Is there anything more fun than watching Nick Zito tweak Todd Pletcher? Last night’s annual Saratoga meet preview showed the more relaxed side of the two trainers as they, along with NYRA president Charlie Hayward, racing secretary P.J. Campo, and jockey Ramon Dominguez, talked about the weather, wagering, Lasix, and the state of racing. Occasionally…
Opening day at Saratoga requires no small amount of preparation under perfect conditions: What to wear? Where to sit? What beer should stock the cooler? How many sandwiches should we bring? What’s the bankroll for the day (gotta plan for 39 more days!)? Opening day 143, though, looks like it’s going to require even more…
Four more days. Four more days! Four. More. Days. I’m sitting in the Saratoga press box on Monday morning, watching a sudden Saratoga downpour with some vintage Saratoga lightning and thunder. It’s a stark contrast to yesterday morning, which was gloriously sunny, if a little hot, for Saratoga’s annual Open House. The day offered a…
A week from tomorrow, historic Saratoga Race Course will kick off its 143rd meet. Horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, and fans will descend on the resort town to which summer visitors have flocked since the 19th century. Six racing days a week keep residents and tourists alike busy during the daylight hours, but local and seasonal…
The life of a jockey would, inherently, seem to have more than enough drama to make its narrative compelling. Small of stature, often from modest (at best) beginnings, the men who make their living on horseback daily risk injury or worse, fighting their own biology to keep their weights low and their strength high. Add…
“I’m not an adrenalin junkie,” declared Sophia Mangalee, marketing manager at Monmouth Park. “I’m scared of roller coasters, I don’t want to bungee-jump, I don’t want to skydive, I don’t want to climb Mount Everest. I wouldn’t call myself adventurous.” Others might beg to differ. This summer, Mangalee is in training. She’s riding horses, she’s…
Widely reported earlier this week was the news that the NTRA had launched a new website devoted to Thoroughbred aftercare. The site is a product of the efforts of the working group on Thoroughbred aftercare from last summer’s Safety and Welfare Summit in Lexington. According to a press release, the site offers, among other features,…
I love early summer in Kentucky. Dodging the intense heat and humidity that can plague the commonwealth, I got cool mornings, glowing afternoons, and soft evenings that seemed to go on forever, dusk extending until after 9 pm. Kentucky without Keeneland or the Derby lends itself to leisure: long visits with friends, unhurried meals, time…
Last Tuesday, I had the pleasure of touring Mill Ridge Farm with Ed DeRosa. We looked at yearlings being prepped for the Keeneland and Saratoga sales; gazed on foals gamboling with their mothers; and listened to stories about the farm’s long and auspicious history. Kent Hollingsworth, in an undated article from his collection The Archjockey…
Seeing the pictures of the tornado damage at Churchill in no way prepared me for seeing the wreckage in person. The backstretch and the nearby neighborhood were studies in contrast: incredible destruction juxtaposed with pristine completeness. The tornado apparently made its way down the backstretch like an unruly two-year-old, leaping and touching down unpredictably and…
Brooklyn Backstretch 