Welcome to year nine of the Brooklyn Backstretch Kentucky Derby charity league!
Last year we raised more than $2,300 for racing charities across the country, and as we did in 2015, we awarded donation money to the top three finishers, resulting in significant donations to Akindale Thoroughbred Rescue and Old Friends at Cabin Creek, thanks to our winner John Perotti (runner-up in 2015, winner in 2014), runner-up Michael Slezak, and third-place finisher Bob Deering.
Over the eight years we’ve done this, we’ve raised nearly $10,000 for racing charities; past recipients include Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Days’ End Horse Rescue, Our Mims, Old Friends at Cabin Creek, and ReRun.
Back when we started, I pledged $75 to the charity of the winner’s choice. Quickly, pledges and donations from participants, unsolicited, followed, in impressive, generous amounts. As always, a donation is not required to play, but are welcome, in any amount.
Every dollar donated goes straight to the charities, and information on pledging can be found below.
Here’s how it works:
Select a fantasy stable consisting of 12 Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-old horses. Horses earn points with top-4 finishes in official Kentucky Derby qualifying races, racing in the Kentucky Derby, and a top-5 finish in the Kentucky Derby.
Points will be allocated according to the Kentucky Derby points system. Kentucky Derby starters will earn an additional 30 points each; Kentucky Derby points will be, for finishes in the top 5, 300-120-60-30-15.
Mike Dorr, who writes about racing at Up the Track, has set up our spreadsheet, and Linda Walker has listed all of the horses for you. We divided the Triple Crown-nominated horses into three groups based on current Derby points standings.
Players will choose for their stable:
- 3 Group A horses
- 4 Group B horses
- 5 Group C horses
The groups are available in this Google doc. You must select and post your stable by this Saturday, March 4, by 12:00 PM CST.
After the Rebel Stakes on March 18th, the horses will be divided into two groups (D & E, again grouped by performance criteria above) and stables will be able to add:
- 1 Group D horse
- 1 Group E horse
Round 2 of the contest will begin with the UAE Derby on March 25; supplemental horses must be selected by 6:00 PM CDT Friday, March 24. Points earned by Group D and E horses in Round 1 will not count toward the players’ total.
The contest will conclude with the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 6. The winning stable will have the most accumulated points. In the unlikely event of a tie, ties will be broken as follows:
- Highest # of Derby Starters in your stable
- Highest # of Points at the end of Round 1
A reminder post will go up the week before Round 2 begins.
If you finish in the top 3, you’ll be able to choose the organization(s) to which your prize money is donated. All recipient organizations must be registered 501(C)3 charities and must support the well-being of the humans and animals in Thoroughbred racing or on the backstretch.
If you want to play, please post the names of the horses for your stable in the comments below (if you are a first-time or infrequent commenter here, your post will be held in moderation until I can approve it, which generally happens relatively quickly.)
If you want to pledge/contribute, please leave the amount in the comments or e-mail me at Teresa@brooklynbackstretch.com. We’d love to surpass the amount of money that we raised last year.
Questions? Contact Mike Dorr (mikedorr77@yahoo.com) or me, leave a question in the comments, find us on Twitter (@BklynBckstretch, @mikedorr77).
Good luck, have fun, and let’s do some good for the racing community.
Brooklyn Backstretch 
A:
El Areeb
Untrapped
McCraken
B:
One Liner
Irish War Cry
Mastery
Petrov
C:
Battalion Runner
Malagacy
Irish Freedom
Monaco
Tapwrit
Your stable has been added
D:
Gunnevara
E:
Always Dreaming
A:
McCraken
Guest Suite
Practical Joke
B:
Irish War Cry
One Liner
No Dozing
Local Hero
C:
Pavelski
Tiz A Slam
Battle of Midway
Red Leopard
Souper Tapit
Your stable has been added
Count me in for $30 once again. Thanks!
Group A:
Classic Empire
Gormley
McCraken
Group B:
Irish War Cry
One Liner
Mastery
Petrov
Group C:
American Anthem
Looking For Eight
Malagacy
O Dionysus
Souper Tapit
Your stable has been added
Thank you, Nicolle!
Group A:
Classic Empire
El Arreb
Gormley
Group B:
Irish War Cry
Mastery
One Liner
Royal Mo
Group C:
American Anthem
Greatbullsoffire
Irish Freedom
Painter’s Rags
Tapwrit
Your stable has been added
Group A:
Classic Empire
El Areeb
Practical Joke
Group B:
Royal Mo
Irish War Cry
No Dozing
Petrov
Group C:
Bavaro
Hey Mike
No More Talk
Tapwrit
Ticonderoga
Your stable has been added.
Count me in for $100.
A:
McCraken
Irish War Cry
American Anthem
B:
Gormley
Girvin
Uncontested
El Areeb
C:
Royal Mo
Tapwrit
Petrov
Untrapped
Local Hero
Robert, please check your picks. Group A does not include Irish War Cry or American Anthem. Group B does not include Girvin, Gormley, Uncontested or El Areeb, and Royal Mo, Petrov and Local Hero are not Group C picks. Thanks!
Group A: Classic Empire, Gormley, Uncontested
Group B: Irish War Cry, Mastery, One Liner, Royal Mo
Group C: American Anthem, Malagacy, Tapwrit, Iliad, State of Honor
Your stable has been added.
Posted on behalf of Mark Hennig:
Donation $100
Group A
El Areeb
Gormley
Practical Joke
Group B
One Liner
Irish War Cry
Mastery
Royal Mo
Group C
American Anthem
Battalion Runner
Beasley
Sonic Mule
So Conflated
Thanks Linda for letting me know, never even looked at the spreadsheet. -LOL
A: Girvin, Gormley, McCraken
B: Irish War Cry, Local Hero, Petrov, Mastery
C: American Anthem, Tapwrit, Malagacy, Irish Freedom, Illiad
Karin Brewer (First time contestant):
A:
Practical Joke
El Areeb
Gormley
B:
Irish War Cry
Mastery
One Liner
Wild Shot
C:
Huracan Americo
Iliad
Cavil
Perro Rojo
Fayeq
I’m in for $50.
Group A: El Areeb, Girvin, Gormley
Group B: Irish War Cry, One Liner, Petrov, Royal Mo
Group C: Made You Look, Three Rules, Sonic Mule, American Anthem, Tapwrit
Posted on behalf of Ernie Munick:
El Areeb
Gormley
Gunnevera
Irish War Cry
Mastery
One Liner
Royal Mo
American Anthem
Iliad
Battalion Runner
Beasley
Guest Suite
Lynne Cassimeris. Count me in for $75
Group A:
McCraken
El Areeb
Gunnevera
Group B:
Irish War Cry
No Dozing
Local Hero
Zakaroff
Group C
Tapwrit
Eleutheros
Montu
Union Rebel
Painter’s Rags
Group A: El Areeb, Gunnevera, Gormley
Group B: Petrov, True Timber, No Dozing, Irish War Cry
Group C: Beasley, Bitumen, Confederate, Illiad, Three Rules
Question… will the current horses in Groups A & B be included in groups D and/or E in the next round?
Hi, Cindy–yep, they definitely will.
Thanks Teresa.
Sadly, I just read that one of the Group C horses was euthanized after a work today. Dallas Stewart’s homebred, Saint’s Fan.
Sad news, and I’ll make sure he’s removed from the options. Thanks for passing that on–
I’m in for $50
A: El Areeb, McCraken, Gormley
B: Irish War Cry, Mastery, One Liner, Local Hero
C: American Anthem, Huracan Americo, Iliad, Tapwrit, So Conflated
Put me down for $30
Group A: El Areeb, Gormley, McCraken
Group B: Irish War Cry, Mastery, Royal Mo, One Liner
Group C: American Anthem, Lookin at Lee, Sheer Flattery, Silver Dust, Tapwrit
Lookin at Lee is not a Group C horse.
Sorry. can I replace him with Three Rules instead?
Hi, Marlene– Unfortunately, we can’t make any changes after the races after already been run. I’ll get in touch soon about donations/pledges– usually I don’t collect the money until after the Kentucky Derby. Thank you so much for offering to donate — Teresa
Also, where should I send my donation?
I’m in for $50
Group A: El Areeb, Gunnevera, Uncontested
Group B: Irish War Cry, Mastery, Petrov, Royal Mo
Group C: American Anthem, Battalion Runner, Beasley, Made You Look, Tapwrit
A; Girvin, McCraken, Practical Joke
B: One Liner, Irish War Cry, Mastery, True Timber
C: Apartfromthecrowd, Beasley, Hence, J Boys Echo, Silver Dust
$150 and 2x if I win or come in last place
$100
A: Practical Joke, Lookin at Lee, El Areeb
B: Irish War Cry, One Liner, Local Hero, Mastery
C: American Anthem, Beasley, Tapwrit, Made You Look, Iliad
Once again I’ll pledge $100 and if I win, I’ll double it.
GROUP A
Al Areeb
Gormley
Gunnevera
GROUP B
Irish War Cry
Mastery
One Liner
Royal Mo
GROUP C
American Anthem
Beasley
Iliad
Sonic Mule
Tapwrit
Thank you Teresa, Mike and Linda.
@hockeyjam
My choices are
El Areeb
Guest Suite
Gormley
Irish War Cry
Mastery
One Liner
Local Hero
American Anthem
Battle of Midway
Made you Look
Tapwrit
True Timber
True Timber is not a Group C horse
Replace One Liner with True Timber in Group B add Fact Finding to Group C
Thanks for catching my booboo Linda
Group A
Classic Empire
El Areeb
McCracken
Group B
One Liner
Irish War Cry
Mastery
Local Hero
Group C
American Anthem
Battalion Runner
Beasley
Syndergaard
Tapwrit
$75 donation.
El Areeb
Practical Joke
Gunnevera
Irish War Cry
True Timber
Mo Town
Zakaroff
Beasley
Three Rules
So Conflated
Iliad
Gorgeous Kitten
I’m going to assume you mean True Timber and not Timber Town in your Group B picks? 🙂
El Areeb
McCracken
Practical Joke
One Liner
Irish War Cry
Mastery
Petrov
American Anthem
Tapwrit
Battalion Runner
Dabster
Patch
$25
Posted on behalf of Jim Roberts:
Group A
Classic Empire
El Areeb
Gunnerevera
Group B
Irish War Cry
Royal Mo
Mo Town
One Liner
Group C
Tip Tap Tapizar
Seau
Solo Saxophone
Mos Mojo
Basha
Lookin at Lee is not a Group C horse
A: Girvin, El Areeb, Gormley
B: Irish War Cry, Mastery, One Liner, Petrov
C: American Anthem, Battalion Runner, Battle of Midway, Iliad, Cloud Computing
A: El Areeb, Girvin, Gormley
B: Irish War Cry, Mastery, One Liner, Petrov
C: American Anthem, Cloud Computing, Battalion Runner, Battle of Midway, Iliad
Group A: Practical Joke, Classic Empire,Gunnervera
Group B: Irish War Cry,True Timber, Mastery, Bonus Points
Group C: Cloud Computing, Pat on the Back, Made you look , Apartfromthecrowd,West Coast
David J – $100
A: El Areeb, Gormley, Gunnevera
B: Irap, Irish War Cry, Mastery, Royal Mo
C: Action Everyday, American Anthem, Battalion Runner. Giant Payday, Iliad
Group A: El Areeb, Lookin At Lee, Practical Joke
Group B: Irish War Cry, Mastery, Petrov, Royal Mo
Group C: American Anthem, Battalion Runner, Beasley, State of Honor, West Coast
$45 Donation
Group A: Epicharis, Gormley, Practical Joke
Group B: One Liner, Irish War Cry, Mastery, Royal Mo
Group C: Always Dreaming, American Anthem, Cloud Computing, Eastport, West Coast
Adding my supplemental choices D and E (please let me know if I am doing this wrong):
Karin Brewer
D: Gunnevera
E: Foggy Night (JPN)
Karin
D – Malagacy
E – Stretch’s Stone
Group D: Malagacy
Group E: Soglio
D: Malagacy
E: No Dozing
D: McCraken
E: Battalion Runner
my D and E choices
D: J Boys Echo
E: Thunder Snow
D horse : Gunnevera
E horse: J Boys Echo
J Boys Echo is not a Group E horse.
Reach The World then?
Julie, got it, Reach the World for your Group E horse. Thanks.
My D & E choices:
D – Malagacy
E – Thunder Snow
With a prayer, that I’m not going to end up posting this under someone else’s account…
May I add
D. Guest Suite
E. Parlor
Thanks (in the event something goes WordPress awry, Tracy Levitz)
D: J Boys Echo
E: Gunnevera
Gunnevera is a D horse.
Change my E to True Timber
Thanks.
Posted on behalf of Mark Hennig:
McCraken
Always Dreaming
My additions:
J Boys Echo
One Liner
D: Cloud Computing
E: Royal Mo
Group D and E Additions
D: Gunnevera
E: Thunder Snow
Group D: Cloud Computing
Group E: Always Dreaming
Group D: Gunnevera
Group E: Thunder Snow
D: Gunnevera
E: Three Rules