Over the weekend of May 30, amid coast-to-coast protests against racism and police brutality, jockey Kendrick Carmouche couldn’t hold back his feelings any longer. He propped up his phone and spoke from his heart on Instagram Live for nine minutes—roughly the same amount of time Derek Chauvin kept his knee on George Floyd’s neck, leading…
In 2011, Joe Dietrick made his annual trip to Saratoga Race Course from his home in northeast Pennsylvania. He’s come here for decades, and when he was younger, he’d park his mobile home in Saratoga for the whole meet. On that day in 2011, Dietrick was with his son Jon and two grandsons. John Velazquez…
Two days before the Preakness, Dr. Kelly Ryan is sitting on a floor in the Pimlico grandstand, staring intently at her computer, responding to texts, and greeting passersby. You’d never know that among the many people who will have to make decisions this weekend—trainers about running, jockeys about strategy, stewards about inquiries, bettors about wagers—she,…
When John Velazquez’s agent Angel Cordero told him that he was going to Churchill Downs in late November 2011 to ride Wise Dan in the Grade I Clark Handicap, the jockey didn’t hold his back his skepticism. “I said to him, ‘What? We’re going to ride one horse? A horse that I don’t know wants…
After meeting with the media earlier in the day July 17, New York Racing Association president and chief executive officer Christopher Kay made his first public appearance at the annual Saratoga Race Course meet preview at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Kay was one of five panelists who took questions from moderator Brien…
Friday morning, Thoroughbred racing celebrated the best the sport has to offer when this year’s Racing Hall of Fame class was inducted in front of a packed house at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion. Scheduled keynote speaker Steven Crist had to cancel due to the death of his mother, film critic Judith Crist, but the presenters…
Wandering around Churchill Downs last week, anticipating a big race, I thought about the last time I was there: last November, for the Breeders’ Cup. That was, of course, the Zenyatta Breeders’ Cup: no matter what else happened that weekend, it was all about her, all about the Classic. She was the story on the…
Keeneland is a long way from New York, and there’s no doubt that things are a little different here. As I stood at the rail of the training track on Saturday morning, a nearby trainer called out, “Where you from?” “New York,” I replied. “I could tell,” he said. Fortunately, Keeneland on Saturday was populated…
I love this photo of Evening Attire on his way to the track at Saratoga. He was fourth in the MassCap yesterday at Suffolk, and even though he hasn’t won a race since last March, I love that he’s still out there. Thanks to the folks at Alex Brown Racing for bringing this article from…
Brooklyn Backstretch 