They say that there’s no place like home for the holidays, but when you work at the racetrack, going home—wherever that may be—isn’t always an option. The difficulty of taking time away and of making small paychecks stretch can make this season not quite like the jolly, lavish scenes that we see splashed across televisions…
Old Saratoga, famed as a resort long before the civil war, has come back into her own. A few years ago Saratoga’s obituary notices were being written. Today the most successful season of her history came to an end. This [closing day] afternoon differed from no other Saturday of the meeting. There were the same…
“For try as their builders and sponsors may try to duplicate or even approach duplication of the picturesque Saratoga track and its incomparable atmosphere, there is only one Saratoga. New tracks may come, some of them stay and some of them go, but Saratoga goes on forever. And it will continue to exist and prosper…
Monday, August 8 At the races Stakes races: $100,000 New York Stallion Series Cab Calloway Division for three-year-olds, 1 mile on the turf Low Roller Handicapping Challenge. Take your shot with a $40 buy-in ($30 goes to your own live bankroll, $10 to the prize pool). Registration begins at 11 am near the Fourstardave Sports Bar…
We’ve been spoiled. Over the last few years, the rain has avoided Saratoga like a gambler avoids an overbet bad favorite, but over the last few days, the wet stuff has descended like punters on a Pletcher firster. We’ve been off the turf for two days, and Tuesday isn’t looking much better. Fortunately, there’s plenty…
How about that Diana? Will admit that I was rooting for Recepta (how could I not, after writing about her trainer?), and she sure seemed to run too good to lose…but Dacita got there by that tiny nose. What a way to kick off opening weekend. And how lucky are we not only to see…
It’s approximately 150 degrees Fahrenheit in Brooklyn, and though my ETA in Saratoga is later this afternoon (that might be a little optimistic at this point), the relative cool of the Adirondacks seems as far away and unlikely as a team-building retreat between the national HBPA and The Jockey Club. But post time on opening…
On Monday, June 27, I was driving through the mountains of West Virginia on I-79, en route from Brooklyn to Lexington, KY. The sky was dark and rain had begun, radio weather reports issuing travel advice with more urgency than usual. When alerts blared simultaneously from the radio and my phone, warning of flash floods…
About four years ago, an 11-year-old horse came off to the racetrack at Charles Town, his racing days done. I’d been following him for a while—six years–and the call finally came that his trainer thought he had had enough. Akindale Thoroughbred Rescue graciously agreed to take him in; a bit obstreperous, at times downright hard…
It’s that time: time to try to bolster your lead or make a move on the leader by adding a couple of horses to your charity league stable. Last week Cindy Reid regained the lead after ceding it briefly to 2014 winner and 2015 runner-up John Perotti in a dead-heat with turf writer and first-year…
Brooklyn Backstretch 