“How can I convince people that horses have personalities?” This is the question that director Liz Mermin asked herself after she was approached to make a documentary about Irish racehorses. “I know what I like about horses,” she said during Tuesday’s Q&A after her film Horses was screened at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village,…
At racetracks as in life, first impressions count for a lot. Our first experience at a track will, fairly or not, determine whether we return; just like visiting an open house or going on a first date, our gut tells us whether we want a little more, or whether we’d like to just move on, thank you very…
Credit where credit is due. As commenter Andy first noted Saturday night, Brooklyn Backstretch’s own Brian Nadeau picked the top two winners in the Blue Grass. OK, so he didn’t pick them in order, but he did give out the winner on his Saturday afternoon chat on Horseplayer Now after seeing Paddy O’Prado’s odds, and…
I wrote this a year and a half ago, shortly before the 2008 Breeders’ Cup. I recalled it this weekend, during so many conversations about Zenyatta, the Breeders’ Cup, Personal Ensign…and this race. It originally appeared at The Blood-Horse. What agony to be a fan of the distaff side in November of 1988. Root for…
I am a late adopter. I don’t buy new appliances until the old ones stop working; I was nearly the last of my friends to have a cell phone. When something new comes along, my attitude generally is, “But I don’t need that.” Until, months or years later, I decide that I do, and I…
Oaklawn may not have gotten Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra Friday in the Apple Blossom, but they did get a pretty solid renewal of the Arkansas Derby. The newly minted Grade I has a trio of top Kentucky Derby contenders in Rule, Noble’s Prospect and Dublin, and there are some decent new shooters looking to make…
Don’t forget to activate your power horses for this week’s preps, and if you want a little more of Brian’s handicapping, he talks about the NYRA races every Friday at Horseplayernow.com. He’ll be participating in “Countdown to the Crown” live chats every Friday at 2 pm, accessible from the main page of the site, chatting for…
April 9—it’s finally here. The race that everyone wanted didn’t quite come off, and Hot Springs may not be quite as full as expected, but Oaklawn Park is nonetheless the center of the racing world today, as Zenyatta seeks to run her unbeaten streak to 16 amid the adoration of fans who have trekked to…
I have documented at length my enjoyment of Gulfstream Park. No, I wasn’t at the old Gulfstream, and no, I am not a Stronach/Magna fan, and yes, I agree that there are too few seats…but on your average racing day, I find Gulfstream a pretty pleasant place to spend a day at the races. Saturday,…
After weeks in the mostly sunny south, I looked forward to my return to springtime in New York. All week, I heard about how beautiful the weekend weather would be: perfect for both Easter and the Wood Memorial. Saturday dawned cool and beautiful and abunduntly sunny in Brooklyn. Aqueduct experience told me that it would be…
Brooklyn Backstretch 