He’s back! Brian Nadeau rejoins Brooklyn Backstretch for the Derby trail, offering insights and race analysis for selected preps on the way to Churchill Downs. This is Brian’s fourth year contributing to BB, and I’m grateful every year when he says that he’s willing to do it again. You can find more of Brian’s handicapping…
Earlier this week, the internet lit up with the news of the birth of Rachel Alexandra’s first foal, a colt by Curlin. Stonestreet Farm released a statement, photos, and video; good wishes, congratulations, and coverage exploded on news sites, blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. On Friday afternoon, delight turned to unease as rumors began to surface…
Seven years ago this weekend, I went to Aqueduct for the first time. I had spent more of the previous summer at the races in Saratoga than ever before, and having made my maiden voyage to Belmont in the fall of 2003, it was time to venture to Ozone Park. My friend Jonathan, who had…
In late December of 2010, on a frigid, glittery, ice-inflected Kentucky morning, I pulled into Richland Hills Farm. Ed DeRosa and I were on a winter farm tour mission, and our host, Leanna Packard, graciously welcomed us, though I can imagine that there were many things she’d have rather done that morning than walk us…
I’ve long loved words that have two definitions that contradict each other. “Enjoin,” for instance. If you are enjoined to do something, it’s obligatory. If you are enjoined from doing something, it’s forbidden. “Peruse” is another. If you peruse something, you are either reading it carefully, or skimming it casually. (Note: that which delights me…
January 7 at Aqueduct felt more like April. It wasn’t just the weather, though I have never been warmer at the Big A, not on any Wood Memorial day, not ever, than I was there on Saturday; “balmy” would be an understatement. But it wasn’t just the weather. It was the faces. It was the…
Happy new year and welcome to the new Brooklyn Backstretch! I hope that you find a cleaner site that’s a little easier to navigate, a little easier on the eyes; I miss the Brooklyn Bridge at the top (and may well have to find another spot for it, somewhere on here), but a shot of…
A racing refrain this year is that 2011 has been somewhat lackluster. No big emerging star, no clear choice in many Eclipse categories, few breathtaking performances. For many of us, though, the transcendent times in racing come on small stages, in quiet moments; memories are made when we don’t expect them to be, and not…
From the Backstretch family to yours, best wishes for a Merry Christmas — and happy holidays to all.
It is, I recognize, a little late for a Christmas list…but I hope not too late for racing Santa take a look and maybe, just maybe, make my Christmas wishes come true. I think that I’ve been a pretty good girl this year; oh, yes, there have been some naughty moments, but surely, far more…
Brooklyn Backstretch 