“In 1903…a skinny, pleasant lad of 15 applied for a job at the Sanford Stud Farm in Amsterdam, N.Y. His name was Hollie Hughes and he was taken on as a night watchman.” — Red Smith, “Some Reflections on a Horseman” Hughes’ name is practically a byword for Sanford Stud Farm, the racing and breeding…
Brian Nadeau is back this year to offer insight and analysis on this year’s road to the Kentucky Derby. A handicapper at Horseplayer Now and Capital OTB, he’ll analyze every official Derby points race and the three Triple Crown races, back at Brooklyn Backstretch for the sixth year. Tampa Bay Downs: The Grade III, $250,000 Sam…
At the Ocala Breeders’ Sale of two-year-olds in training last March, trainer Cathal Lynch and bloodstock agent Glenn Brok went to $625,000 to buy a son of Curlin. Named Undulated, he went on to finish second in the Laurel Futurity and win the Swynford Stakes. But it’s the horse that they purchased later in the…
Brian Nadeau is back this year to offer insight and analysis on this year’s road to the Kentucky Derby. A handicapper at Horseplayer Now and Capital OTB, he’ll analyze every official Derby points race and the three Triple Crown races, back at Brooklyn Backstretch for the sixth year. Santa Anita: The GIII, $150,000 Robert Lewis at…
Brian Nadeau is back this year to offer insight and analysis on this year’s road to the Kentucky Derby. A handicapper at Horseplayer Now and Capital OTB, he’ll analyze every official Derby points race and the three Triple Crown races, back at Brooklyn Backstretch for the sixth year. Gulfstream Park: The Grade II, $350,000 Holy Bull…
Brian Nadeau is back this year to offer insight and analysis on this year’s road to the Kentucky Derby. A handicapper at Horseplayer Now and Capital OTB, he’ll analyze every official Derby points race and the three Triple Crown races, back at Brooklyn Backstretch for the sixth year. Aqueduct: The Grade III, $200,000 Withers at 1…
The winner of the feature race on Monday at Aqueduct, it was noted, ran gate-to-wire, starting in front and ending that way as the race’s second wagering choice. And yet, despite the bettors’ confidence, the outcome was extraordinarily unusual, and all but unnoticed. The winning owners are brothers who were born in Jamaica: Gaston and…
They say that there’s no place like home for the holidays, but when you work at the racetrack, going home—wherever that may be—isn’t always an option. The difficulty of taking time away and of making small paychecks stretch can make this season not quite like the jolly, lavish scenes that we see splashed across televisions…
He doesn’t come home very often, but the trip down I-95 was worth it for Barclay Tagg when his three-year-old filly Tale for Ruby won the Safely Kept Stakes at Laurel Park on November 19. A native of Philadelphia who graduated from Penn State with a degree in animal science, Tagg started his racing career…
Last weekend’s Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita was a triumph of sport and spectacle. The Distaff was a nail-biter between fan favorites Beholder and Songbird; the Saturday races offered storylines and close finishes, with both Tepin and Lady Eli in action, along with a headlining showdown between California Chrome and Arrogate. The spectacular backdrop of…
Brooklyn Backstretch 