As American Pharoah has made his way to one of horse racing’s biggest stages – Belmont Park with a Triple Crown on the line – the human stars of his show have been his owner, trainer, and jockey. And while they have rightly commanded the media spotlight, the three-year-old colt also has a supporting cast,…
Belmont Park: The Grade I, $1.5 million Belmont at 1 ½ miles #1 Mubtaahij (IRE) (10-1): De Kock runner gives some international flavor to the proceedings as he made a name for himself in Dubai this winter, culminating in a visually impressive score in Meydan’s GII UAE Derby. And while that form didn’t translate to…
When horses break from the gate for the 147th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, they will do so directly in front of tens of thousands of people, on their feet on the crowded apron and in the clubhouse and grandstand. They will circle the enormous Belmont oval, the only one of its kind in the United…
If you listen to local news radio in New York City, you might have caught the following advertisement over the last few weeks, in which a man who says he’s a resident of Elmont, one of the towns that borders Belmont Park, voices his concern about New York State “making the right decisions about developing…
Saturday saw the final two major prep races for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic: the Awesome Again was run at Santa Anita Park in southern California, the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in New York. Both are “Win and You’re In” races, guaranteeing a berth in the Classic, along with paid fees…
Horse racing is a dying sport or so, at least, goes one sort of conventional wisdom, in the face of declining foal crops, handle, field size, and crowds. Fifty years ago, more than 50,000 people went to Aqueduct on the 4th of July weekend to watch the historic Suburban Handicap, in which Iron Peg defeated…
California Chrome didn’t win the Triple Crown, but within hours of his failed bid to make racing history, the New York Racing Association was nonetheless declaring Belmont Stakes day a success, pointing to high attendance and record-setting handle numbers. Official attendance was 102,199, lower than the announced (and oft-questioned) attendance of 120,139 in 2004, Smarty…
In early 2009, trainer Jimmy Jerkens was flying high – if such a phrase could be used to describe a man better known for shying from the spotlight than for grabbing headlines. He had married his high school sweetheart the year before, and he had a barn full of fast horses, including a brilliant colt…
Only one more race stands between California Chrome and horse racing’s Triple Crown, but it could be his toughest challenge yet. Since 1978, a dozen horses — Sunday Silence, War Emblem and Smarty Jones among them — have won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, only to stumble before the finish line at the Belmont…
Tomorrow’s weather for Big Apple Showcase Day might not scream “summer!” (mid 70s, partly cloudy, occasional shower, if you were wondering), but thanks to Frost Giant and the good folks at Sunrise Stables, kids under 12 will be treated to free ice cream from Mister Softee in the backyard at Belmont Park. Sunrise Stables, partners…
Brooklyn Backstretch 