At the break of the Grade III Withers at Aqueduct Saturday afternoon, the #2 horse, Far From Over, stumbled under jockey Manuel Franco, who pulled the horse up to re-gather him, then sent him chasing after a field of horses more than a dozen lengths in front of him. Off the screen for much of…
Originally this race was run over the memorable six-furlong straight course at Morris Park, then the newest and most elaborate of Metropolitan racing plants—which was a bit down grade and for that reason nicknamed the “toboggan slide”. (Hervey) When the first edition of the Toboggan was run, back in 1890, the race’s creators couldn’t possibly…
“No man in the country was more widely esteemed by racing men.” David Dunham Withers was born in 1822 in New York City; he and his family lived downtown on Greene Street, now in fashionable Soho. When his parents married, the couple was given a cottage by the bride’s father as a wedding present. According…
Santa Anita: The Grade III, $150,000 Robert B. Lewis at 1 1/16 miles by Brian Nadeau #1 Tizcano (15-1): Longshot goes back to the Miller barn after a one-race trip to Gulfstream Park where he didn’t fire in the 6F Spectacular Bid last month and also runs beyond six furlongs for the first time today.…
Aqueduct: The Grade III, $250,000 Withers at 1 1/16 miles by Brian Nadeau #1 Classy Class (2-1): Tricky read starts his 3yo campaign as a bit of a wildcard as he looked great winning his bow sprinting, then didn’t fire when a modest fourth over a highly speed-favoring track when stretching out in the local…
At noon today, the betting windows open for the second pool of the 2015 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, enabling the hopeful, the strategic, and the confident to place $2 win and exacta bets with an eye on cashing big on the first Saturday in May. The pool closes at 6 pm on Sunday evening. At…
In January of 2013, did you watch Bullet Catcher run down Route 1 in Maryland, followed closely by jockey Abel Castellano, tracking the horse in his car? A few months later, did you observe Spicer Cub’s terrifying trip (above), en route to finishing second at Pimlico? Did you ever look for a free race replay…
When Upstart won the Funny Cide Stakes at Saratoga last summer, a race restricted to horses bred in New York State, his owner Ralph Evans knew that the then-2-year-old was good enough to win against open company. It took five months before Upstart got that win, but got it he did, in the Grade II…
Gulfstream Park: The Grade II, $400,000 Holy Bull at 1 1/16 miles by Brian Nadeau #1 Frosted (5-2): The first of two heavy hitters for Godolphin tipped his hand with a rousing win at Aqueduct to break his maiden in October then followed that up with a game second-place finish going two turns when Lasix…
“Can I call you back in a little while?” asked Barbara Luna on a recent wet, cold afternoon. “It’s miserable here, and I want to get the horses fed.” An hour later, the horses taken care of, Luna can talk. Which she does, willingly, at length, telling the story of how she made a dream…
Brooklyn Backstretch 