She’s as closely associated with Churchill Downs as the twin spires, but though she’s been a proud resident of the bluegrass for decades, Jill Byrne is a product of Virginia, her childhood spent at one of the Mid-Atlantic’s premier racing facilities, the pedigree of which might even challenge that of the historic track in Louisville…
In the summer of 2003, Dr. Patricia Hogan treated a chestnut 2-year-old who had arrived at her New Jersey clinic with his head practically smashed in. Yet to make his first start, the colt was trying to earn his gate card when he instead crashed into the starting gate, badly injuring his eye and the…
Fourteen years ago, Thoroughbred trainer Dominick Imperio decided to give the woman who would become his daughter-in-law a special birthday present: a yearling. “My husband told me to give it back,” said Elizabeth Loftus, who goes by Libby and who eventually married Dominick’s son, Michael. “He likes to blame me for dragging us back into…
On January 16, Sheila Rosenblum stood on the stage at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida, clutching a statue of Eclipse, the legendary 18th century racehorse for which Thoroughbred racing’s highest awards are named. Moments before, her six-year-old mare La Verdad had been named 2015 champion female sprinter, and if there had been any doubt before…
“COASTAL MOON tracked the pace setters most of the way, asked for run turning for home but was overwhelmed by outside runner, lost ground but fought back with a game performance… REBEL SPY trailed well off the rest of the field and hit his best stride late… RED POND was through after half a mile.”…
Whenever I write about women and racing, I can count on getting at least two reactions. One is the private messages, texts, and phone calls from women, the ones in which women share their experiences (“but please don’t write this … I want to keep working in the industry”) about unequal pay, about harassment, about…
It was practically dark when post time for the last race at Belmont Park rolled around Oct. 3. A dismal, cold, wet early fall day on which a half-dozen graded stakes races had been run was nearly at an end, and following the running of the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (gr. I), the already sparse crowd had…
At 5:35 a.m., Keri Wolfsont responds to a direct message within seconds. Every morning’s busy, but this one is particularly so, the eve of the Colonial Cup card in Camden, where she and a half dozen equine charges await tomorrow’s races. The assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, Wolfsont is based at his…
On the Friday of Breeders’ Cup weekend, Sophie Doyle was enjoying a rare recreational day at the racetrack. She’d been out in the morning as usual to work horses at Keeneland, then traded her riding clothes for a dress and heels to watch her brother James ride Birchwood in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf for…
If you need someone to run your barn, to do some legs, or to run a horse for you, on the flat or over jumps, you might want to give Tiffany Webb a call. You could also call her if you need a little legal advice, or if you need someone to build a racecar…
Brooklyn Backstretch 