

The track vs the field

I was very excited to go to Starbucks this morning to get my morning cup and begin my review of their food.  I decided to begin with the lowest calorie item, so I tried two different kinds of cake pops (raspberry chocolate truffle and teramisu).   They are a small cake ball on a stick coated in hardened chocolate.  They are very dense, moist and delicious, but it really doesn't goes with coffee. Cake pops are 170 calories a piece so if you get a latte with them you are looking at more calories then an average meal. I cant wait to dive into the coffee cakes and scones.
Sunday we had a surprise birthday party for Mr. McCarron at the barn. We had a potlock style meal where all of us students brough in different dishes.  It was incredibly fun and a great way to wish our mentor a happy birthday and show our appreciation for everything he does. Happy Birthday Mr. McCarron! 


Monday - We jogged the horses in the field as usual.  I had the pleasure of having two good rides on Pemmy and Explicit. Although Mondays are veryrelaxed, I prefer the other days when we can be on the track and things are more intense.

Tuesday -  I had an amazing gallop in the field with Explicit.  He was such a gentleman.  Because he was out of training for the past couple of weeks, I thought he would be high strung.  But, he responded beautiful. Next, I took Pemmy out on the track.  She usually doesn't pull, but for some reason she did.  Although she didn't run off, we did go a little too fast.

Wednesday - I had a great gallop on Pemmy in the field.  She was completely different and didn't pull at all like she did on the track yesterday. However, when I took Explicit on the track, it was a tug of war all the way around.  Sadly, he won. It's incredible how much tougher the horses can get when they are on the track vs on the field. When they are in the field, they are chilled and relaxed and just want to go for a joy ride. But on the track, they know it's all business.  They want race, but it's our job as the rider to hold them back so they don't go too fast and injure themselves.

Thursday - It was another easy day. I road both Pemmy and Explicit in the field.  We where instructed to canter them slowly because the next day would be breeze day (my favorite day).


Friday -  I love this day!  We get to open them up and let them go. It is an incredible feeling sitting atop the horse and feeling the power beneath me as I speed across the track. It is fantastic cutting through the wind at break neck speed and  feeling the horse below me tremble with excitement. I had the privilege of breezing my buddy Gus.  I took care of him last semester and am now taking care of him the last part of this semester. He is such a gentle, but powerful horse.

On a side note, over spring break I gained 16lbs:(  But in just two weeks I dropped back to my original 105 by just eating fruit and salad. When I'm on break and away from the track I can consume a lot of food :). Hopefully this won't hinder me during my career.