Listening to the sound of raindrops pound outside my window, I am, for the first time in nine years, anticipating the start of Saratoga’s biggest race day not from the backyard, but from the cozy confines of my rental, a few blocks from the track. In 2000, I joined my brother and his friends in…
My petition to NYRA in an effort to pay out 3-out-of-4 denied, I forge on to Saturday’s $1 million guaranteed Pk4. It will have to pay half that much to get me out of the hole. Race 9: The Grade II, $200,000 Ballston Spa for filly/mares 3&up at 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon turf.…
In not terribly surprising news, Mine That Bird was declared out of the Travers this morning, so once again, a Derby winner will not run in the Travers this summer. Since Thunder Gulch in 1995, only one Derby winner—Street Sense in 2007—has also run here in the Mid-Summer Derby. But there will be no shortage…
Week 4 is in the books. Today is Sunday, or at least it feels like it is, because the pace is a little slower, there’s a little more free time. Then again, it’s Travers week, so come tomorrow (Monday), we are full steam ahead. But for now, a look back at week 4… I know…
It’s the last day of week four, Monday of Travers week, day 24. We won’t see Rachel Alexandra this weekend, but Jess Jackson’s decision insures that any final weekend doldrums will be swept aside by the appearance of his super-filly in the Woodward. Highlights of the weekend include the oft-mentioned ninth race on Saturday, in…
The breeding of Thoroughbred race horses is hardly an exact science; how, after all, can the same pedigree produce both Barbaro and Nicanor? Why did the talent of Secretariat and Chris Evert skip their offspring Six Crowns and re-appear a generation later in Chief’s Crown? 19th century horseman Francis Morris would likely not be able…
Race 8: $55,000 MSW for 2-year-olds going 6 ½ furlongs. 1. Discreetly Mine: Somewhat alarming that Discreet Cat’s little brother is still a maiden after two starts and he gets no favor from the rail draw today. Blinkers come off in an attempt to get him to settle early, but if he breaks slowly from…
Yesterday was the Women’s Expo at Saratoga; out in the backyard near the Big Red Spring, a variety of vendors set up tables to offer their services to the female fans who, according to NYRA, “comprise nearly half the fan base at Saratoga Race Course.” A stroll around the tent revealed an unofficial count of…
Week 3 brought the first real dose of Saratoga summer weather: little rain, but oppressively hot & humid days. The track was baked, the times were fast, and more than one person referred to the turf courses as “rock hard.” One of Saratoga’s epic thunderstorms passed through early Tuesday evening, but it likely did little…
I came out of the race fine; I’ve eaten up my various feed tubs since; and I couldn’t be more pleased with the result. As predicted, I finished solidly in the middle of the pack: 112th out of 239, with a final time of 26:42, a pace of 8:36. That’s faster than I’ve ever run…
Brooklyn Backstretch 