Question: How did Bourbon War get his name? Answer: Spirits and Springsteen. When Mike McMahon and Jamie Hill decided to keep the Tapit colt they’d intended to pinhook, they knew that he’d have “bourbon” in his name. They race in the name of Bourbon Lane Stable, and in this age of branding and name recognition,…
Followers of trainer Mark Hennig’s Twitter timeline were the first to hear the news last Friday, when Hennig posted a somewhat cryptic message after the fourth race at Aqueduct. Great, get some rest big boy! — Mark Hennig (@Hennigracing) December 26, 2014 The “big boy” was Socialsaul, the horse that Hennig had purchased for owner…
As was likely the case at backstretches across the country last week, conversations at Florida’s tracks and training centers continued to focus on the New York Times’ story on PETA’s undercover investigation at Steve Asmussen’s Churchill Downs and Saratoga barns last year. Public commentary has been plentiful, abundant in insight, in stridency, in commitment, in sanctimony, in determination, in anger,…
On the last weekend of October a year ago, Thoroughbred trainer Mark Hennig and his wife Rosemary were on their way home from Florida. They’d heard about the impending storm heading towards their New York home, but they weren’t particularly concerned. “We were just due to come back that day,” Hennig said this week at…
As Allen Jerkens made his way out of the winner’s circle on Monday afternoon, he was unable to go more than a few steps without being stopped by fans who wanted their picture taken with him. His eyes still red from the tears he couldn’t hold back as he was applauded by Saratoga’s crowd, standing…
Brooklyn Backstretch 