Firenze! Her very name seems to call for an exclamation point, for a hand gesture to punctuate that strong second syllable…maybe a touch of an Italian accent? Firenze! Or Firenzi. Or Ferenzi. In her long career on the track, her name was spelled all three ways, and probably others as well. She was foaled in…
Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow. Edward Sandford Martin My heart of gratitude has overflowed in 2011. No cynicism, no crankiness, no sarcasm: on the day appointed in this country for thankfulness, I have more blessings than I…
Richard Dutrow, Jr. had quite a weekend. On Friday, he was granted a stay of the 10-year-suspension handed to him by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board in October; according to Thoroughbred Times, the stay is granted “until the appeal of the board’s decision process is resolved.” On Saturday, Dutrow went three-for-three at…
Tomorrow at Aqueduct, the Discovery will be run for the 67th time. In multiple accounts of the career of the horse for whom the race is named, commentators are awed by two things: his ability to carry weight and his effect on racing through his progeny. Purchased as a two-year-old by Alfred G. Vanderbilt, Discovery…
It might feel a little too soon to start thinking about the holidays, but when Christmas comes on December 10th, you’ve got to get started early. And this year, that’s when Christmas comes to the families of the backstretch, at the annual Anna House holiday party. Since 2002, the Belmont Child Care Association has held…
While I love Belmont, I’m always happy to get back to Aqueduct: I can’t beat the convenience; the races end earlier; I can sleep a little later. Belmont has myriad benefits, but Aqueduct has its advantages, too. And this year, the return to Aqueduct contained a not insignificant extra frisson: what would the place be…
Well, hi. Seems like it’s been a long time since I’ve been here; I don’t know whether I’ve gone a whole week without posting in the history of the site, and the post-Breeders’ Cup week is a particularly bad time to be silent, but giving over four full days to racing last week meant that…
The 25th running of the Breeders’ Cup took place on October 24 and 25 at Santa Anita. For the first time that year, the races for females and male were segregated, with the distaff races taking place on Friday, and the rest of the races run on Saturday. In another historical departure (and another departure from…
At a family event last week, my brother asked me which races I’d be covering at the Breeders’ Cup this year. Small stories on a bunch of races, I said, and big ones on the Juvenile Turf and the Juvenile Sprint. “The Juvenile Sprint?” he said, and smiled, looking at my nephew. “Hey, Christopher, know…
The Belmont fall meet ended with a whimper, probably coming from those whose feet are still unthawing after Saturday’s snowstorm, a storm that resulted in a cancellation after the third race on Saturday and of the full Sunday card. It’s not how Belmont’s storied championship meet should end. But those who still want a little…
Brooklyn Backstretch 