Though the last major points-earning preps took place on Saturday, April 12, the Kentucky Derby field continued to take shape through last week, with the inevitable defections due to injury. Significant withdrawals include Constitution, the Florida Derby winner trained by the multiple Eclipse Award winning Todd Pletcher, and Cairo Prince, owned in part by Dubai’s…
When Wicked Strong entered the starting gate for the Wood Memorial on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack, he was racing for more than the chance to run in the Kentucky Derby. The 3-year-old colt is owned by Centennial Farms, whose president Don Little hails from Boston. Last year, when it was time to name the colt…
Though they seldom get the attention lavished on their 3-year-old male counterparts at this time of year, the 3-year-old fillies are turning in some impressive performances as they prep for the Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on Friday, May 2. An event in and of itself, Oaks Day is much more than the appetizer…
In Derbies held half a world apart from each other on Saturday, two horses making their stakes debuts earned enough points to run in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 3. Over the synthetic surface at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, the Kentucky-bred Toast of New York, racing for English connections, won the UAE…
The final pool of the 2014 Kentucky Derby Futures Wager opens today at noon, offering bettors the last chance to bet in advance of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 3 and to try to get better odds than they will on raceday. The morning line favorite at 5-1 in this fourth futures pool is California Chrome, winner of the…
Earlier this month, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame announced the 10 finalists for its 2014 class of inductees. From 84 candidates suggested by turf writers, Thoroughbred industry participants, and racing fans, the Hall of Fame’s nominating committee had selected four jockeys, four horses, and two trainers whose names would go to the…
As the long-time home of various Law & Order series, Chelsea Piers is no stranger to lawyers, at the least the fictional kind. But last week, dozens of real-life attorneys took over the sports complex’s two ice rinks, not to ply their trade, but to lace up their skates in a charity hockey tournament to raise money for Ice…
With this year’s Kentucky Derby a little over two months away—May 3—here are 10 things to know about this year’s Triple Crown series. 1) The penultimate Kentucky Derby future wager closes Saturday at 4:17 pm, post time for the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The race carried a total of 85…
Hockey returned to the NHL this week after the Olympic break, our national loyalties reverting to regional ones, as the players against whom we rooted over the last few weeks once again become our home team. Whether NHL players will return to the Olympics in PyeonChang, South Korea, in 2018 remains to be seen; injuries to the…
When the Eclipse Award winners were announced a couple of weeks ago, the response to the honorees was largely muted; 2013 was not a year in which the performances on the racetrack were likely to give rise to any controversy, and there was no polarizing Zenyatta/Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta/Blame debate for Horse of the Year. What…
Brooklyn Backstretch 