Horse lovers and auction owners make strange bedfellows. Oh, not those high-end, Keeneland/Fasig-Tipton/Lexington/Saratoga auctions, where well-bred babies are sold for hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of dollars, before their careers even begin, before anyone knows whether they can run. Horse lovers, even the poor ones, flock to those auctions: we stand at the bar, we…
December is, some would say, much too early to start thinking about the Kentucky Derby. Not Sally Faith Steinmann. Her Kentucky Derby musings begin long before the final 2-year-old stakes races of the year, long before the Breeders’ Cup. In fact, she’s thinking Derby before Saratoga and Del Mar have even ended their summer meets.…
November? What November? I’m writing this on Thursday night, and a month ago tonight, I sat in my apartment as the full force of Sandy hit New York City. That night, we knew it was bad, but not how bad it would be. With an almost guilty sense of good fortune, I can say that beyond…
The New York Racetrack Chaplaincy has continued its relief work this week, bringing supplies and food to those affected by the storms. Chaplain Humberto Chavez offers this latest update, printed below. I’ll be shopping for and bringing supplies to them tomorrow. If you’re interested in contributing, please let me know via e-mail or in the…
I received this letter today from Chaplain Humberto Chavez of the New York Racetrack Chaplaincy. If you’d like to help, please read. I am happy to help facilitate donations and drop-offs. If you’re nearby, I’m happy to pick up your donations and bring them to Belmont — contact me via e-mail (on the “about” page…
Saratoga Race Course closed nearly two months ago, and before long, the Oklahoma training track will be shuttered for the season as well. But in a sign that a commitment to racing never really leaves Saratoga, Druthers on Broadway will host a fundraiser to benefit Camp TLC this Saturday, in conjunction with this weekend’s Breeders’…
Here at the Brooklyn Backstretch, we are grateful that we weathered Sandy with only minor inconvenience: our power stayed on, and there was no flooding in this neighborhood. We feel very, very fortunate. Those nearby were not nearly so lucky. Power is still out in many areas, and homes were devastated by water. According to…
Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue is no stranger to adversity. As a non-profit operating on a shoestring in Loxahatchee, Florida, it has faced budget shortfalls and unexpected expenses; it has responded on short notice to requests to save horses. Once, it set out to rescue 25 horses and ended up with nearly seven times that many. But nothing…
How can it be Travers week? Wasn’t opening day just last week? We’re down to 12 racing days at the Spa…12! Say it ain’t so. Please. Say it ain’t so. Looks like there’s not going to be a lot of suspense in the jockey and trainer titles this year…Ramon Dominguez leads the jockeys with 47…
Two weeks from today…I head back to Brooklyn for opening of school meetings. How can the meet have progressed this far already? At the end of week three, Ramon Dominguez has ridden 39 winners, nearly double that of the man in second place, Jose Lezcano with 21. Among trainers, Todd Pletcher has 20 victories; Chad…
Brooklyn Backstretch 