Brooklyn Backstretch

from the NYRA gate crew, as they prepare to load for the Turnback the Alarm.

Race 7: $43,000 Maiden-special-weight for 2yo’s at 6 furlongs
Tough race to get a gauge on so check the board; on paper ODYSSEUS has the look of a live newcomer for a solid debut barn; helps that Maragh has done little wrong of late. ROYAL STOCKS had little chance in his Spa debut after breaking last [...]

In the Aqueduct post yesterday, I meant to include this terrific article by Mike Jarboe from March 2001. Writing in the Times Union, Jarboe evinces an infectious affection for the homely (in both senses of the word) track.
Saratogians and other Capital District residents: looking for a way to celebrate Hallowe’en and contribute to [...]

So it’s off we are to much-maligned Aqueduct today. Post time changes to 12:30 from 1:00, and when the horses leave the gate today, I’ll be in a paper conference with a student, and the earlier post time means that it’s less likely that I’ll be able to catch the last race when I get [...]

When, in yesterday’s New York Post, Ed Fountaine wrote, “Wednesday kicks off a six-month stretch at South Ozone Park Correctional Facility, otherwise known as the Big A,” he was only the most recent New York turf writer to comment disparagingly on Aqueduct.
Most of the historical reports of racing that I’ve read are effusive to the [...]

The final Saturday of racing at Belmont came to an end with both bangs and whimpers. The whimpers were weather-related, and after the uncountable number of grey, damp days at Belmont, going back to last year’s fall meet, those who grumbled about yet another soggy day at Big Sandy might be forgiven for their grumpiness.
The [...]

New York Showcase Day at Belmont Park is as big a racing day for me as the Gold Cup, as the Travers, as the Wood. When the stakes schedule comes out, I mark my calendar: Showcase Day is a non-negotiable day at the races.
As usual, NYRA’s got a slate of activities planned: handicappers can join [...]

With New York-bred Showcase Day on tap for Saturday we’ll bypass the Pick4 handicapping and instead give a brief preview of the card, which came up, as always, balanced and competitive on a great day that helps support New York-bred racing.
Race 1: LIVING FOR THIS just missed at this level in his last and a [...]

Every Saturday, Jennifer Montfort goes to the track. She gets there early, heading to the backstretch and making her rounds, checking in with her “regulars”: the trainers that she sees every week, with whom she works to place horses whose life on the track is nearing its end.
Jennifer is a CANTER NE (Communication Alliance to [...]

Back in August, when Commentator’s retirement was announced, I wrote a column for the Saratogian expressing my wish for an upstate New York home for retired Thoroughbreds. Through various channels I hear that perhaps such a home is in the works, but for now, the two biggest retirement farms are located in the Bluegrass: the [...]