FAMILIAR SIGNS POINT TO SPRING VIRGINIA GOLD CUP

Irish Raptor ridden by Paddy Brennan

Well, it’s that time of year again.

How do we know?

Easy, spring is springing – or at least its trying, baseball opening day has come and gone (sans the spring weather), the Final Four is over (thank goodness!) and the English Grand National is coming up on Saturday.  All  point one place and one place only -- the Virginia Gold Cup.

The weather has been iffy but early March was such the lamb we had to expect some lion in later in the month and in early April.

The weather opening day was awful and the Nationals (who continue to misspell any number of things on scoreboards, jerseys and cups) lost to the Atlanta Braves 2-0.  The home town boys are 1-2 since and 1-3 overall.  Not too much fun until the weather gets better.

The Final Four NCAA championship game between Butler and UConn was the worst basketball game in the history of the world.  Go ahead, try to prove us wrong.  Butler almost failed to score a point-a-minute averaging a mind-numbingly bad 1.025 points per minute on equally mind blowing 18.8% shooting – the worst since the Crimean War or some such event.  Basketball teams have consistently scored well over one point per minute since the 1940's.

The English Grand National is coming up this weekend and it always draws a large field and still features such famous obstacles as the Chair and Beecher’s Brook.  It isn’t for the faint of heart, but then the British and Irish, while known for certain quirks (OK, some might say peculiarities and faults) are naught if not stout of heart.  (That last bit should rile up some of the gang!)

An amazing sight from Monday night's NCAA championship game!

All of this points to the first Saturday in May and the 86th running of the Virginia Gold Cup, so order your tickets today.  The economy is improving and demand is picking up.  Don’t miss it.