Every August, the best yearlings bred in New York State are offered at the Fasig-Tipton sale on East Avenue in Saratoga. In 2019, the average price for a yearling at the sale was $87,000, with the sale topper going for $775,000. In 2021, the top seller brought $495,000, the average rising to $91,000. At Saratoga…
Virgin Colada is a virgin no more, scoring her maiden win at Saratoga Race Course in her first start July 21 and fitting into the plan of her owner. Racing for John Stewart’s Resolute Racing, the 2-year-old More Than Ready filly lagged behind the 10-horse field through most of the 1 1/16-mile inner turf course race. Flavien Prat rode the rail,…
A year ago, breeder John Gunther entered a colt by his racehorse Without Parole in the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The bay was out of the Street Cry mare Mama Tembu, herself a half sibling to Stage Magic, dam of Justify, and he sold for $95,000 to Avenue Bloodstock. “He went through the sale,” said Gunther, “but there was a problem with the…
Growing up in Saratoga Springs, Tim McCoy spent a lot of time at the track. He spent most summers working there, starting out in 1976 by working in the linen room and handing out uniforms, tablecloths, and napkins. By 1989, he’d moved on from linens to security, working as a Pinkerton. On the night before…
“Precocious, funny, spicy, and energetic” are the words that Dan Barraclough used to describe Bellacose as a foal, and apparently not much has changed as the filly has gotten older. “She has a little bit of sass to her,” said trainer Jeremiah Englehart. “I like the fillies that have that attitude. I’ll often go into the stall with…
Breeding Thoroughbreds might be the ultimate reality show, and Michael Slezak would know. Slezak made his name writing about American Idol, amassing more than 30,000 followers on X while writing for Entertainment Weekly and TVLine. He’s appeared on National Public Radio and various network morning shows, and in 2010, he wrote a guest essay for…
Always a celebratory event, this year’s New York Thoroughbred Breeders awards ceremony was bittersweet, as the evening’s big winner was Maple Leaf Mel. Steps from winning the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga Race Course last August, the daughter of Cross Traffic suffered a catastrophic broken leg and was euthanized on the track. Despite her…
When Robert Evans purchased Raucous for $300,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale, he had his eye on the future. Though he intended to race her, he also knew that upon retirement, she’d join his broodmare band, and she had what he was looking for. “She’s by Speightstown,” he said. “I wanted to get…
Long before Matthew DeSantis started working at the New York Racing Association and NYRA Bets as a content producer for their new YouTube channel, he was no stranger to analyzing complex, sometimes contradictory information. While studying political science in college with the goal of becoming a lawyer like his father, he took a class that…
Maggie Wolfendale Morley and Toby Sheets’ friendship did not get off to an auspicious beginning. Morley (then Wolfendale) had recently begun working as the New York Racing Association’s paddock analyst, and Sheets was Steve Asmussen’s assistant. One night, she joined trainers Abigail Adsit and David Cannizzo for dinner. Sheets was seated across from her. “He…
Brooklyn Backstretch 