Saratoga Race Course closed nearly two months ago, and before long, the Oklahoma training track will be shuttered for the season as well. But in a sign that a commitment to racing never really leaves Saratoga, Druthers on Broadway will host a fundraiser to benefit Camp TLC this Saturday, in conjunction with this weekend’s Breeders’…
This Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, hundreds of horses will take to the track for the Breeders’ Cup. One hundred and eighty horses have been pre-entered in 15 races, and if Dr. Mick Peterson has anything to say about it, they’ll all come home safely. Concerns about the safety of Thoroughbred racing have never…
Here at the Brooklyn Backstretch, we are grateful that we weathered Sandy with only minor inconvenience: our power stayed on, and there was no flooding in this neighborhood. We feel very, very fortunate. Those nearby were not nearly so lucky. Power is still out in many areas, and homes were devastated by water. According to…
Is the suburbification of Brooklyn now complete? The once-gritty borough has survived an influx of big box stores and national chains and SUV-stroller-wielding parents, but on Wednesday, Bruce Ratner, Charles Wang, and Gary Bettman may have put an end to whatever urban cred Brooklyn might have had left, when they announced that the New York…
John Hertler and Akindale Farm go back a long way together. Akindale’s John Hettinger was one of Hertler’s first clients when the trainer went out on his own in the late 70’s, after working for Hall of Fame trainer P.G. Johnson for 14 years, during which time Hettinger had horses with Johnson. “I was Mr.…
And so begins the Cuomo era in racing. Late Thursday afternoon, Governor Cuomo released the names of the government-appointed members of the newly reconstituted New York Racing Association board. Horse owners are among them, a chef, a university president. What will they bring to racing in New York? Time will tell. While we in New…
When the Yankees take to the field tonight to try to keep their series alive, Alex Rodriguez will once again be watching from the dugout. And while the one-time superstar might be smarting from such an ignominious end to the season, he might take heart from knowing that another New York A Rod has got…
I was standing on the apron at Keeneland on a recent, raw Sunday morning when my phone buzzed with a text message. I looked, and this face appeared. I’m not one for recognizing out-of-context equine faces, but that distinct, funny blaze, along with the sender’s name, clued even me in. But that wasn’t a Saratoga…
It’s Sunday morning at Belmont Park, and Jimmy Toner’s phone is acting up. “I was watching the race last night and I got so excited I must have hit it or something,” he says with a rueful grin. “It stopped working right.” “The race” was the G3 Hawthorne Derby, and Toner was so excited because…
It’s a few minutes past 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning in Lexington, Kentucky; it’s still pretty much dark out, and the temperature is a few ticks north of 40 degrees. But it’s opening weekend at Keeneland Race Course, and the ground floor of the grandstand is bustling. The horses have been on the track…
Brooklyn Backstretch 