Tuesday morning quick picks

‘Tis the season of giving, and plenty was being given away on Saturday at Aqueduct. The Marines were at the Big A, collecting toys and cash donations; as I wrote last week, NYRA had pledged to match whatever money was collected; Gary Contessa was donating 10% of any earnings on December 5th, with a minimum…

Saturday morning quick picks

Yesterday NYRA released its 2010 stakes schedule…well, sort of. According to NYRA president and CEO Charles Hayward, In the current economic climate and with other racing jurisdictions reducingracing days and adjusting their stakes schedule, we feel that it is prudent tomake the decision on the Aqueduct Stakes program only at this time. Weplan to monitor…

The Tiger Report: ROI on hunch bets

So it seems that there’s some money to be made in adultery, and not only by the Florida PD, the wronged woman, and those accepting checks for selling their stories. A quick run-down of Wednesday’s Tiger picks, with thanks to those who posted their own in the comments. Brooklyn Backstretch Aqueduct picks Race 2: Smokey…

Hunch bets, Tiger Style

For those of you looking for a little, ahem, action, you might try these hunch bets today at Aqueduct: In race 1, you’d have lost had you bet the Believe in Love/Virtues Under Fire exacta. Clearly, betting on Believe in Love is a losing proposition. But there are plenty of other opportunities to, um, score……

Introducing Imp

And today, we take a turn towards the frivolous. The former foster kittens are firmly ensconced in the Backstretch household; they made the Thanksgiving trip to Saratoga, and they are now six month old adolescents, engaging in charmingly maddening teenage behavior. Furlong and Ruffian are happy and healthy and friendly and playful. They are perfect.…

A Season of (Charitable) Giving

So it’s official: It’s holiday shopping season. Black Friday has come and gone; today is Cyber Monday, when, according to people who pay attention to such things, many, many work hours are lost by those taking advantage of their office computers to do a little online shopping. You likely have plenty of gift options for…

Regret, winner of the 1917 Gazelle

According to Matt Winn, she made the Derby “an American institution” (Hotaling). According to a New York Times writer in 1914, her entry in the Sanford “caused something of a panic among the others who had starters” (“Whitney Horses”). She made only 11 lifetime starts, but the mark that she left on racing is indelible,…

Brian’s Aqueduct Preview: Cigar Mile weekend

At the risk of scratching Teresa’s Aqueduct itch the wrong way, the Saturday after Thanksgiving usually signals the end of meaningful racing in New York until the Gotham rolls around the following March. The good news is that it always goes out with a bang, and this Saturday is no different. The traditional Aqueduct fixtures,…

Giving Racing Thanks, 2009

The unthankful heart… discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweepthrough the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in everyhour, some heavenly blessings! ~Henry Ward Beecher* I am fortunate, particularly in an uncertain and trying time, that blessings are not hard for me to find. I have a…