For years, when I would come to Saratoga Springs, New York, a week or two before the summer meeting began, I would wander around the racecourse, marveling at its beauty, soaking in its silence. Saratoga is my hometown, and, for those few days, I felt like the track was all mine. Selfishly, I wondered what…
Opening weekend at Saratoga Race Course was an exercise in cognitive dissonance. No one lined up outside the gates pre-dawn, waiting to get in and snag their preferred picnic table. No one watched morning workouts. No one joined track announcer John Imbriale in the kick-off toast, “They’re off at Saratoga!” The prestigious Sanford Stakes (G3)…
Lots of people consider their pets part of their families. And while a racehorse might not exactly fit into the category of “pet,” that doesn’t change how trainer Ron Moquett and his family feel about Whitmore, the seven-year-old gelding that will make his 35th start in Saturday’s Grade 1, $250,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes. “My…
Monmouth Park: The GI, $1 million Haskell at 1 1/8 miles (Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 100-50-20-10) Brian handicaps at Capital OTB and Horseplayer Now, and he’ll offer analysis and selections of Derby points races, hoping to make us all a little money as we head to the Belmont Stakes. Follow him on Twitter here. #1 Dr Post (5-2): Rapidly…
Saratoga: The GIII, $100,000 Peter Pan at 1 1/8 miles (Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 50-20-10-5) by Brian Nadeau Brian handicaps at Capital OTB and Horseplayer Now, and he’ll offer analysis and selections of Derby points races, hoping to make us all a little money as we head to the Belmont Stakes. Follow him on Twitter here. We kick off…
The CEO of the New York Racing Association, O’Rourke hadn’t yet marked his first anniversary in the position when he was thrust into a maelstrom of a public health emergency, a financial crisis, and zero certainty about the future, both immediate and long-term. On March 7, Aqueduct Racetrack hosted the G3 Gotham Stakes, a…
For some Midlantic trainers who are Saratoga stalwarts, the summer of 2020 may well look similar to their operations in years past. But that doesn’t mean it will feel the same. For the last several years, Graham Motion has rotated horses between his Fair Hill base and his 10 stalls on Saratoga backstretch, leaving the…
Shortly after implementing new restrictions on the Saratoga Race Course jockey colony to address concerns about the spread of COVID-19, the New York Racing Association and officials from the City of Saratoga Springs announced July 14 additional safety measures that will be in place during this summer’s race meeting. The much-anticipated annual meet usually attracts tens of…
Keeneland: The GII, $600,000 Blue Grass at 1 1/8 miles (Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 100-40-20-10) by Brian Nadeau Brian handicaps at Capital OTB and Horseplayer Now, and he’ll offer analysis and selections of Derby points races, hoping to make us all a little money as we head to the Belmont Stakes. Follow him on Twitter here. #1 Shivaree (8-1):…
“We believe in equality and stand together with our community to end systemic racism.” These words were tweeted by the accounts of The Stronach Group’s racing properties on June 3, TSG being one of the few U.S. Thoroughbred racing entities to acknowledge the nationwide protests following the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna…
Brooklyn Backstretch 