The Blood-Horse recently reported that a $40,000 grant from the Alfred Z. Solomon Trust will make it possible for Backstretch Employees Service Team (BEST), based at Belmont, to offer dental care to backstretch workers at Saratoga this summer. While BEST has for the past three years provided medical care, this is the first time that…
I think—dare I say it—that I may be in love. I haven’t felt this way since 2004. Then, it was summer love: warm rains, summer breezes, cold beers and lemonade. Picnics, tank tops, flowers and trees in bloom. It was July 29th, and his name was Afleet Alex. Then, it was Saratoga; now, it’s Aqueduct…
My favorite Saturday races were allowances, one north, one south, featuring horses I’ve been watching for the last couple of months. The first was at Gulfstream, the third, featuring my oft-touted Saratoga Russell, who reverted to the form of his first race, wiring the field in sizzling fractions over a sloppy track to win by…
Our anonymous Saratoga Russell commenter makes another appearance, this time outing him/herself (at least a little) as a part owner. Mr./Ms. West Point, thanks for your updates, and keep ‘em coming. Sunday’s comment: “Saratoga Russell is training at Gulfstream. He ran a bullet 5 furlong yesterday. People who witnessed the breeze said that on paper,…
For those folks who have been asking about Saratoga Russell (and judging by the number of you who land on this page from your searches, he’s got a lot of fans out there), an anonymous poster left this comment: “Russell had a stomach bug in January that set him back in training. He is now…
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Tuffy Gold, owned and trained by the same connections as Evening Attire. Tuffy is a half to Evening Attire, and his grandsire, Black Tie Affair, is Evening Attire’s sire. And, alas, Tuffy shares with his half-brother some challenges at the gate. In Saturday’s first race, Tuffy got…
The Blood-Horse reports that Roy and Gretchen Jackson have made another major gift to the Belmont Child Care Association. Gretchen is on the board of the BCCA, and she and Roy were the honorees at this year’s benefit in Saratoga. The Jacksons are major supporters of Anna House; there’s a playroom named after Lael Stables…
Brooklyn Backstretch 