It wasn’t even fun while it lasted. Standing near the winner’s circle on Saturday afternoon after the Wood, I watched I Want Revenge’s connections exult; I listened to the crowd cheer; I overheard conversations in which spectators marveled at the colt’s impressive win following a terribly troubled trip. This is a racehorse; this win didn’t…
A friend at Aqueduct on Saturday remarked that the stakes races were like the ghosts of Derby Trails past, with horses like Atoned, Cool Coal Man, and Kodiak Kowboy making appearances on the track. Restricted to three-year-olds, Sunday’s renewal of the Bay Shore featured ghosts of Derby Trails present, Capt. Candyman Can and Taqarub returning…
On Saturday, the hockey and the horse racing gods collaborated to allow fans like me to indulge both of our passions without too much conflict. The Rangers-Bruins game started at 1:00, and barring overtime, would be finished well before the scheduled 4:13 start of the stakes races at Aqueduct. I thus took advantage of the…
The Santa Anita Derby – Grade I – $500,000 – 1 1/8 Miles, by Brian Nadeau Finally the long anticipated meeting between West Coast leaders The Pamplemousse and Pioneerof The Nile, but there are a few others signed on that have thoughts on spoiling the party and making a case for a Derby berth. Let’s…
The Wood Memorial – Aqueduct – $500,000 – 1 1/8 Miles, by Brian Nadeau The centerpiece of the Aqueduct spring meet offers several a last chance at securing enough graded stakes earnings, while giving the overwhelming favorite–I Want Revenge–a chance to show that his romp in the Gotham last month wasn’t a fluke. Any Dunkirk…
The Illinois Derby – Hawthorne Race Course – $500,000 – 1 1/8 Miles, by Brian Nadeau The first of three big Derby preps this weekend, and there’s a lot of money to be had. The winner will be guaranteed a spot in the Derby starting gate, while pushing Dunkirk that much farther down the list.…
I missed out on a live sex act because of Mapquest. Scheduled to see a breeding at Vinery on March 18th, I confidently tell Melissa Anthony, Vinery’s office manager, that I don’t need directions because I can get them from Mapquest. Less than twenty-four hours later, I pull off to the side of the road…
Re-cap of the Florida Derby, by Brian Nadeau There were a lot of questions answered by a couple different horses on Saturday, but sadly only one is likely going to get a chance at Churchill Downs. Quality Road consolidated his huge Fountain of Youth win with another big performance, turning back the previously undefeated Dunkirk…
The Florida Derby – Grade I, $750,000 – Gulfstream Park – 1 1/8 Miles, by Brian Nadeau Not the deepest renewal of the Florida Derby, but that’s what happens when you have three big colts who will command all the attention. And this running takes on added significance when you factor that all three of…
As I’ve noted in previous posts about visits to breeding farms, the tours seldom include visits/attention to the broodmares and the foals. The emphasis is all stallions, all the time, and while seeing the stallions and learning about them is fascinating, I’ve always been a little disappointed that we don’t get to learn more about…
Brooklyn Backstretch 