Brian’s Derby preps: Recap of the Lexington

The Lexington Recap, by Brian NadeauThe Polytrack surface has long reminded everyone–horsemen and horse players alike–of a turf course, and adhering to that theme, WinStar Farm’s Advice made the last run a winning one in the final prep before the May 2 Kentucky Derby. With Garrett Gomez aboard, Advice sat in last of the 11-horse…

Friday morning quick picks

Keith of Triple Dead Heat asked yesterday in a comment, “Who’s going to win the Road to the Roses donation?” An excellent question, and one that I can answer with certainty: Not I! Superfecta’s Sleipnir Stables remains in the lead, but the ever-threatening Triple Crown73 is right behind her, in excellent position to swoop in…

A little more hockey, a little racing

Photo credit: AP/Julie Jacobson, from ESPN.comOn Saturday afternoon, my racing friend Jenny Kellner of NYRA and On The Lead wrote to me: Now, THAT was the most exciting two minutes in sports! She obviously wasn’t talking about the Derby; she was talking about the final minutes of Game 2, Rangers/Caps. I, unfortunately, couldn’t really relate…

Teresa Pompay: A Saratoga blast from the past

It’s late March. I walk into the Gulfstream barn of Teresa Pompay, and I am greeted with a meow. Simultaneously welcoming and warning, the meow comes again, insistent. “That’s Rasta,” says Terri, appearing from around a corner. “He adopted us.” Rasta clearly has discerning taste, as the barn of Terri Pompay seems like a mighty…

A little racing, a little hockey

Rangers’ fan, racing fan, and photographer Ian Lozada has found a unique way to link our favorite sports, all for a good cause. Having heeded the exhortation to show his support for his team by growing a playoff beard, Ian is joining his personal Blueshirts’ cause to the Belmont Child Care Association, and while he…

The first few hoofbeats

April is the cruellest month, breedingLilacs out of the dead land, mixingMemory and desire, stirringDull roots with spring rain.–“The Wasteland,” T.S. Eliot Adding myself to the legions who have quoted Eliot’s words out of context, I drove onto the barren grounds of the Oklahoma on Saturday morning. Early balminess had given way to gray chill;…

Brian’s Derby preps: The Lexington

The Lexington Stakes – Keeneland – Grade II – $325,000 – 1 1/16 Miles, by Brian Nadeau We have arrived. Saturday’s Lexington marks the final prep for the May 2 Kentucky Derby, and anyone with last ditch aspirations for the big race has 1 1/16 miles to show that they belong. The Lexington drew a…

Bed o’ Roses

Alfred G. Vanderbilt sure knew a Good Thing when he saw her, especially when it came to breeding. In 1946, he bred his Discovery mare, Good Thing, second in the Gazelle at age three but with an otherwise undistinguished race record, to Rosemont. And what do you get when add a Good Thing to Rosemont?…

Update on Anna House

I first became aware of the Belmont Child Care Association around 2005 or 2006—checking Aqueduct results, I saw information on the NYRA homepage about donating items to the Anna House holiday party, at which the children could pick out presents to give to their family members. My relationship with this organization began with that donation.…