“If nothing unexpected happens,” says Bruce Johnstone, NYRA’s manager of racing operations, “we’ll go the infield for the next race.” We’ve been talking about this since last year, trying to find the right time, the right race, to get there. Yesterday, he thought he’d found it. “The seventh race,” he declares. “It’s a mile on…
Another week at Saratoga is in the books, and some among us are already looking mournfully towards the end of the meet. We’re past the halfway point, and it feels like Labor Day is going to come much too soon. But we’ve still got a few furlongs left, and there’s plenty to keep us busy…
Saratoga earned its “Graveyard of Favorites” nickname on Sunday, with winners coming in at $61 (Moon Raven, 2nd), $44.80 (Who’s Willie Fitz, 3rd), $19.20 (Fancy Fiona, 5th), $69 (Marvel Gaye, 7th), and $45.80 (Wishingonadream, 10th). I started out at this meet doing reasonably well in my $2 bet, $1 exacta box kind of way; I…
Katy Perry would have loved Friday’s Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremony, if, of course, she thinks that West Coast boys are as unforgettable as the girls. Five of this year’s seven inductees had racing roots in California: trainer M.E. “Buster” Millerick; jockey Don Pierce; and horses Azeri, Best Pal, and Point Given. The West…
I wrote recently in the Saratogian about the multitude of charitable opportunities that the racing season in Saratoga offers; nearly every night, we can choose an event to attend, a way to contribute, a charity to support. Among those charities are those that support New York racing all year round, some of which pack up…
Taking a few minutes on this dark day to pass on some recent news, from Saratoga and beyond. Hello Race Fans!, the fan education site for which I am a contributing editor, announced this morning that it’s acquired Raceday360, the racing news aggregator created by Jessica Chapel of Railbird. HRF’s press release provides more information,…
Following a terrific weekend of racing, we get this: #EastCoastHorseRacingIndustry cheated greatest race mare in history outta #HOY. She shd run where she is loved. And this: Racing tweeps jumped the proverbial shark this weekend. We’re all now just a non-stop cliche squaking cliche box. Ish is faded. Break time. And this: “What is it? Everybody’s afraid…
On a spectacularly beautiful Saratoga morning, hundreds of racing fans turned out to support New York backstretch charities and get a little exercise in this morning’s Fasig-Tipton 5k to benefit the Belmont Child Care Association, the Backstretch Education Fund, Backstretch Employees Service Team, and the Racetrack Chaplaincy. I went into this morning’s race with no hope of matching…
She is a rugged, strong filly, with big joints and a good frame, very much of the type usually with a *Challenger II. Her head is very good and her expression feminine, but otherwise she is a rather masculine type of filly. Thus Joe Palmer described Gallorette, champion handicap mare of 1946 and the mare…
I was quick to criticize the stewards’ report of July 29 for its rather mind-numbing obviousness, so here is their next foray, from August 1: RACE 4 – Steward’s Inquiry into the stretch run, involving #7 Six Flings (V. Santiago) and #3 Mine Over Matter (K. Desormeaux). In the judgment of the stewards, the contact…
Brooklyn Backstretch 