Credit where credit is due. As commenter Andy first noted Saturday night, Brooklyn Backstretch’s own Brian Nadeau picked the top two winners in the Blue Grass. OK, so he didn’t pick them in order, but he did give out the winner on his Saturday afternoon chat on Horseplayer Now after seeing Paddy O’Prado’s odds, and…
I am a late adopter. I don’t buy new appliances until the old ones stop working; I was nearly the last of my friends to have a cell phone. When something new comes along, my attitude generally is, “But I don’t need that.” Until, months or years later, I decide that I do, and I…
Oaklawn may not have gotten Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra Friday in the Apple Blossom, but they did get a pretty solid renewal of the Arkansas Derby. The newly minted Grade I has a trio of top Kentucky Derby contenders in Rule, Noble’s Prospect and Dublin, and there are some decent new shooters looking to make…
Don’t forget to activate your power horses for this week’s preps, and if you want a little more of Brian’s handicapping, he talks about the NYRA races every Friday at Horseplayernow.com. He’ll be participating in “Countdown to the Crown” live chats every Friday at 2 pm, accessible from the main page of the site, chatting for…
April 9—it’s finally here. The race that everyone wanted didn’t quite come off, and Hot Springs may not be quite as full as expected, but Oaklawn Park is nonetheless the center of the racing world today, as Zenyatta seeks to run her unbeaten streak to 16 amid the adoration of fans who have trekked to…
I have documented at length my enjoyment of Gulfstream Park. No, I wasn’t at the old Gulfstream, and no, I am not a Stronach/Magna fan, and yes, I agree that there are too few seats…but on your average racing day, I find Gulfstream a pretty pleasant place to spend a day at the races. Saturday,…
After weeks in the mostly sunny south, I looked forward to my return to springtime in New York. All week, I heard about how beautiful the weekend weather would be: perfect for both Easter and the Wood Memorial. Saturday dawned cool and beautiful and abunduntly sunny in Brooklyn. Aqueduct experience told me that it would be…
Thanks for the comments on the re-design and the site, and the remarks on the size of the print are duly noted. I’m working on making it a little bigger. As someone who’s become a full-time wearer of reading glasses in the last year, I’m an ally of big type! And thanks to Carol Cusano,…
See? I wasn’t making up all that stuff about a site renovation. If you hate it, blame me; if you like it, all credit goes to the designer, who has spent uncountable hours on the revision. I can’t thank her enough, and if she lets me, I’ll thank her by name. Back home in Brooklyn…
With three preps this weekend, we’ll space out the analysis, starting today with Brian’s look at the Wood Memorial. Don’t forget that you can check out Brian’s handicapping for NYRA races at horseplayernow.com. He’ll also be participating in “Countdown to the Crown” live chats every Friday at 2 pm, accessible from the main page of…
Brooklyn Backstretch 