On Saturday afternoon at Charles Town, an odds-on favorite with a big fan base went to the gate. She was expected to be an easy winner; after all, she’d won eight in a row, and 14 of her last 15. Her lone loss in that stretch came at Mountaineer, one of only four starts in…
You don’t have to drive very far outside of the city of Baltimore to arrive in Maryland hunt country. Within 10 miles of the city proper, development gives way to farms; go a little further, and you’re in the heart of Maryland horse country, where races have been held for over a century. Thousands of…
Horse racing is not known for embracing new technology–only within the last few years have fans been able to view races in high-definition—and staying true to past performance lines, the sport’s individuals and institutions were both initially slow to establish a presence on social media. Even now, some of racing’s biggest presences in real life—people…
As Leeanne Meadows Ladin and the rest of the staff of The Meadow prepared to throw a party for the 45th anniversary of Secretariat’s birth this weekend, they got a piece of news that gave them even more to celebrate. (And yes, that’s her real name. Nomenclature is destiny?) On March 19, Ladin, who is…
At 6 am on Tuesday, February 24, temperatures in the greater Baltimore area hovered in the single digits. Though classified as below normal for the region, they were all too normal in this winter of 2015, when words like “polar vortex” and “Siberian express” and “biting wind” have become an unwelcome entry into the vernacular.…
In January of 2013, did you watch Bullet Catcher run down Route 1 in Maryland, followed closely by jockey Abel Castellano, tracking the horse in his car? A few months later, did you observe Spicer Cub’s terrifying trip (above), en route to finishing second at Pimlico? Did you ever look for a free race replay…
“Can I call you back in a little while?” asked Barbara Luna on a recent wet, cold afternoon. “It’s miserable here, and I want to get the horses fed.” An hour later, the horses taken care of, Luna can talk. Which she does, willingly, at length, telling the story of how she made a dream…
As an 89-pound high school freshman on the wrestling team, Kelly Breen dreamed about being a jockey. Growing up in Old Bridge, New Jersey, he went to nearby Monmouth Park with his family, and though small and light enough to think he’d have a shot, he realized that he’d unlikely be able to develop the…
The first time Roadhog ran in the Maryland Million Turf, in 2011, said his trainer Lizzie Merryman, nobody really expected him to win. And he didn’t, finishing seventh, though as the narrow second choice, he had obviously garnered the support of a large segment of the wagering public. But on Saturday, when Roadhog goes to…
“Jack on the Rocks roars back to win under Sheldon Russell! It’s Sheldon Russell—make his a double on Maryland Million Day! Jack on the Rocks!” That call by Dave Rodman is one of Richie Munk’s favorite racing memories, and he’s got no shortage of them from which to choose. Munk has nearly 20 years in…
Brooklyn Backstretch 