Stonestreet Farm reported late Wednesday night that 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra had been taken to Rood and Riddle Equine Clinic in Lexington, Kentucky following foaling complications. Rachel Alexandra foaled a filly early Tuesday morning, reported by the farm to have weighed 140 pounds, the biggest foal of the year so far at the farm. The…
The graded stakes run earlier this month at Aqueduct have been around for a while: the Toboggan was first run in 1890, the Withers in 1874. When racing came back to New York in 1913, both were renewed, both at Belmont Park. The Withers was run on May 31, the day after racing returned for…
Early February brings Punxsutawney Phil, the Super Bowl, and a wagering opportunity that gets a little less attention than those two: the first round of the Kentucky Derby future pool. This year’s Kentucky Derby is on May 4, and between now and then, Churchill Downs will offer three opportunities to bet on the race: this…
In 1913, racing returned to New York State after a nearly three-year absence. In 1913, Rock View won the Travers, Whisk Broom II won the Met Mile, and Prince Eugene won the Belmont. And in 1913, John Nerud was born. A Hall of Fame trainer, Nerud worked for most of his 44-year career for Tartan…
When the connections of Revolutionary entered their three-year-old in the $200,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack, they hoped the lightly raced colt would take a step forward and show them enough to warrant his staying on the Kentucky Derby trail. While Revolutionary did just that in a neck victory on Saturday afternoon, the connections got…
Santa Anita: The Grade II, $200,000 Robert Lewis at 1 1/16 miles #1 Little Jerry: Baltas colt impressed when rallying from far out of it in his debut over the Cushion Track at Hollywood Park in November, then was beaten up in the GI CashCall there in December. Sire Candy Ride was a long-distance freak…
Tampa Bay Downs: The GIII, $250,000 Sam F. Davis at 1 1/16 miles #2 Silver Day: One-time winner spun his wheels in his seasonal debut in the local prep, the Pasco, behind several of these and will need a form reversal to threaten. If you’re a believer, you’re getting a price, but on paper he’s…
Aqueduct: The GIII $200,000 Withers at 1 1/16 miles #1 Long River: The first half of a sharp Darley entry adds blinkers off a relatively disappointing fourth in the local GII Jerome, when he basically ran around the track without making an impact after a solid MSW win over the track. The good news is…
It’s been a long time since Leah Gyarmati gave up doctoral studies for a life at the racetrack, but she admits there are still some things she misses about academia. “I loved arguing,” she said this week from her home near Belmont Park. “I’m pretty opinionated.” Although she rarely engages in philosophical discussion these days,…
In January of 1913, as New York waited to see whether racing would return after a 29-month absence due to anti-gambling laws, the sport lost one of its most successful human competitors when James R. Keene died in New York City on January 3, 2013. Born in Ireland in 1838, Keene moved with his family…
Brooklyn Backstretch 