July 4th weekend is annually one of the best stretches of racing on the calendar and Saturday at Belmont only proves the point. Three graded stakes help make up a terrific late Pk4, so let’s jump right in. –Brian Nadeau Keep in mind horses are preceded by their program number. Race 8. The Grade II,…
Some oft-told stories bear repeating, and as we head to a stakes-laden Fourth of July card at Belmont, the 1920 Dwyer comes to mind as one of those races whose story deserves to be told, yet again. On July 10th, 1920, Samuel Riddle’s once-beaten Man o’ War faced off against the only colt said to…
The attention paid here over the weekend to Rachel and Russell might have led readers to believe that little else was happening in the racing world, so we’re taking a minute to recap other points of interest: Ventured out for my second visit to twilight racing on Friday afternoon; the Festival Tent had been taken…
Turns out that I wasn’t the only person travelling to see Saratoga Russell make it back to the races. Arriving at Monmouth after a remarkably traffic-free trip early Sunday afternoon, I headed to the paddock to see Saratoga Russell in racing tack for the first time since March of 2008. I was on the early…
Jess Jackson talks like a man in love, besotted by a woman he doesn’t quite understand. And to think, they’ve known each other for less than two months. “I am amazed at her beauty and her speed,” he said, following Rachel Alexandra’s ridiculously dominant win in the Mother Goose yesterday. “We have a greater burden…
By the numbers: Margin of victory: 19 1/4 lengths New stakes record: 1:46.33 Attendance: 13,352 (so, some people didn’t get bracelets…) Minus win pool: $18,692.62 Full report, with photos and quotations, to follow Sunday morning…
In its marketing for Rachel Alexandra’s appearance at Belmont Park later today, NYRA has made explicit use of the horse crush with its “Is She The One?” campaign. In my observations, the horse crush is largely a female phenomenon, but I do know a handful of people—men and women—who are travelling from out of town…
The return of the sensational filly Rachel Alexandra highlights a turf-laden Pk4 sequence. Though the Preakness winner essentially turns the sequence into a Pk3, the other three races are contentious enough that you might be able to get a few prices home. Let’s take a closer look. –by Brian Nadeau Race 7. $44,00 state-bred allowance…
I stopped paying attention to Michael Jackson a long time ago. The music was always there, and especially when the old songs came on, it was impossible to resist singing, tapping, dancing, but the weirdness, for me, overtook the music decades ago. So in June of 2005, I wasn’t paying much attention to his trial…
The racing gods had a mezzo mezzo day as far as we’re concerned here at Brooklyn Backstretch. Miss Saul “broke slowly and failed to reach a contending position,” but let’s hope that she learned something from her first start and will run better next time. As they are wont to do, however, the gods smiled…
Brooklyn Backstretch 