Through the last week of February 1913, racing fans waited with hope. Earlier in the month, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court had upheld a 1912 New York State Supreme Court ruling that a man making a private bet at a racetrack was not breaking the law, and that race track operators could not…
Earlier this month, the vehicle with the catchy moniker hit to the road to kick off its 2012 campaign. The ABRV (get it? ABR + RV?) headed to Austin, Texas, where it, along with the ABR brand ambassadors, would set up shop at SXSW, the centerpiece of a major fan outreach initiative funded in large…
In September of 2008, Robert LaPenta paid $160,000 for a yearling colt from the first crop of Bernardini, the 2006 Preakness winner and 3-year-old Eclipse champion. Five months later, he sold the same horse for $500,000…and he regrets it to this day. “I bought a number of horses from Bernardini’s first crop, and I made…
Sunland Park: The Grade III, $800,000 Sunland Derby at 1 1/8 miles Major Kentucky Derby points are on the line as the pricey Sunland Derby drew a field of nine 3yo’s that are all trying to prove they belong with the big boys on the Triple Crown trail. With a wide open race full of…
Turfway Park: The Grade III, $550,000 Spiral at 1 1/8 miles A wide-open renewal of the Spiral will certainly give handicappers trouble as several promising, albeit unproven, runners meet the starter. On paper there’s enough pace to think it sets up well for a stalker/closer, so let’s see if #8 GENERAL ELECTION can build on…
It’s back! Though it dwelt at the gate, the Road to the Roses (Presented by TwinSpires.com, officially–so thanks to TS for helping to make it happen) kicks off this weekend, and with it, the sixth Brooklyn Backstretch charity league. Registration opened today at noon and continues through 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 28. The game…
Oaklawn Park: The Grade II, $600,000 Rebel at 1 1/16 miles #2 Carve: Lightly raced gelding looked like a new horse last time off the Asmussen claim, when he exploded in deep stretch with the addition of Lasix in an optional claimer to run his career mark to 2-for-2, with both wins coming over the…
Hal Herzog loves animals. In the acknowledgements for his 2010 book Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat, his cat gets special mention: “Finally,” he writes, “a Crunchy Salmon Treat to Tilly, who spent many a drowsy afternoon lying in a rocking chair, keeping me company and watching me write, occasionally meowing so I would…
Dear Stronach Group, As I read about the Ms. Racing Queen pageant, my eyes grew wide with curiosity and my heart fluttered with excitement. I was Ms. Racing Queen. The daughter of a trainer, I spent every weekend and holiday of my childhood at Belmont Park. In high school, it was time for me to…
Santa Anita: The Grade II, $300,000 San Felipe at 1 1/16 miles #1 Carving: The first of two from Baffert gets back to conventional dirt after a three-race synthetic campaign that started with a win in Hollywood Park’s Real Quiet in November and ended last month with a meek fourth in the GIII El Camino…
Brooklyn Backstretch 