It wasn’t supposed to happen again. After that devastating winter three years ago, after Governor Cuomo called for a task force, after an investigation and dozens of recommendations, we weren’t supposed to be sitting here wondering why so many horses are breaking down at Aqueduct, again. But we are. In the 20 days since Aqueduct’s…
A day after two horses broke down in the same race on the turf at Saratoga Race Course the issue dominated a scheduled New York Racing Association Equine Safety Committee. The committee met via teleconference Aug. 25. Committee chair Anthony Bonomo Sr., whose homebred Heading to Toga was euthanized on the outer turf course earlier in August, said he…
On June 19 and 20, Belmont Park will host a certificate program for the Racing Officials Accreditation Program. Consisting of one day of general education and one day of job-specific modules, the event offers education and certification for seven racing official positions: clerk of scales, horse identifier, paddock judge, patrol judge, outrider, and starter/assistant starter.…
This Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, hundreds of horses will take to the track for the Breeders’ Cup. One hundred and eighty horses have been pre-entered in 15 races, and if Dr. Mick Peterson has anything to say about it, they’ll all come home safely. Concerns about the safety of Thoroughbred racing have never…
Like those poor refugees in Casablanca, here in New York, we continue to wait…and wait…and wait. We wait for Governor Cuomo’s announcement about the reconfiguration of the NYRA board, the board that will be made up mostly of the governor’s appointees, the board that will graciously allow a horsemen’s representative to attend board meetings but…
“Very soon.” That is when, according to the State Racing and Wagering Board, the report from the task force investigating the breakdowns at Aqueduct this past winter will be released. The task force began its work in March, and when I spoke with task force chair Dr. Scott Palmer in April, he indicated that the…
Joe Drape in Sunday’s New York Times reported on racing fatality statistics provided to Congress by the Association of Racing Commissioners International. My post yesterday focused on the more dismaying elements of racing as a result of Jeffrey McMurray’s AP report published in the Washington Post; Drape’s piece presents a more measured view, and thanks…
Barring a successful run at a Triple Crown, the middle of June isn’t usually a particularly hot time in the world of Thoroughbred racing. Yes, we’ve got some good races on the calendar, and even some Grade I’s, but mostly, mid-June is a time to take a deep breath, recover from the Triple Crown races,…
I don’t have HBO, so I didn’t see the episode of Costas Now in which noted sportswriter Buzz Bissinger went off on Deadspin’s Will Leitch on the subject of blogging vs. journalism. I did (as who did not?) read/hear about Bissinger’s bizarrely agitated and profane rant, and thus when I was recently catching up on…
Brooklyn Backstretch 