The New York racing calendar is full of races named for the men instrumental in bringing the sport to life in our state. The roles in racing history of Belmont and Travers, Jerome and Dwyer are well documented, and these men leave an easy-to-follow trail for contemporary race fans to follow. Not so Mr. Eugene…
The Wood Memorial – Aqueduct – $500,000 – 1 1/8 Miles, by Brian Nadeau The centerpiece of the Aqueduct spring meet offers several a last chance at securing enough graded stakes earnings, while giving the overwhelming favorite–I Want Revenge–a chance to show that his romp in the Gotham last month wasn’t a fluke. Any Dunkirk…
The Illinois Derby – Hawthorne Race Course – $500,000 – 1 1/8 Miles, by Brian Nadeau The first of three big Derby preps this weekend, and there’s a lot of money to be had. The winner will be guaranteed a spot in the Derby starting gate, while pushing Dunkirk that much farther down the list.…
I missed out on a live sex act because of Mapquest. Scheduled to see a breeding at Vinery on March 18th, I confidently tell Melissa Anthony, Vinery’s office manager, that I don’t need directions because I can get them from Mapquest. Less than twenty-four hours later, I pull off to the side of the road…
Re-cap of the Florida Derby, by Brian Nadeau There were a lot of questions answered by a couple different horses on Saturday, but sadly only one is likely going to get a chance at Churchill Downs. Quality Road consolidated his huge Fountain of Youth win with another big performance, turning back the previously undefeated Dunkirk…
Spring break is over. The inner track is closed. The Wood Memorial is less than a week away. All the signs are there…but spring is staying stubbornly away from New York, and if, as the weather forecast indicates, April showers bring May flowers, they will most certainly not bring turf racing back to New York,…
Back in Brooklyn after two terrific weeks on the road. While I can’t say that I’m thrilled that vacation is over, it was pretty great to glimpse the skyline as I drove in, and pretty nice to be home after being a guest for so long. Madison and Floyd are quite happy that they can…
Having spent about half of this vacation on racing-related activities, it seems mightily unjust that on this Big Day of Racing, here and abroad, I’ll be on the road, with no access to races or results until this evening. Maybe I can find a rest area with wi-fi access and time a stop to coincide…
The Florida Derby – Grade I, $750,000 – Gulfstream Park – 1 1/8 Miles, by Brian Nadeau Not the deepest renewal of the Florida Derby, but that’s what happens when you have three big colts who will command all the attention. And this running takes on added significance when you factor that all three of…
As I’ve noted in previous posts about visits to breeding farms, the tours seldom include visits/attention to the broodmares and the foals. The emphasis is all stallions, all the time, and while seeing the stallions and learning about them is fascinating, I’ve always been a little disappointed that we don’t get to learn more about…
Brooklyn Backstretch 