Rain. More rain. Torrents. Lightning. Thunder. Flooding. Biblical in magnitude. In line early Saturday morning to grab a picnic table: the security guard tells us that the gates will open a little after 7:00, because horses are on the path to the track. A chorus from those waiting: “Can’t you hold up the horses so…
In discussing Sunday’s feature at Saratoga, Geno at Equispace wondered about the origin of the Jim Dandy, the stakes race run for the 45th time this weekend. Anyone who happened to be holding a ticket on the colt in the 1930 Travers would likely regale listeners with the story of one of the biggest upsets…
The Travers might be the biggest race of the Saratoga meet, but today is billed as the biggest day, with three Grade I’s and a Grade II on the card: the Diana, Whitney, Go for Wand, and Vanderbilt, respectively. All four are “Win and You’re In” races, with the victor in each gaining a berth…
Yesterday’s running of the Sanford Stakes may well not go down in history; scratches reduced to the field to four, and while there was plenty to like in Desert Party’s victory, I’m not sure that many of us are stretching towards his Derby bandwagon, and who knows if we’ll even remember his name a year…
In response to requests from Jessica and Winston: An audience member asked about the possibility of Trackus coming to New York. Trackus, also known as dancing Chiclets (OK, maybe only by me), allows viewers to see the order of horses throughout a race by displaying saddlecloth-colored squares at the bottom of the televised (on- and…
Published in Friday’s New York Daily News: Season passes for the upcoming Saratoga meeting, which starts on Wednesday, areon sale at Belmont through Sunday, closing day. The passes are available at theCustomer Service Center and cost $35 for the grandstand and $75 for theclubhouse. A friend and I make an annual pilgrimage to Belmont on…
“My lady prioress, and by your leave, So that I knew I should in no way grieve, I would opine that tell a tale you should, The one that follows next if you but would. Now will you please vouchsafe it, lady dear?” “Gladly,” said she, and spoke as you shall hear. (Chaucer’s The Prioress’s…
For my post last week on the Mother Goose, I spent a good deal of time researching and verifying what I was reading about the change in the configuration of the Triple Tiara—I checked multiple and sources, and I felt confident that what I wrote was correct: that currently, the series comprises the Mother Goose,…
Last spring, Greg Avioli’s decision to re-name the Distaff and to move all the filly/mare races to Friday occasioned much discussion in the racing press and in blogs. Some of us were even moved to start a petition to express our distress at this move, and to ask that Avioli and the Breeders’ Cup re-consider…
A few thoughts on the mind of Brooklyn Backstretch this summer weekend: The feature race on Friday at Presque Isle Downs was the Willy Wank. Yep, the Willy Wank. Google that and see what, ahem, comes up. I did; the only surprise was that the fourth result actually had to do with racing. According to…
Brooklyn Backstretch 