The disparate elements of the racing world are often accused of not playing nicely with each other. Tracks compete with each other for dates and gambling dollars; what’s good for horsemen isn’t always good for gamblers; what makes fans happy doesn’t always jibe with the decisions made on the backstretch; charitable organizations fight for donation…
When I visited Claiborne Farm late last June, there wasn’t much – if any? – talk about Blame, even though at that point he was riding a winning streak of four consecutive graded stakes races. The Claiborne folks might be forgiven, though, and not blamed (sorry, couldn’t resist), given the hefty hunk of racing history…
Some of you may remember that in October of 2009, I wrote about Pappy’s Double H, the three-year-old Birdstone gelding who died on the track at Belmont in the last race on Jockey Club Gold day. In following up on the story, I spoke with Pappy’s owner, Lois Engel of Pucker Ridge Racing; their story is…
If there’s any “network” in social network, let’s see if we can put it to some good. Robin Smullen, assistant trainer to Barclay Tagg and Funny Cide’s exercise rider, reports that her Kentucky Derby ring, along with a horseshoe necklace, was stolen when she was recently in Barbados. The ring is a large diamond with…
The Eclipse ballot stipulates that voters make three choices in each category; failure to make three choices invalidates the vote for that category. These choices determine the top three finalists in each category; the champion in each category is determined solely by the highest number of first-place votes. In most cases, I spent more time…
So we’re just about there: Eclipse Award ballots are due tomorrow, and in a few weeks the seemingly endless, acrimonious debates about Horse of the Year will be over…all except the shouting, which will not, I suspect, subside when the winner is announced. Fervent dissent about the Eclipse Awards isn’t limited to who has earned…
Happy new year! And for the third consecutive year, I’m kicking off my year at a racetrack. In 2009, I welcomed the new year on the Fair Grounds backstretch; last year, it was Calder; and finally, this year, I’m making it to my first New Year’s Day at the Big A, getting my NYRA calendar…
As I think about my 2010 racing memories, I am struck by how few of them actually happened on the racetrack. Few races stand out to me; few horses left durable impressions. I am surprised by that. That’s not to say, though, that 2010 ends devoid of lingering recollections; there are plenty of them, and…
At 5:30 this morning, I was awakened by the wind howling down my block and around my building, fresh off the river. It was still dark out, but the streetlights showed that the snow had mostly stopped. I thought about my 8:30 appointment this morning, the one that I would certainly cancel, heeding the oft-repeated…
It’s 7:30 am, and I’m already behind. Not a single present is wrapped, and in fact, there are a couple still to be purchased…and located, so efficiently did I store the few that I’d purchased early. Christmas cards? Ha! Holiday cards this year – New Year’s, or maybe even Valentine’s Day. But the caponata is…
Brooklyn Backstretch 