Earlier this month, when horses gathered in the paddock at Belmont Park before heading to the track for the Belmont Stakes, they walked around an iconic white pine tree, thought to be a part of the estate on which the racetrack was constructed in 1905. Estimated to be nearly 200 years old, the tree was…
When the undefeated three-year-old colt Verrazano won the $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York, on Saturday, he also earned the chance to make history in next month’s Kentucky Derby. Verrazano made his first career start on New Year’s Day, winning at Florida’s Gulfstream Park by nearly eight lengths, and in…
Quality Road made a special guest appearance on Monday morning at Saratoga. After the track was closed for training and the grounds cleared at 10 a.m., the starting gate was moved to near the finish line so that the likely Whitney favorite could school a bit before this weekend’s start. Todd Pletcher, when asked why…
Congratulations to Todd Pletcher for getting off the Derby schneid. Pletcher and his wife Tracy have been major supporters of the Belmont Child Care Association, and two years ago they were honored for their work on behalf of the children of Anna House. And now we can, happily, stop hearing about his winless streak. Pletcher’s kind of like the…
Brooklyn Backstretch 