I brought neither a raincoat nor rain boots to Saratoga this year, and I keep thinking, “No, it can’t keep raining. You won’t need them.” But of course it CAN keep raining, and it has (it’s thundering and gray as I type), and I DO need them. And as soon as I buy them, we’ll…
Guess what? It’s going to rain this week. Quelle surprise, I know. Are your feet webbed yet? At least you don’t have to water your gardens. And hey, because of that rain, we got a storybook Whitney last Saturday, when a rainbow emerged as Diversify cruised home to his second Grade 1 win. Don’t sleep…
If your horse has won a graded stakes race at Saratoga recently, you’ll know her face. If you’ve attended the morning workouts at Saratoga over the last few years, you’ll know her voice. And if you watched the trophy presentation after the Grade 3 Shuvee at Saratoga on July 29, you heard her name: Maude…
As I post this, it’s once again gray and wet in Saratoga, but we got some respite from the rain this week, with a couple of beautiful Saratoga mornings and warm, sunny afternoons. We also got news that wonder-filly Wonder Gadot will likely make her next start in the Travers on August 25. We don’t…
With four days down, 36 to go, I hope that you’ve already banked both some fun and some gambling profits. The weather hasn’t been at its finest, but here’s hoping some vintage, crisp Saratoga air finds its way to use this week. Still working on the calendar of events for the whole meet, and with posting…
Hello! Welcome back! It’s here! Summer at Saratoga–and we’re off! I hope that you’re as excited as I am to get back to the beloved Spa–my hometown and one of the places where my heart resides. As always, there’s a lot going on, both on the track and off, and we’ll keep you up to…
A decade ago, the New York breeding industry was in a steep downturn. The 2008 economic crisis had led to farms closing and mares being shipped to other states, and a program that had worked to establish itself with quality breeding seemed in danger of becoming almost irrelevant. Fast-forward to 2018, and the situation is…
On the evening of June 5, two of Mike Repole’s sporting passions came together when the post position draw for the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) was held at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. A lifelong Mets fan whose silks sport the orange and blue colors of the team, Repole…
He has taken us through every Derby prep since February, and at the end of the Triple Crown season, Brian Nadeau is back with his final race preview, as Justify tries to become the 13th Triple Crown winner. Can he do it? Brian takes a look. Belmont Park: The GI, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes at…
In my preview of the Preakness, I noted that that race in general lacks the chaos of the Kentucky Derby. Ha—famous last words, before a race that took place after a week of downpours and on a track so encased in fog we couldn’t see the horses. And as he has every time he’s been on…
Brooklyn Backstretch 