A place to discuss the weekly Wall Street Journal Crossword Puzzle Contest, starting every Thursday around 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Please do not post any answers or hints before the contest deadline which is midnight Sunday Eastern time.
We were off to the races this week with Mr. Shenk’s “You Can Bet on It” puzzle. Twelve of the across clues ended with the word “win”, “place” or “show”. The “win” clues directed solvers to take the first letters of the entries, the “place” entries the second letters and the “show” entries the third.
Your Rabbit totally agrees with mheberlingx100, suggesting that those of you Muggles who were put off by this mechanism watch the “The Sting”, the Oscar-winning picture of 1974 (and your Rabbit’s favorite movie of all time.)
Being a bit of a tout himself, the XWord Rabbit had an easy time finding this week’s nominee.
It was Hidden in 3D, of course, who was actually named after a racehorse!
"I was determined to solve this meta because of my one claim to fame: I had a racehorse named after me as a child. Not a thoroughbred, but a horse of a different color. Sara Black was a standardbred owned by my grandfather. (He named all of his horses after relatives and people close to him.) She was his most successful on the harness racing circuit; at the time the only Adios-sired standardbred filly to clock a 2-minute mile on the trot. I can’t remember a thing about this momentous occasion since I, like my namesake, was only three years old. Attached is a photo of the plaque that commemorates her accomplishment. It hung on the door to her stall in the stable – and I do remember that place well. I loved playing there while my father was shoeing horses."
Sara Black Plaque.jpg
"I wanted to double check the statistics I mentioned above, so I went to the Pedigree Online All Breed Database. (It’s a website that details horses’ bloodlines and best times.) After finding my memory was correct on Sara Black’s stats, it hit me that perhaps there might be some famous horses in the grid that would lead me to the meta solution. For much longer than I care to admit, I put crossword answers into the search engine to see if there were horses with those names. Here’s the short list of grid answers that are or were actual horse names, in no particular order: TED, TARO, ARMADA, PERCY, MATT, ATHENS, BOUDOIR (!), FARE, FLOSS, DROP, SHARP, SHORE, DOONE, HUTCH, HOUSE, TOAST, ELEPHANT, PRIDE, NORA, REACT, GRIST, COY, TACO, ARAL, BEAR, NEAT, SLIP, IKEA (?), ROMP. I just kept digging and digging in that same burrow, fascinated at the names owners chose for their horses, with no regard as to how said names could possibly help to solve the meta! Me and my one-track mind!"
So jealous! And while we're on the subject, it's a beautiful day for the race ...
Until next week, then --
And for the septuagenarian race fans, we have this
The XWord Rabbit wrote: ↑Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:34 pmBeing a bit of a tout himself, the XWord Rabbit had an easy time finding this week’s nominee.
It was Hidden in 3D, of course, who was actually named after a racehorse!
Oh, great and wise @The XWord Rabbit, I am humbled to be chosen as this week's nominee. Thank you for this great honor. But I do need to set the record straight on the order of things. I was the first to be named Sara Black. The trotter who shares my name, even though she won several races during her short career (she injured her right front knee in a spill at Yonkers Raceway), she came in second place in the naming race.
The XWord Rabbit wrote: ↑Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:34 pmBeing a bit of a tout himself, the XWord Rabbit had an easy time finding this week’s nominee.
It was Hidden in 3D, of course, who was actually named after a racehorse!
Oh, great and wise @The XWord Rabbit, I am humbled to be chosen as this week's nominee. Thank you for this great honor. But I do need to set the record straight on the order of things. I was the first to be named Sara Black. The trotter who shares my name, even though she won several races during her short career (she injured her right front knee in a spill at Yonkers Raceway), she came in second place in the naming race.
I stand corrected! It is the horse that should be honored.
It's my contention that a direct line antecedent of jockey Joel Rosario (riding the winner, Clairiere, in the first video) must have ridden Feetlebaum! to victory (in the recording in the 2nd 😉). There's little doubt that Rosario is chosen to ride many excellent closers, which helps his stats, but he has to be one of the greatest closing jockeys of all-time. Bet Joel Rosario to Place in any race you can.
mydogsam wrote: ↑Sun Apr 16, 2023 1:52 am
Speaking of horse racing, did anyone see the one-million dollar Apple Blossom Handicap race today?? Pretty exciting for a four horse race.. It's really a race between the #1 horse (favorite) and the #4 horse (the second favorite).. But can the #2 SPEED horse outrun them both??? You be the judge...
I cannot let this subject pass without mentioning one of the greatest episodes of "Taxi".
Jim has a good day at the track and decides to spend his winnings on a pet horse.
ky-mike wrote: ↑Wed Apr 19, 2023 10:24 am
Anyone else having issues accessing the WSJ puzzle today? I am getting an error code. Hoping it is an issue on their end and not mine.
ky-mike wrote: ↑Wed Apr 19, 2023 10:24 am
Anyone else having issues accessing the WSJ puzzle today? I am getting an error code. Hoping it is an issue on their end and not mine.
Same.
I've emailed @MikeMillerwsj.
I should have emailed him. I contacted WSJ support and got a generic answer that i should clear my cache, refresh the page, restart my computer, etc. as if it was an issue on my end. Glad to know it isn't just me.
ky-mike wrote: ↑Wed Apr 19, 2023 11:07 am
I should have emailed him. I contacted WSJ support and got a generic answer that i should clear my cache, refresh the page, restart my computer, etc. as if it was an issue on my end. Glad to know it isn't just me.
Bob cruise director wrote: ↑Mon Apr 17, 2023 11:00 am
Our @minimuggle Marie Wickham chugging along - 3.4Km and going strong.
10K time is 57 minutes and 41 seconds. Even more impressive is that it is about 50 degrees and drizzle.
Marie is halfway home in 2 hours and 4 minutes
30K in 3 hours and 50 seconds - by now the legs are getting tired and all you can think about is Heartbreak Hill coming up
Heartbreak hill is here in 3 hours and 14 minutes = one mile of uphill pain and suffering after going 20 miles.
Heartbreak hill is done in under 11 minutes - great job. However the pain is not over as your quads will kill going downhill. Wave to the Eagles as you go by and watch out for the green line tracks. "only" five miles left.
40K in 4 hours 2 minutes 22 seconds - a short time to go. The finish is almost in sight and the crowds are screaming "muggle!!!"
25.2 miles down - only 1 mile to go. Comm Ave and over to Boylston and sprint to the finish line
Finishing time was 4 hours 15 minutes and 38 seconds - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
Marie number 1.jpg
Thank you SO much for tracking me. That is so kind. I wish I could have trotted across the screen as easily as that runner on your screen. Rough day but Boston marathon is always magical. Thanks
Guffman wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 12:20 pm
I cannot let this subject pass without mentioning one of the greatest episodes of "Taxi".
Jim has a good day at the track and decides to spend his winnings on a pet horse.
<>
Watching the segment in Jim's apartment took me back. I had that same coffee table in my apartment in grad school.
Sara Black was a standardbred owned by my grandfather. (He named all of his horses after relatives and people close to him.) She was his most successful on the harness racing circuit; at the time the only Adios-sired standardbred filly to clock a 2-minute mile on the trot. I can’t remember a thing about this momentous occasion since I, like my namesake, was only three years old. Attached is a photo of the plaque that commemorates her accomplishment. It hung on the door to her stall in the stable – and I do remember that place well. I loved playing there while my father was shoeing horses."
