Last night on Twitter and Facebook, several people reported that, according to the New York State Racing and Wagering Board’s Equine Breakdown, Death, Injury and Incident Database, Giant Ryan, injured in Saturday’s True North at Belmont, had been euthanized. When I learned of the report, I checked the database, which indicated that Giant Ryan had…
I’ve spent much of the last 24 hours writing Belmont Stakes wrap-up posts: one for Forbes on the financial success of the day, one for BelmontStakes.com on what a Belmont without I’ll Have Another might have felt like, recaps of undercard stakes races and a feature on John Velazquez for Thoroughbred Times. I am blessed…
Once again, Brian Nadeau of Horseplayer Now has taken us from January to June, offering insight and analysis on every significant race on the road to and through the Triple Crown. Many, many thanks to him for all of his contributions, and I hope that he–and you–cash a big one. Good luck and safe trips…
This spring, I’ve had the unbelievable opportunity to dream plausibly about seeing two personal sporting milestones in person: the Rangers in the Stanley Cup Finals and a 12th Triple Crown winner. We know how the first one turned out. And now, the day before the second, I’m not so sure I want to see it.…
You can watch the race, including its troubled start and one of the horses—presumably the winner—getting rubbed afterwards, and then read the incredibly detailed account of the race in the next day’s New York Times. The amount of coverage the race the got, the number of column inches, boggles the mind of the contemporary reader.…
This weekend, 12 horses will take to the legendary Belmont oval to run in an historic stakes race, a race that dates back to the 19th century, a race in which horses will run, for one of the few times in their careers, if not the only time, a mile and a half. On Friday,…
What do Himalayan art, supporting backstretch workers, and research to improve horse health have in common? All are a part of this year’s Belmont Stakes Charity Celebration, taking place Thursday night, June 7, at the Rubin Museum of Art in Manhattan. The New York Racing Association Inc. and The Jockey Club will host this year’s…
Since Doug O’Neill, I’ll Have Another, and Lava Man arrived on the Belmont backstretch, they have not lacked for visitors. Writers, photographers, fans, and visitors have flocked to their barn, and by all accounts, O’Neill has been an affable and friendly host, handling the crush with aplomb. Last week, Team O’Neill welcomed the children of…
Researchers of racing’s history have been spoiled for choice over the last couple of years: The entire New York Times archive going back to 1851 is digitized and online, much of it for free, more of it available to subscribers or for a fee. Equibase offers free access to charts going back to 1991. The…
Like many immigrants to this country, the men and women who work on the backstretch at our racetracks are often invisible. We see them walking horses to and from races, and we see them in winner’s circle photographs; we almost never learn their names or hear their voices. They are seldom profiled in turf publications.…
Brooklyn Backstretch 