Not that one needs an excuse to head to Saratoga, even briefly, but a bit of business called me there this week, and I used it as an opportunity to mix business with all kinds of Saratoga pleasure. Mama Backstretch had not yet made the acquaintance of Furlong and Ruffian, so they made the trip…
So Rick Dutrow heads to the sidelines again, this time for thirty days following a Clenbuterol overage that took place in, ahem, May of 2008. Glenn Craven wrote about this at length at his site yesterday; his piece and the Associated Press report that appeared in Wednesday’s Saratogian both note that while a 15 day…
Last summer, I wrote about a filly who went through the ring during the New York bred sales in Saratoga; she sold for $200,000 and is a half-sister to New York favorite Naughty New Yorker. By Songandaprayer out of Naughty Natisha, the filly makes her racing début on Wednesday in the second race at Belmont.…
On Saturday’s big day of racing, there were stories to be told, photos to be taken, and races to be analyzed…but you’re going to have to look elsewhere for all of that, because for the first time in ages, I spent Saturday at the races as a pure fan. Adam Wiener of Hello Race Fans…
A few thoughts before heading out to celebrate Independence Day at beautiful Belmont Park. Widely noted this week was the pensioning of Rahy at Three Chimneys in Lexington. Ed DeRosa wrote about it in Thoroughbred Times and reflected on it at his Big Event Blog. A number of years ago, I brought my friend Jessica…
July 4th weekend is annually one of the best stretches of racing on the calendar and Saturday at Belmont only proves the point. Three graded stakes help make up a terrific late Pk4, so let’s jump right in. –Brian Nadeau Keep in mind horses are preceded by their program number. Race 8. The Grade II,…
The attention paid here over the weekend to Rachel and Russell might have led readers to believe that little else was happening in the racing world, so we’re taking a minute to recap other points of interest: Ventured out for my second visit to twilight racing on Friday afternoon; the Festival Tent had been taken…
Turns out that I wasn’t the only person travelling to see Saratoga Russell make it back to the races. Arriving at Monmouth after a remarkably traffic-free trip early Sunday afternoon, I headed to the paddock to see Saratoga Russell in racing tack for the first time since March of 2008. I was on the early…
Jess Jackson talks like a man in love, besotted by a woman he doesn’t quite understand. And to think, they’ve known each other for less than two months. “I am amazed at her beauty and her speed,” he said, following Rachel Alexandra’s ridiculously dominant win in the Mother Goose yesterday. “We have a greater burden…
By the numbers: Margin of victory: 19 1/4 lengths New stakes record: 1:46.33 Attendance: 13,352 (so, some people didn’t get bracelets…) Minus win pool: $18,692.62 Full report, with photos and quotations, to follow Sunday morning…
Brooklyn Backstretch 