Racing is in their blood – Pasadena Star News
Track fever hit O’Neill, Verge a long time ago

Long before there was I’ll Have Another’s win in the Kentucky Derby for trainer Doug O’Neill (pictured), and long before there was a gig as CEO of Santa Anita Park for Mark Verge there was a March 22, 1981, trip to the Arcadia track for the last race of the day. The crew: O’Neill, then 12 years old; Verge, then 13, and their grade-school basketball coach, Mike Amodei. The means to get from Santa Monica, where O’Neill and Verge lived, was Amodei’s old, beat-up, green Toyota Corolla.

“I had told them that I loved going to the track,” Amodei said. “Especially in high school at Temple City, we’d cut out after lunch and go place bets (at Santa Anita).

“I was telling those guys about it and that I would one day take them to the track. So one day, that’s what finally happened.”

So there they were, O’Neill, Verge and their basketball coach dashing across town to make the bet and subsequent score that would help set in motion two racetrack careers that will go down in history.

When Crimson Commander crossed the wire first with Joe Blot a head back in second, O’Neill and Verge won $60 apiece for their $5 investment.

The race? Nothing more than a $32,000 claimer run at 6 1/2 furlongs with a purse of $20,000.

“I gave coach Mike five bucks and Doug gave him five bucks, and we had Joe Blot/ Crimson Commander and Crimson Commander/Joe Blot, and it hit,” Verge said. “We got $60 each and we were just rolling. I remember Doug and I had three 20′s each. We were set.
“It was the most fun I had in my entire life.”

Added O’Neill about the double-digit score: “It was a Derby-like moment. It was like `Oh my God, we just got rich!”‘

The win spawned a love fest with the track O’Neill and Verge still have to this day.

Following their windfall, the urge to get back to the track was so strong that relying on Amodei’s Corolla or O’Neill’s father, Patrick, for rides soon wasn’t enough. The duo took to the city’s bus system.

O’Neill estimated it took three buses and about 90 minutes to get from Santa Monica to Santa Anita. Hollywood Park was a tad easier, two buses and about an hour. But just getting to the track guaranteed nothing.

The under-aged boys needed fake dads to get them under the turnstiles at the admission gates and even more help to actually get their bets down.

Verge, whose smooth-talking skills still are very much on display today, handled that without fail.

“Mark would always ask somebody in the parking lot `Could you be our parent so we can get in?”‘ O’Neill said. “And then once you get in there, you just go up to a stranger, befriend them and say `Hey uh, my parents … are … I’m not sure where they are … uh, but can you get me $5 on the two?’

“And then you’d get that speech like, `You kids shouldn’t be betting … but why do you like the two? Did you hear anything about the two?”‘

Rides back to Santa Monica on the bus often were entertaining, especially after Verge gave many of the regulars nicknames and struck up friendships.

O’Neill recalls one such regular named Frank, who stood up about 45 minutes into the ride home from the track and let out an expletive.

When asked why he was so upset, Frank answered by saying he had forgotten he drove to the track that day and that his car still was in the parking lot while he was on the bus headed home.

There was no doubt which way O’Neill’s life was headed after the pair graduated from St. Monica High. He was offered a job walking hots for former trainer Jude Feld at Del Mar just months after graduation and eventually rode the backstretch ladder up to where he is today – a Kentucky Derby-winning trainer.

For Verge, entrepreneurism was his calling. After graduating from UCLA, Verge started a series of successful business, including WestsideRentals.com.

Verge also owns horses O’Neill trains and has parlayed his involvement in the industry into becoming Santa Anita’s new CEO in March.

But in true O’Neill/Verge fashion, neither friend can forget those who played important roles in their journey. That’s why Amodei, now executive editor for Ave Maria Press at the University of Notre Dame, and his two children were front and center last weekend for the Kentucky Derby.

Upon arriving at Churchill Downs, Verge greeted Amodei and his children at the gate and got them in. From there, O’Neill joined up with them and they hung out in an air-conditioned area near a snack bar until O’Neill needed to disengage so he could saddle I’ll Have Another.

“Doug was with us basically from about 11 a.m. until about 3:30 p.m. and we all just hung there,” Amodei said. “It was a great day at that point, no matter what the outcome. Then, everyone went their different ways. Mark got us a box. Doug went somewhere else. And then the race unfolds.

“As that horse came down the stretch, I kept feeling that this was really a flashback because Doug and Mark have always had something in them where they were just winners. They never changed. Either one of them. They were winners. It was one of the top-10 moments in my life.”

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Which team’s hometown treats are tops?

While the last eight NBA teams battle it out on the court for the championship title, The Daily Meal has decided to have them battle it out in the kitchen, too. We’ve made a food bracket based on the NBA Playoff bracket for each NBA team’s hometown treats. Read the origins of these iconic treats and decide which NBA team has the better food by voting in our NBA Playoffs 2012 Food Fight poll. Let the food fight begin!

Los Angeles Lakers’ French Dip Sandwich:

What Is a French Dip Sandwich: A sandwich filled with USDA prime beef, pork, pastrami, turkey or lamb with optional cheese served with a bowl of au jus for dipping. Cole’s serves a house made atomic horseradish mustard to accompany the sandwich giving it a delicious spicy kick.

Where to Eat a French Dip Sandwich: Named for Henry Cole, Cole’s is the oldest public house in Los Angeles and is housed in the hollow of the historic Pacific Electric Building.

READ MORE AND VOTE FOR COLE’S FRENCH DIP

Place the sugar cube and tender mint leaves in a silver or metal julep cup. Press gently to break the cube and release the essential oils in the mint, while keeping the leaves intact. DO NOT MUDDLE. Add Cognac, simple syrup and crushed or shaved ice. Swizzle until the cup is frosted. Add short straw and pack a bit more ice on top of the cup. Drizzle the rum over the top. Gently clap mint sprigs to release their aroma and press stems into the ice to create a bouquet shaped garnish. Dust with powdered sugar.

As the weather turns warm, Southerners and cocktail nerds renew the age-old debate over what to put in a Julep and how to serve it. We’re currently featuring this version from famed 19th century barman Jerry Thomas, but that doesn’t stop us from knocking back a Julep made from Bourbon for comparison’s sake. And we’ll happily sip a Georgia Julep with Cognac and peach brandy, or a Prescription Julep with Cognace and Rye. After sampling a few of each, it’s doubtful we’ll be in any condition to make a meaningful contribution to the Julep debate, but we will always insist on a few essentials: a frosted cup; mint that is never over-muddled; and crushed or shaved ice. If you only have cubed ice, use a tin, a towel, a heavy muddler and some elbow grease to turn it into crushed ice!

Max Seaman, The Varnish, GM

Speakeasy-style joints complete with secret entrances and unlisted phone numbers may be old hat, but there’s now a new breed of even-more-intimate establishments opening across the country.

The best part? You can find these watering holes inside some of your favorite pre-existing bars.

THE VARNISH, LOS ANGELES, 213 622 9999:
After devouring a hearty French dip sandwich at Cole’s in downtown LA, walk past the red booths to Eric Alperin’s cocktail den. You’ll most likely have to wait for a seat, but his list of expertly mixed standards is worth it.

What to Drink: Holland Cobbler (genever, Curaçao, raspberry, lemon juice, grated nutmeg)

READ MORE on Liquor.com

http://www.complex.com/art-design/2012/04/the-top-10-nightlife-photographers/hm-soundsystem

Planets pride themselves on being a band in which not all instruments are musical. Dancers, actors, puppeteers, zombies and robots come together with a do it yourself attitude and an eye on arts and crafts. Inspired by adventurous bands like The Who and Pink Floyd, Disney’s early fairytales and televised narrative mysteries such as Lost, Twin Peaks and The Twilight Zone, a Planets show can be described as a big rock show in the form of a junior high stage play.

Catch the wonders of Planets every Saturday in June. No Cover. And No telescopes.

Dave Freeman, 213 Music Director

Planets pride themselves on being a band in which not all instruments are musical. Dancers, actors, puppeteers, zombies and robots come together with a do it yourself attitude and an eye on arts and crafts. Inspired by adventurous bands like The Who and Pink Floyd, Disney’s early fairytales and televised narrative mysteries such as Lost, Twin Peaks and The Twilight Zone, a Planets show can be described as a big rock show in the form of a junior high stage play.

Catch the wonders of Planets every Saturday in June. No Cover. And No telescopes.

Dave Freeman, 213 Music Director