So began a 1949 New York Times article by Arthur Daley on the passing of Matt Winn. The article was called “The Passing of a Legend,” and what he “made” is the Kentucky Derby. Matt Winn, a racing impresario if ever there was one, worked at a dozen or more tracks in his life, but…
Sarah Crouse might not call herself a handicapper, but a prize pot of more than $10,000, won earlier this month at a contest at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York says otherwise, and says it loud and clear. The 25-year-old Crouse took home first prize in the New York Racing Association’s live-money tournament on the day…
Oaklawn Park: The Grade I, $1 million Arkansas Derby at 1 1/8 miles (Kentucky Derby qualifying points 100-50-20-10) #1 The Truth Or Else (15-1): McPeek charge took a step back last time when fourth behind today’s imposing favorite American Pharoah in the local GII Rebel after a fine second in his seasonal debut in the…
You don’t have to drive very far outside of the city of Baltimore to arrive in Maryland hunt country. Within 10 miles of the city proper, development gives way to farms; go a little further, and you’re in the heart of Maryland horse country, where races have been held for over a century. Thousands of…
At the New York offices of The Jockey Club in the heart of midtown Manhattan, president and CEO James Gagliano hails, as one would expect, from the corner office. Not as commodious or luxuriously appointed as those of other Manhattan high-flyers, the modest space nonetheless occupies a highly coveted bit of New York City real…
Horse racing is not known for embracing new technology–only within the last few years have fans been able to view races in high-definition—and staying true to past performance lines, the sport’s individuals and institutions were both initially slow to establish a presence on social media. Even now, some of racing’s biggest presences in real life—people…
Santa Anita: The Grade I, $1 million Santa Anita Derby at 1 1/8 miles (Kentucky Derby qualifying points 100-50-20-10) #1 Dortmund (3-5): Deserving heavy chalk just beat a few of these when he ran his record to 5-for-5 in the local GII San Felipe last month and looks like he’s going to be a handful…
Keeneland: The Grade I, $1 million Blue Grass at 1 1/8 miles (Kentucky Derby qualifying points 100-50-20-10) #1 Ocho Ocho Ocho (6-1): California invader went undefeated in three starts as a 2-year-old but didn’t run a lick when eight of 10 behind Dortmund and Prospect Park in Santa Anita’s GII San Felipe last month and…
Aqueduct: The Grade I, $1 million Wood Memorial at 1 1/8 miles (Kentucky Derby qualifying points 100-50-20-10) #1 Tiz Shea D (8-1): Lightly raced runner didn’t disgrace himself in the least when he was second to one of today’s heavyweights El Kabeir in the GIII Gotham in the mud here in March over the inner…
Image: Postcards from Eugene Wood to the nieces he supported following the death of their mother, his sister. When Eugene D. Wood died in 1924, his local paper –The New York Times – didn’t pay that much attention. Despite his prominence in New York City, through decades of political involvement locally and in Albany, through…
Brooklyn Backstretch 