Afleet Alex was the first horse I followed all year round. I was at Saratoga for his Sanford and Hopeful, and I watched every race on his road to the Kentucky Derby, the first time I had ever watched racing in the winter. I had my birthday party on the day of his remarkable, unfathomable Preakness and…
At a July meeting in Saratoga Springs, the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) approved a model rule described by the organization as the third of three measures designed to address inconsistencies in national medication policies in Thoroughbred horse racing (here). Just about two months later, details of the system have yet to reach the…
“It’s a long story,” Francis Paolangeli cautions when asked how he first got into horse racing. He doesn’t add that it’s also wildly improbable. As he tells it, Paolangeli–Frank to his friends—was at the racetrack in 1982 for one of the few times in his life. The native of Ithaca, New York went to Finger…
On the second and final day of the 2013 International Conference on the Health, Safety and Welfare of Jockeys Sept. 14 at Monmouth Park, representatives from a half dozen racing jurisdictions discussed prohibited substances and testing procedure, nutritional, physical, and mental health during racing careers and in retirement, and the frequency of rider injury on…
Representatives of jockeys’ organizations from around the world gathered at Monmouth Park Sept. 13 for the first session of a two-day meeting of the International Conference on Health, Safety, and Welfare of Jockeys. Medical professionals and jockey advocates discussed matters including insurance for jockeys riding overseas, research into concussions and spinal cord injuries, and setting minimum…
This weekend’s Zoetis $1 Million Grand Prix equestrian event in Saugerties, New York is a long way from a trail ride in the Catskills, but for 26-year-old Agatha D’Ambra, the journey has been a relatively quick one. One of the competitors in this weekend’s event, D’Ambra grew up in Rexford, New York, just north of…
Guests posts don’t often appear here, but when the Brooklyn Backstretch house handicapper takes down a contest, it’s worth making an exception. Brian Nadeau, who regularly handicaps the Triple Crown trail here, won this summer’s #Huddie contest at Saratoga, and author/handicapper/editor Peter Thomas Fornatale, who’s currently working on a book about handicapping contests, talked to…
Watch most telecasts of horse racing and you’ll hear little about gambling, the sport’s primary revenue stream. You’ll sometimes see the odds, and analysts/handicappers will make picks, but if you want to actually make a bet, you’d have no idea how to go about it. With the advent of racing coverage on Fox Sports 1,…
It was easy, by the time closing day rolled around, to be weary of the ubiquitous yellow and red logo, easy to be fatigued by endless ceremonies and presentations and proclamations, easy to be ready for the celebrations to come to an end. Every once in a while, though, during a meeting that despite its…
The time to arrive at the race track in Saratoga, N.Y., is 7 a.m. Actual racing won’t commence until 1 in the afternoon, but at 7 you can enjoy a blueberry muffin, strawberries, and coffee beside the track as long-time commentator Mary Ryan describes the passing show…which is horses. After breakfast in the cool of…
Brooklyn Backstretch 