In 1867, the six-day summer meeting at Saratoga Race Course began on Aug. 7. The New York Times offered a glowing preview, praising the beauty of the women in attendance, the “unclouded brilliancy” of the sun, and the condition of the racing surface. That fourth season of racing in Saratoga, The Times claimed, “promises to…
Seven years ago, the New York State Gaming Commission undertook a daunting mission: to locate every New York-bred Thoroughbred that raced between 2010 and 2012 and didn’t race after 2012. A year later, in 2016, the Commission released its findings. The number of horses that fit the criteria was 3,894. The Commission was able to…
You know that feeling when your phone storage is getting low, and you realize you have 10,000 photos on it, and you keep avoiding going through them to figure out which ones you should keep? Multiply that by 250, and you’ll have some idea of the daunting task that faced award-winning photographer Barbara Livingston when…
Carson Gambaro admits that the enormity of his new summer job may not have quite hit him yet. “I’m going to practice this lick over and over and over again,” he said recently, standing in the yard of his home on Saratoga Lake. A couple of weeks ago, Gambaro was a recent Syracuse University graduate…
When we launched our 2021 contest, it had been only five months since the 2020 edition had concluded. As we launch this year, we’re still not sure whether last year’s winner will remain the winner. As always in horse racing, there’s never a dull moment. When I launched this in 2009, we were able to…
A man never at a loss for words, master of ceremonies Tom Durkin kept it simple Aug. 6 as he opened the 2021 induction ceremony for the National Racing Museum Hall of Fame in the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. “All I can say is, ‘Welcome back.’” This year’s ceremony did double duty, honoring…
Opening Day Eve, an unofficial holiday observed by those for whom Christmas comes in July when Saratoga Race Course opens, lacked its usual excitement and anticipation last year. The pandemic was only four months old, masks were still required everywhere, travel was forbidden, and large gatherings of people, even outdoors, were a non-starter under state…
A minor brouhaha emerged on Twitter earlier this week when word began to spread that Laurel Park’s General George Stakes (G3) had been re-christened the General’s Stakes, with some observers claiming that the Maryland Jockey Club was trying to erase George Washington, the race’s namesake according to the MJC media guide, which also claims that Washington…
Didn’t we just do this? Like…a few months ago? A huge thanks to everyone who participated in last year’s elongated (interminable?), unconventional charity league. I’m grateful to all of you who stuck it out through revised schedules and added races and a prep season that seemed like it might never end. When we launched this…
We end this crazy Triple Crown season with Brian’s final race preview of the year. Despite an unpredictable schedule and way more races to handicap, Brian continued his masterful, detailed analysis, as he has for a decade. My deep and heartfelt thanks for all of his work, and I hope that he helped you cash…
Brooklyn Backstretch 