For the last couple of years, NPR has been running a series called “This I Believe,” in which listeners submit and read essays about their beliefs and values. I generally turn to sports radio when these segments come on; I am not much given to proclaiming my own beliefs, nor terribly inclined to listen to…

Alan is right: you’ve got to check out the replay of Thursday’s eighth race at Aqueduct, Be Bullish’s must-be-seen-to-be-believed victory. Way back on September 22nd, Be Bullish caught my attention in a maiden race at Belmont, which he won after crashing his way through horses on the way to the wire. It was a bad…

I want to skip school on Thursday and go to the races. I want to skip school on Thursday and go to the races, because the last time I was at the races on a Thursday was August 16th at Saratoga, and that’s just way too long ago. I want to skip school on Thursday…

Today’s feature at Aqueduct doesn’t offer nearly the same tantalizing possibilities as last week’s Paumonok, but it more than makes up for its lack of storyline in the honoring one of racing’s greats. The Whirlaway, first run in 1980, is named for Calumet Farms colt who became the fifth Triple Crown winner, and Horse of…

As I mentioned a little while back, the folks at Steeplechase Times/Saratoga Special have a little Derby fantasy game going; I’ve decided to take the plunge and enter it, knowing full well that things like this are not exactly my forte (though I did do pretty well in an NHL playoff fantasy hockey competition a…

On late Saturday afternoon, following a delightful day in Manhattan with my parents, I headed for my cozy Brooklyn apartment, ready to curl up with my trusty laptop and get caught up on the days’ news, with heavy emphasis on the Sunshine Millions. To my horror, my Internet connection was down, and I have spent…

Shortly after college, I lay on my bed, with my cat next to me, reading an article about animal testing. I turned the page, and there was a photograph of a conscious cat with a metal cage over its head, and with screws/electrodes drilled into its brain. I don’t remember what the testing was for,…

Well, Kiaran McLaughlin didn’t win the Eclipse for training, and I guess I wasn’t at much of a disadvantage for not having TVG, as The Blood-Horse was publishing winners’ names (OK, at least one winner’s name) before it was announced on television. Nice. Thanks for the head’s up on that, Valerie, in your wonderfully-named post.…

Not much in the way of original thinking in tonight’s post, so I’m lucky that there’s a lot of news out there worth sharing: Handride and an anonymous commenter share some cool intersections between language, New York City, and horse racing. Brooklyn blogger that I am, I feel entitled—nay, compelled—to steal the stuff and post…