First of all, I have to note a couple of egregious oversights in my “giving thanks” post from last week. The Rail at the New York Times should have been there, for providing racing coverage during the Triple Crown season and the Breeders’ Cup and for offering me the opportunity to post there. Also inadvertently…
This Thursday, while many of us are enjoying a day off, eating well and spending time with friends and family, the good folks at the Belmont Child Care Association will be at work as usual. Because even though it’s perhaps this country’s most significant holiday, the horses don’t much care, and they need to be…
Charities of various flavors take advantage of the throngs that descend on Saratoga during racing season: every week, even every night, events both modest and elaborate take place across the Spa City. The terrific spirits shop Crush and Cask supported a number of charities with Tuesday night wine tastings, and Chianti Il Ristorante offers diners…
“We’re here to thank you,” said Michael Dubb, chairman of the board of the Belmont Child Association, to the crowd assembled at last week’s benefit at the Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga. “Tonight is more than financial. It’s the one time a year that we get to thank you for your support.” The children who…
It is with great melancholy that I post this week’s happenings, as at least one of them will be taking place after I return to Brooklyn. I can’t believe that Saratoga is almost over, and nearly every day I come face to face with a reminder that before too long, the old Spa will be…
On a spectacularly beautiful Saratoga morning, hundreds of racing fans turned out to support New York backstretch charities and get a little exercise in this morning’s Fasig-Tipton 5k to benefit the Belmont Child Care Association, the Backstretch Education Fund, Backstretch Employees Service Team, and the Racetrack Chaplaincy. I went into this morning’s race with no hope of matching…
Today’s post is a series of public service announcements of one form or another, catching up with racing charities and other news. Still waiting to hear from Bourbon Bliss Barn, the winner of the 2010 Road to the Roses Brooklyn Backstretch charity league. It’s been a week, so Bourbon Bliss, unless I hear from you…
On Friday at about 6:30 am, the temperature in Brooklyn was 22 degrees; the wind made it feel like it was in the single digits, and it likely felt much colder on the backstretches of Belmont and Aqueduct. The men and women who take care of the horses had already been at work for several…
So it’s official: It’s holiday shopping season. Black Friday has come and gone; today is Cyber Monday, when, according to people who pay attention to such things, many, many work hours are lost by those taking advantage of their office computers to do a little online shopping. You likely have plenty of gift options for…
The Christmas carols were blasting jovially from speakers throughout the Woodbury Commons outlets on Saturday; beyond the annoyance of the inundation when Thanksgiving was still ten days away, I felt a frisson of guilt with every reference to the joy of giving, as I was shopping pretty much exclusively for myself. Sometimes, though, an early…
Brooklyn Backstretch 