The horse racing world erupted when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown in June, and it erupted again on Monday morning when Sports Illustrated announced that Serena Williams had been chosen by the magazine’s editors as the 2015 Sportsperson of the Year. Funny that, Sportsperson. The day before, SI noted that American Pharoah had been…
Mike Repole seems to like pretty much everything about horse racing. Growing up in Queens, New York and hanging out at Aqueduct Racetrack, he absorbed the flavor of the track, reveling in its grittiness and its beauty, its excitement and its challenges. Now an owner and a breeder, his enthusiasm is undiminished, perhaps heightened by…
t the end of a year that saw record-breaking pari-mutuel handle and attendance, the board of directors of the New York Racing Association celebrated success while at the same planning conservatively for the future. At a Dec. 9 meeting, board chair Michael Del Giudice congratulated NYRA president and chief executive officer Christopher Kay and the…
originally published in March 2010 It was nearly 70 degrees in New York yesterday; warmer temperatures and delayed darkness have many of us thinking spring. And for New York racing fans, there is no surer sign of spring than the return at Aqueduct to the main track. Racing on the inner track generally begins in…
On the day before Thanksgiving, Jo Deibel got a call from a woman she knew through Angel Acres Horse Haven, her horse rescue farm in Glenville, Pennsylvania. The woman, Jennifer, had lost her mare the previous night, and her gelding was, posted Deibel on Facebook, “in great distress.” She needed another horse right away to…
Want to contribute to #GivingTuesday without spending a cent? Download the re-designed ResQWalk app and hit the pavement. First launched in 2014, ResQWalk capitalizes on increased awareness of animal welfare and the popularity of fitness wearables, combining the two with corporate sponsorship to make steps count towards donations to the animal rescue organizations of the…
Last week, as we made lists, started shopping, and debated Thanksgiving sides, the children of Anna House took time out from their learning to give thanks: thanks to their families and to their teachers, thanks for their health and for what they have. Thinking of the children who won’t be home to celebrate this week,…
It was practically dark when post time for the last race at Belmont Park rolled around Oct. 3. A dismal, cold, wet early fall day on which a half-dozen graded stakes races had been run was nearly at an end, and following the running of the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (gr. I), the already sparse crowd had…
On Sunday, March 20th, New York horseplayers and racing fans will be able to join the rest of the country and indulge in a little wagering, following the signing into law of Assembly bill 6949 and Senate bill 4934, which “permits racing or licensing race meetings on Palm Sunday.” TIL: it was unlawful before today…
At 5:35 a.m., Keri Wolfsont responds to a direct message within seconds. Every morning’s busy, but this one is particularly so, the eve of the Colonial Cup card in Camden, where she and a half dozen equine charges await tomorrow’s races. The assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, Wolfsont is based at his…
Brooklyn Backstretch 