From the city…

The Charlottesville Police Department (CPD) announced on Friday the successful implementation of an enhanced effort to cite motorists and pedestrians who are not obeying state laws of safe passage in crosswalks across the City. To date (January 1-April 21), CPD officers have issued citations to 43 individuals who have not yielded the right-of-way to pedestrians compared to 7 for the same period last year (46.2-924). This ongoing effort is part of the Department’s commitment to the public that ensures the safety of pedestrians and motorists alike and is an important solution identified by the Pedestrian Safety Committee that reported back to City Council the end of last year. Other elements of this plan to create safer streets include an aggressive public education plan and the implementation of more consistent signage and the installment of new technology at key intersection throughout town.

“We take our partnering role seriously in this community-wide effort,” said Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo. “Although this recently elevated enforcement role is an important part in creating safer streets, over the long run we must all be part of the solution by changing our behaviors and habits and by following the law.”

City officials stress that effective and consistent public education is as important as this increased enforcement. They urge the public to know the rules of the road when it comes to crosswalk and pedestrian safety:

THE LAW »Read More

FIRST RACE- PLEASANT TOP, FLIGHT BRIEFING, STAR FOR TINA

PLEASANT TOP had a good effort about a month ago down in Camden, SC at the Carolina Cup in the exact same type of race and over the same distance for a first outing. Could step up and win this time out now that he has had a taste of what this is all about. FLIGHT BRIEFING has had some success in prep races this year at a lesser level. One of the more quality horses in this race and my pick for second. STAR FOR TINA had a second in her only outing this year over a furlong shorter race and was beaten by two lengths by a more experienced horse. Should be up at the finish in this company.

SECOND RACE- GOOD NIGHT SHIRT, OLD TIMER, TORINO LUGE

This is the race of the day that I’m actually looking forward too. GOOD NIGHT SHIRT is the current reigning champion of the Steeplechase world. The two time Eclipse Award winner is making a stop in Charlottesville (his owner Sonny Via’s home town), on his campaign for a third National Championship this year. He’s already well on his way with a win in the $100,000 Carolina Cup in Camden, SC a month ago. This is just a prep race for him for the $100,000 Iroquois in the middle of May, but in this company it should be an easy win for a horse who while not know for his exceptional jumping abilities is famous for his burst of speed in the homestretch. OLD TIMER could be his only threat having a nice flat win over a longer distance earlier this spring. After that it’s pretty much of a toss up and I think TORINO LUGE has a good a shot as any at this point.

THIRD RACE- ’DAY G’DAY, HEY DOCTOR, BRANDY STATION

This should be the best “Horse Race” of the day. The field are all pretty evenly matched and there quiet a few talented individuals to look out for. G’DAY G’DAY is my first pick as he has already beaten HEY DOCTOR once already this season. BRANDY STATION is undefeated at in some lesser races and has not faced this kind of company. TOUGHKENAMON hasn’t hit his stride yet this season but trainer Kathy McKenna is good at picking the right races for her horses and this is the only other one in the field that might pull an upset.
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Foxfield is finally over and I’m sure that all of you are sick of hearing about it. But now is the time for the juicy stories, the digital evidence and the OMG part of the experience.

I saw very little, but I’m sure with all the cVillain eyes, we have something to share. I’ll be watching YouTube for videos as they pop up! Send in your images/video and we will post it!

So, what you got?

UPDATE!! Check out our more recent posts on Foxfield:

http://cvillain.com/2009/03/31/foxfield-races-2009/

http://cvillain.com/2008/04/16/foxfield-races-2008-the-preview-to-end-all-previews/

Foxfield is my absolute favorite day of the year, even more so than Christmas. Like the holidays my entire family and our friends all congregate to eat, drink and make merry. But unlike Christmas no one holds it against you if you have a little to much to drink, heck it‘s expected! So long as you can still shake hands and say “how do you do” with out falling off your kitten heels nobody really minds. And if they do, it’s forgotten by the time you get to the after party and someone else is drunk enough to go skinny dipping in the Koi pond.

Foxfield has always been a family affair and I guess you could even say Steeplechasing is in my blood. My dad was friends with the course designer and helped build the original hurdle course. My Grandmother owned a rather lack luster Steeplechaser that won it’s only race at Foxfield. My late Grandfather used to be the Timer for the races and my father has since stepped up to fill the post.

But the best part about going to the races was when Grandma “Posy” would pull out her wallet and hand it to me with the condition that I was the bookie for the day. I’d set up shop in the back of her old red “Woody” Jeep Grand Wagoner and take bets from our neighboring tailgates. For a dollar you could have your pick of a horse. It’s amazing how heady it is winning eleven dollars when you’re eight years old. Of course being 21 and hitting a trifecta (where you pick the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place horses to cross the finish in a single race), and winning $1,154.78 off a six dollar bet at the Saratoga Summer meet in New York sealed my fate and I have been an avid handicapper ever since.

So fellow Cvillians, as your resident “horse expert” I am here to share my knowledge and give you the edge for your own Foxfield tailgate this weekend. Whether it’s dollar bets on each horse or something else entirely (go ahead, be creative…), I’m here to decode the Foxfield program and shed some light who’s hot and who’s not.

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It seems like almost every year the police make a huge deal about how this year is going to be different, about how Foxfield will ruin your career if you break the law.  Well, unless I have been living blind, in a shelter, veiled in secrecy, a huge number of people break the law at Foxfield.

Of the 24,000 people who visit Foxfield each spring, only 85 people were arrested.  If anyone does the math on that means that less than 0.4% of the people out there were caught breaking the law.  84 of those people were in the student section.  So, let’s figure this one out.

Let’s say half of the 24,000 are in the Foxfield section, and about half of those are underage.  That means about 6,000 people will be illegally drinking at Foxfield.  If 84 of 6,000 arrests were made,  that means about 1.5% of those breaking the law were caught. This doesn’t include people who are DUIing or people who are doing public intoxication type things.

Hmmmmm….seriously?!

So, if you get arrested, please note: you are REALLY unlucky.   Breakdown of those trying to arrest you:

81 Albemarle County Police

31 ABC Agents

17 Officers from the Sheriff Department

3 Bicycle Offices

110 RMC Private Security Officials

_____________

Grand Total: 242 People Trying to Get You

On another note, don’t resist arrest like this guy!  People, the bottomline is this:  We know you are going to break the law, but don’t drink and drive, don’t act like an asshole and you will be alright.  Remember to read our great Foxfield preview!

[via InRich. Pic.]

DISCLAIMER: We don’t encourage or support any illegal activities during Foxfield. 

Many of you are Foxfield Races veterans, but perhaps many of you have never been. It’s a huge thing in Charlottesville. But not only does Foxfield appeal to local college students, young professionals and the families that have been doing it for years, it also brings back many UVA Alums, former townies and just those who like to party.

The ongoing joke about Foxfield is that you go to horse races, but you never see the horses. That’s a college joke. If you are out of college, you should see the horses. If you are in college, you need to be too plastered to see the horses, otherwise you haven’t really been to Foxfield.

Foxfield is such a monumental drinking even that people have even written studies about Foxfield and drinking. This study in particular found that 68% of Foxfield drinkers did something negative. Big surprise? I hope not. »Read More

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This is the real deal, folks. If you disagree, you obviously have not the powers of the bearer of thunder and lightning, nor the gentle powers of a storm demon who brings death and disease to your village. »Read More

Well, despite our warnings, people videotaped various moments of stupidity at Foxfield. We wish we had a trough video. Does anyone have one? Enjoy!

Generic Frat Boy Jumping. Say Hello to Google!

Gone!

Whitest People Ever (and I swear they say Girls Gone Wild)

Flying Squirrel

Gone!

Thank God For Large Hats and Sunglasses

We are sick of people saying FoxfieldSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Get it right people. You are obviously a loser if you don’t know there is no S in Foxfield. In case anyone was wondering (i.e. they are a mega-loser) what Foxfield is, then go here. Otherwise, read our preview in all its glory:

The Foxfield Races are more than just a horse race.

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