It all started at Aqueduct, on a Saturday afternoon in January of 2005. It was the day of the Sunshine Millions: a horse named Lava Man was racing at Gulfstream, and an undefeated Florida-bred, California-based sprinter had shipped east to make his third start. Lost in the Fog won that day by four and a…
On Sunday afternoon, a bouquet of roses lay outside barn 20 on the Belmont backstretch, their colors nearly matching the red paint on the sign identifying the barn as the home of the Phipps Stable. The bouquet wasn’t quite as imposing as the blanket of roses that had been presented the day before, its meaning…
An archaeologist by training, Lucas Rubin has spent a good deal of his life immersed in the past. He also loves cities, and he loves sports. In his book, Brooklyn’s Sportsmen’s Row: Politics, Society & the Sporting Life on Northern Eighth Avenue, he indulges his passion for all three. Read more at Brooklyn Bugle about an exquisite…
On Sunday afternoon, Atlantic City Race Course broke a 37-year attendance record when 13,528 people showed up for its six-race card at the little track in Mays Landing, New Jersey. If by “boutique meet,” you mean short, then Atlantic City is the most boutique of the boutiques, racing for only six days every year.…
The annals of the Kentucky Derby are full of winners whose names ring with grandeur: Lord Murphy, Kingman, His Eminence, Animal Kingdom, Monarchos, Charismatic, Proud Clarion. They’re also full of horses whose names suggest that their owners were not thinking “pinnacle of the sport” when they were named: Vagrant, Super Saver, Mine That Bird, Funny…
The horses are entered, the post positions assigned, and the betting account topped off. At about 6:24 pm Eastern time on Saturday, the gates will spring open, and 20 horses will try to get to the finish line first, to win nearly $1.5 million, a blanket of roses, and a place in racing history. Whether…
Churchill Downs: The GI, $2 million Kentucky Derby at 1 ¼ miles #1 Black Onyx (50-1 morning line): Streaking runner has won both starts this year, on turf at Gulfstream Park in February and in the GIII Spiral on the Polytrack at Turfway Park in March, and tries the dirt for the first time since…
You can play. With these three words, a unprecedented movement of inclusiveness was started a year ago, and earlier this month, the You Can Play Project and the National Hockey League announced a ground-breaking partnership “to make the NHL the most inclusive professional sports league in the world,” according to a league release. The You Can…
At a hastily called meeting April 29, the New York Racing Association Board of Directors voted unanimously to install an interim management team, effective May 1. The interim management team is comprised of three people all currently working in executive positions at NYRA: Glen Kozak, vice-president of facilities and racing surfaces; David O’Rourke, vice-president of…
Churchill Downs: The Grade III, $175,000 Derby Trial at 1 mile #1 Officer Alex: Versatile sprinter kicks off the final race that offers points for next Saturday’s Kentucky Derby and looms an intriguing price player for Whiting, who won the Run for the Roses in 1992 with Lil E. Tee. If you toss his two-turn…
Brooklyn Backstretch 