Recent publications
- Miles to go before I sleep: from Keeneland to Charles Town (The Racing Biz)
- Claim to Fame: The Story of Saginaw (NY Breeder)
- NYRA Not Close to Naming McClain's Successor (The Blood-Horse)
- The Ethics of Horsemeat (Forbes.com)
- First Frost: Frost Giant's first crop sets records (New York Breeder)
- Prom Dresses to Derby Hats: Vyjack Owner David Wilkenfeld (Forbes.com)
- Gyarmati takes academic approach to training (DRF)
Handicatting with Floyd…
…and with Imp and Furlong
Madison’s fund for feline welfare
The cat horse winners during the Belmont spring meet added up to about $250, which was donated to All About Spay Neuter, the organization that helps take care of the Belmont cat colonies.
$155, representing the money made by cat horse winners at Saratoga, was donated to New York City Animal Care & Control
Racing-related charities
Recommended Reading
- Colin's Ghost
- Crist Blog
- Fillies First
- Foolish Pleasure
- Green but Game
- Hello Race Fans!
- Left At The Gate
- New York Daily News racing coverage
- New York Post racing coverage
- Old Friends Blog
- Owning Racehorses
- Post Parade
- Raceday 360
- Railbird
- ReRider Who's Lucky To Cope
- Riding Rough Shod
- Superfecta
- That's Amore Stable
- The Rail at the New York Times
- The Turk: Horses, Handicapping and Hijinks
- TURF
Racing sites
Racing books I like
A Year at the Races, by Jane Smiley
And They're Off! by Edward Hotaling
Native Dancer: The Grey Ghost, Hero of a Golden Age, by John Eisenberg
Not by a Long Shot, by T.D. Thornton
Saratoga Days, by Sean Clancy
Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand
The Great Match Race, by John Eisenberg
The Noble Animals, by Landon Manning
Category Archives: Brooklyn Backstretch
Preakness Memories from Some Pimlico Lifers
No shortage of racing memories have been made at the track they call Old Hilltop. That hill in the infield isn’t around anymore, but there are plenty of people at Pimlico this weekend whose memories of the track and the … Continue reading
Preparing for the Preakness: the Pimlico gate crew
Shortly before 6:20 tomorrow evening, nine horses and jockeys will head towards the starting gate at Pimlico Race Course. The noise of more than 100,000 people will accompany them as they step into small metal stalls, standing patiently until the … Continue reading
Brian Nadeau Handicaps the Preakness
Pimlico: The GI, $1 million Preakness at 1 3/16 miles #1 Orb: Kentucky Derby hero made it five in a row in Louisville when he sat off a suicidal pace in the slop, rallied wide and rolled home as tons … Continue reading
A Hope For NBC’s Preakness Coverage
Let’s get this out of the way: Michelle Beadle blocked me on Kentucky Oaks day, after this exchange (you can click to enlarge): It seems a little mild to warrant being blocked, but Beadle can hardly be blamed for … Continue reading
Who do you like? Betting the 2013 Preakness
While no one would suggest that making money on the Kentucky Derby is an easy proposition, at least the big field offers a variety of ways in which to cash a juicy ticket. The Preakness, on the other hand, offers … Continue reading
“He liked this big old track better.” McGaughey on Easy Goer, the Phipps, and Derbies past and present
It’s Saturday afternoon, and Shug McGaughey sits placidly in a chair in the shedrow of barn 20. Intent on his Blackberry, he seems pleasantly oblivious: to approaching visitors; to an impending storm making itself known in stirring winds and scudding … Continue reading
The Preakness: The Lost New York Years
The Preakness is Maryland’s race: it’s “Maryland, My Maryland” and black-eyed Susans and blue crabs. It’s so important to the state that when financial difficulties threatened racing in Maryland,the governor stepped in to make sure that the Preakness would stay in … Continue reading
Tie Break And Me, And A Long Road To Akindale Farm
It all started at Aqueduct, on a Saturday afternoon in January of 2005. It was the day of the Sunshine Millions: a horse named Lava Man was racing at Gulfstream, and an undefeated Florida-bred, California-based sprinter had shipped east to … Continue reading
Welcome Back to Belmont
On Sunday afternoon, a bouquet of roses lay outside barn 20 on the Belmont backstretch, their colors nearly matching the red paint on the sign identifying the barn as the home of the Phipps Stable. The bouquet wasn’t quite as … Continue reading
History And Horse Racing On Brooklyn’s Sportsmen’s Row
An archaeologist by training, Lucas Rubin has spent a good deal of his life immersed in the past. He also loves cities, and he loves sports. In his book, Brooklyn’s Sportsmen’s Row: Politics, Society & the Sporting Life on Northern Eighth … Continue reading




