On Saturday at the racetrack now called Parx (formerly Philadelphia Park), Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome will make his first start since finishing fourth in the Belmont Stakes in June, becoming the 12th horse since 1978, the year of the last Triple Crown winner, to fail in a Triple Crown bid. Given a…
The distance from my home to the school where I work is seven-tenths of a mile. From my apartment over the Brooklyn Bridge and back? About three miles. This month, I’ve walked (officially, at least) 23.34 miles; since July, 141.05, which has meant $282.10 to two cat rescue organizations of my choice, thanks to ResQWalk.…
Saratoga Race Course kicks off its premier summer meeting this afternoon in Saratoga Springs, New York, the racing world descending on the small upstate city for seven weeks of high-class racing. Opening weekend will see four graded stakes races, among them the Sanford Stakes, being run for the 100th time. The race is named for…
Growing up in Saratoga Springs, New York and working summers at the town’s historic Thoroughbred track, Hans Theisen saw first-hand the nightmare that parking can be when tens of thousands of visitors descend on the small upstate city, all intent on getting a prime parking spot to attend the day’s racing. Thirty years later, he…
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…
High-level Thoroughbred sales are also social events: the auctions in Lexington and Saratoga, held in the evenings, might easily be confused for cocktail parties, as buyers, sellers, and onlookers network at crowded bars. The events are open to the public and are as much a spectator sport as a business opportunity, with those there to…
A year ago, Kentucky Derby winner Orb was practically pronounced a Triple Crown winner in the two weeks between his win at Churchill Downs and the Preakness Stakes. Whether the rigors of the prep season had their toll or whether he didn’t like the track at Pimlico, the odds-on favorite finished fourth and never won…
Kentucky Derby 140 is in the books, and now the talk of the first Triple Crown winner since 1978 begins. But before we move on to Baltimore to see if California Chrome can head to Belmont Park on June 7 to make racing history, let’s wrap up Kentucky Derby weekend. The story of California Chrome has…
We’re less than 48 hours out from the Kentucky Derby, but the final field may still not be set. Trainer Bob Baffert announced this morning that Hoppertunity, considered a contender by many, would be scratched due to a foot injury, making room for Pablo Del Monte to draw in off the also-eligible list. Trainer Wesley…
By tomorrow, the 20 horses expected to start in the Kentucky Derby this Saturday will be on the grounds, as will the hopeful few on the also-eligible list, who will make it into the starting gate in the event of any defections later in the week. Late scratches are not uncommon: In 2009, 2010, and…
Brooklyn Backstretch 