Santa Anita: The Grade I, $1 Million Santa Anita Derby at 1 1/8 miles #1 Offlee Wild Boys (30-1): Enters off two sharp allowance wins at Golden Gate over the Tapeta surface, and though he drew well here, he’s unproven over conventional dirt. Well-bred runner should get the trip, but this is a huge step…
Aqueduct: The Grade I, $1 Million Wood Memorial at 1 1/8 miles #1 Starship Caesar (50-1 ML): Beaten a country mile in the GIII Gotham, the local prep, and while he drew extremely well tomorrow, there’s no real reason to think he can turn the tables on those who beat him, not to mention that…
Tomorrow morning, I head back to Aqueduct for the first time in a month. On March 12, I was in Saratoga, dropping off a Backstretch feline for a winter sojourn; on the 19th, I drove through Aqueduct en route to a flight to Florida; on the 26th, I was on the beach; on April 2,…
There are few automatic bets in the Backstretch world. There are the Cats and Kittens, of course, and sometimes horses or trainers I’ve recently profiled, and often the longest price in a short field. But perhaps the most inviolable of these is the “If you pet the horse, bet the horse” maxim…which I ignored on…
Happy Florida Derby day! It’s gorgeous, it’s hot, it’s sunny…and it’s my last day in Florida after a glorious spring break. Fortunately, I’ve got a terrific weekend to close out a memorable vacation. Saturday at Gulfstream was Oaks Day, kicked off at 7 a.m. with Breakfast At Gulfstream, where those purchasing the breakfast buffet were…
Gulfstream Park: The Grade I, $1 million Florida Derby at 1 1/8 miles #1 Soldat (9-5 ML): Enters off two powerful local wins at today’s distance, including a romp in the GII Fountain of Youth (FOY) where he answered both the class question and the one that said that he couldn’t put in a big…
A crowd of about 30 filled the back of BookCourt in Cobble Hill last night to hear Jaimy Gordon read from and talk about her National Book Award winning novel, Lord of Misrule. Earlier in the day, Gordon learned that the book was named a finalist for the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, presented by Castleton…
Sunland Park: The Grade III, $800,000 Sunland Derby at 1 1/8 miles. The speedy SINAI took the blinkers off and showed little from a stalking position in the Grade II San Vicente behind The Factor, Sway Away and Premier Pegasus, so the hood goes back on today; he gets to stretch his legs for the first…
For those who have been following/engaging in the conversation about how to fund Thoroughbred retirement, you might find interesting a comment left by Rick Violette, head of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, on Jessica’s Chapel’s site, where a similar conversation to the one here has been taking place. Today is Dubai World Cup day,…
Fair Grounds: The Grade II, $1 Million Louisiana Derby at 1 1/8 miles #1 Nacho Business (10-1 ML): Solid second in his first route attempt and first start versus winners in a decent Gulfstream Park N1X, but while he does have room for improvement, that run isn’t scaring anyone in here. Drew well and has…
Brooklyn Backstretch 