An atmosphere of edgy grimness pervaded Aqueduct last Saturday. The weight of the week’s bad news lay heavy; nearly every conversation included references to the cancellation of Luck in the aftermath of a third horse death or to the growing list of equine mortality at the track over the last few months. Races were watched…
Oaklawn Park: The Grade II, $500,000 Southwest at 1 1/16 miles #2 Unbridled’s Note: Looked good winning his debut at Churchill Downs last October and entered the first division of the local GIII Southwest as a hot horse in his seasonal debut, but had a rough trip and finished a well-beaten 9th. Asmussen forges on,…
The bad news is that I haven’t posted here in over a week. The good news is that that’s because I’ve been working on a number of stories for Thoroughbred Times, New York Breeder, and Forbes.com – recent articles are always posted at the top of the column to the right, so check them out…
Tampa Bay Downs: The Grade II, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby at 1 1/16 miles #1 Prospective: Runner-up in the track and distance GIII Sam Davis to fellow entrant Battle Hardened adds blinkers today to gain a little more speed early on, as he’s been dropping a bit too far out of it during the first…
Santa Anita: The Grade II, $300,000 San Felipe at 1 1/16 miles #1 Blingo: Stretch runner closed from the clouds to finish a non-threatening sixth to fellow entrant Liaison in his last start, the GI CashCall at Hollywood Park, to end his 2yo campaign and now tries conventional dirt for the first time. With just two…
Last summer, the New York State Racing and Wagering Board announced the formation of a Fan Advisory Council to “provide input and advice to the Board on horse racing and wagering matters in New York state” (sic). According to its website, the Council will examine the “total racing experience” and report its findings to the…
Aqueduct: The Grade III, $400,000 Gotham at 1 1/16 miles #1 My Adonis: Woke up in the slop in his seasonal debut in the GIII Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park when finishing behind fellow rival and 2yo champion Hansen going a one-turn mile, so it appears he’s returned in fine form as a 3yo. Still,…
“On a quiet evening or a Sunday morning, when there’s nothing happening, I think you can feel it. They talk of ghosts on the farm, especially at the old training barn. Kind of makes you wonder sometimes. Who’s to say that there aren’t certain spirits here?” Tom Mullikin smiles as he says it, but with…
“As president of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, a group that represents exactly what the name suggests, [Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt] has some heartfelt words of warning and advice for the Establishment of racing, not just in his own New York state but through the rest of the country as well. The major points in…
Gulfstream Park: The Grade II, $400,000 Fountain of Youth at 1 1/16 miles #1 Neck ‘n Neck: Adds blinkers off an extremely wide fifth-place run in Tampa’s GIII Davis and will really need to step up his game against this tough group. Bred to be a nice runner and has a pedigree to suggest he’ll…
Brooklyn Backstretch 