Three days after Hurricane Sandy ripped through New York, everything looks pretty normal at Belmont Park. More than 100 trees fell there during the storm, but by Friday morning they had all been cleared and training had returned to normal after being suspended earlier in the week. A look across the street, though, reveals that…
The last time the Breeders’ Cup was at Santa Anita, Zenyatta made history, becoming the first filly or mare to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The Breeders’ Cup is back at Santa Anita this year, and tonight, HRTV will broadcast a 30-minute special about the mare, celebrating her career and the effect that she had…
Day two of the Breeders’ Cup kicks off at 2:50 ET Saturday with the $1 million Juvenile Turf; TV coverage begins at 3:30 pm ET on NBC Sports Network and switches to NBC at 8 pm ET for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. The eight Breeders’ Cup races on the Saturday card offer a…
The arguably two best betting days of the year are upon us, with the Breeders’ Cup on Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Full, competitive fields in 15 races offer the opportunity for big scores with a lower-than-usual investment, The races will be broadcast on Friday from 4 pm to 8 pm ET…
Saratoga Race Course closed nearly two months ago, and before long, the Oklahoma training track will be shuttered for the season as well. But in a sign that a commitment to racing never really leaves Saratoga, Druthers on Broadway will host a fundraiser to benefit Camp TLC this Saturday, in conjunction with this weekend’s Breeders’…
This Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, hundreds of horses will take to the track for the Breeders’ Cup. One hundred and eighty horses have been pre-entered in 15 races, and if Dr. Mick Peterson has anything to say about it, they’ll all come home safely. Concerns about the safety of Thoroughbred racing have never…
Here at the Brooklyn Backstretch, we are grateful that we weathered Sandy with only minor inconvenience: our power stayed on, and there was no flooding in this neighborhood. We feel very, very fortunate. Those nearby were not nearly so lucky. Power is still out in many areas, and homes were devastated by water. According to…
Is the suburbification of Brooklyn now complete? The once-gritty borough has survived an influx of big box stores and national chains and SUV-stroller-wielding parents, but on Wednesday, Bruce Ratner, Charles Wang, and Gary Bettman may have put an end to whatever urban cred Brooklyn might have had left, when they announced that the New York…
John Hertler and Akindale Farm go back a long way together. Akindale’s John Hettinger was one of Hertler’s first clients when the trainer went out on his own in the late 70’s, after working for Hall of Fame trainer P.G. Johnson for 14 years, during which time Hettinger had horses with Johnson. “I was Mr.…
And so begins the Cuomo era in racing. Late Thursday afternoon, Governor Cuomo released the names of the government-appointed members of the newly reconstituted New York Racing Association board. Horse owners are among them, a chef, a university president. What will they bring to racing in New York? Time will tell. While we in New…
Brooklyn Backstretch 