On Monday, Anna House held its 2010 graduation; its seventh graduating class celebrated and looked with anticipation at heading to kindergarten in the fall. Because of the Belmont Child Care Association, the ten graduates are beginning readers and writers, and they are fluent in English, ready to take on the challenges of their kindergarten classrooms…
On Friday at about 6:30 am, the temperature in Brooklyn was 22 degrees; the wind made it feel like it was in the single digits, and it likely felt much colder on the backstretches of Belmont and Aqueduct. The men and women who take care of the horses had already been at work for several…
‘Tis the season of giving, and plenty was being given away on Saturday at Aqueduct. The Marines were at the Big A, collecting toys and cash donations; as I wrote last week, NYRA had pledged to match whatever money was collected; Gary Contessa was donating 10% of any earnings on December 5th, with a minimum…
So it’s official: It’s holiday shopping season. Black Friday has come and gone; today is Cyber Monday, when, according to people who pay attention to such things, many, many work hours are lost by those taking advantage of their office computers to do a little online shopping. You likely have plenty of gift options for…
Tomorrow at Aqueduct the Discovery Handicap, named for Alfred G. Vanderbilt’s magnificent colt, will be run for the 66th time. A look at its past winners shows two horses whose victories came a generation apart but to whom American racing fans formed a profound attachment that may have reached its pinnacle on October 15, 1983.…
The Christmas carols were blasting jovially from speakers throughout the Woodbury Commons outlets on Saturday; beyond the annoyance of the inundation when Thanksgiving was still ten days away, I felt a frisson of guilt with every reference to the joy of giving, as I was shopping pretty much exclusively for myself. Sometimes, though, an early…
In the Aqueduct post yesterday, I meant to include this terrific article by Mike Jarboe from March 2001. Writing in the Times Union, Jarboe evinces an infectious affection for the homely (in both senses of the word) track. Saratogians and other Capital District residents: looking for a way to celebrate Hallowe’en and contribute to a…
Every Saturday, Jennifer Montfort goes to the track. She gets there early, heading to the backstretch and making her rounds, checking in with her “regulars”: the trainers that she sees every week, with whom she works to place horses whose life on the track is nearing its end. Jennifer is a CANTER NE (Communication Alliance…
Back in August, when Commentator’s retirement was announced, I wrote a column for the Saratogian expressing my wish for an upstate New York home for retired Thoroughbreds. Through various channels I hear that perhaps such a home is in the works, but for now, the two biggest retirement farms are located in the Bluegrass: the…
Some follow-ups from the weekend: An entirely accidental series of clicks led me to the following information about Pappy’s Double H. Pappy’s Double H was named in honor of Charles R. Wood by his daughter Charlene.Charlie Wood was co-founder with Paul Newman of the Double H Ranch a Hole inthe Wall Gang Camp for critically…
Brooklyn Backstretch 