Back in 2017, the future looked bright for Wendell Fong. That it’s still bright today is the result of an unlikely confluence of circumstances and people combining to give the gelding a soft landing. After selling as a weanling for $47,000, he was purchased for $160,000 ten months later by Al Gold, who has campaigned…
It’s fair to say that in the grand scheme of racing, not many people knew of Dinosaur Ben. The Ontario-bred began his career at Woodbine, winless in his first three starts, finishing second shortly before the end of Woodbine’s 2020 season, and Ralph Santella was paying attention. “There are always horses for sale at the…
When Flavien Prat thanked “the pony girl” moments after winning the Preakness with Rombauer, he highlighted both the importance and the anonymity of the people whose very visible yet barely noticed work is an essential element of racetrack safety. On the principle that nervous Thoroughbreds, herd animals that they are, will relax more easily with a…
On March 4, Jillian Tullock walked into Laurel Park to begin work as the racing secretary for the Maryland Jockey Club. She oversaw exactly six days of racing before Covid-19 led to the suspension of racing in Maryland, a suspension that is ongoing, much to the frustration of the state’s racing community. “It’s mind-boggling to…
On Sept. 29, a two-year-old Maryland-bred filly named Selflessly won the Miss Grillo Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park. The win did not go unnoticed by Rick Nichols, the vice president and general manager of Shadwell Farm. About five weeks later, he and Shadwell shelled out half a million dollars for the filly’s weanling half-brother, perhaps…
Last fall, trainer Phil Schoenthal and his wife Sarah found themselves in an unendurable position. Their three-year-old son Emerson was living in the hospital, suffering from the effects of a rare heart condition, and in need of a new heart. Their fears and concerns about their own son were more than any parent should bear.…
On Thursday afternoon, just about exactly 24 hours before the gate would open for the listed Tremont Stakes, two-year-old Rookie Salsa was happily ensconced in his stall at the receiving barn at Belmont Park. He poked his head out inquisitively. He munched hay. Occasionally, he stamped his foot, as if demanding attention. Then she softened.…
Sabrina Moore didn’t grow up in the horse business. No one in her family was involved, either. But when she was nine, Moore got her first horse, and thus began the 15-year process of her, and her mother’s, pretty much complete immersion in the industry. When Moore’s mother Angie was a little girl, she’d look…
As 2017 draws to a close, the face of Maryland racing continues to change. New stallions have arrived to stand in the state; the flagship is no longer historic Pimlico, but a rejuvenated Laurel Park; Thoroughbred retirement has become an official program supported by an industry-wide partnership. By nearly every indicator, Maryland racing is heading…
They are of different generations. They train at different racetracks. One was born into the business, the other came to it late, in the face of family resistance. But their lives have been linked for decades, and last year, trainers Mary Eppler and Lacey Gaudet both found themselves in a place relatively new to them:…
Brooklyn Backstretch 