On Saturday morning, the Belmont Child Care Association will host a Pumpkin Patch breakfast from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. We hope old and new friends will join us to see Anna House in action, busy with the activities of the children, who range from six weeks to 5 years old. In the afternoon, we’ll be…
Barn cats are as much a part of racetrack lore as good-luck horseshoes, and in some barns, the reality lives up to that idyllic image of a cherished feline, prowling the barns for prey, soothing the horses, ruling the roost. Some backstretch cats are beloved and spoiled rotten, traveling from track to track with trainers and…
Monday, August 11 At the track… Today’s stakes race: the $100,000 Tenski for three-year-old fillies at a mile on the turf. Live-money, low roller handicapping tournament. $40 entry fee. $10 goes to the prize pool, with 70% to be awarded to the first-place finisher, 20% to second, and 10% to third; the remaining $30 comprises…
The winner’s circle at Saratoga Race Course is familiar territory for Thoroughbred owner Paul Saylor. He’s been there with his Grade 1 winning filly Fleet Indian, with a hard-knocking claimer named Phil the Grip, and with his champion Ashado, who will next month be inducted into Thoroughbred racing’s Hall of Fame. Later today, though, he’ll…
When Ramon Dominguez retired from racing last year, the reigning three-time Eclipse Award winner for outstanding jockey, one of the lines most frequently said in tribute to him was, “He’s a great rider, but he’s an even better human being.” That characterization was no surprise to the Belmont Child Care Association (on whose board I…
Tomorrow’s weather for Big Apple Showcase Day might not scream “summer!” (mid 70s, partly cloudy, occasional shower, if you were wondering), but thanks to Frost Giant and the good folks at Sunrise Stables, kids under 12 will be treated to free ice cream from Mister Softee in the backyard at Belmont Park. Sunrise Stables, partners…
When it comes to marketing to women, racetracks generally rely on a familiar formula: raise money for breast cancer, promote wearing pink, emphasize fashion, and act like you’re at a garden party instead of a horse race. Black-Eyed Susan Day this Friday at Pimlico hits a lot of those notes, but it doesn’t stop there,…
Anyone connected electronically with Lisa Molloy began seeing her queries pop up on social media earlier this month. On Twitter and on Facebook, on personal and organizational pages, she began her own investigation, trying to get to the bottom of what she suspected was a scam. Late in 2012, a Booster.com t-shirt was set up,…
Welcome to year six of the Brooklyn Backstretch Kentucky Derby charity game. We started in 2009, piggybacking on the Saratoga Special Derby fantasy league, and from 2010 to 2013, we used the Road to the Roses as the base for our league play. This year, handicapper and writer Mike Dorr (@mikdorr77), who writes about racing…
The holiday season can bring out the best in us, and racetracks are no exception. Though philanthropic initiatives proliferate throughout the year, at Thanksgiving and Christmas, racing people, both front side and back, make extra efforts to help those less fortunate. The holiday work of the Central Pennsylvania Racetrack Chaplaincy of America (RTCA) Council and…
Brooklyn Backstretch 