Recent publications
- Filly Opus A a family affair (NY Breeder, p. 23)
- New York State Investigates Thoroughbred Breakdowns (Forbes.com)
- Notable NY-bred wins: Yawanna Twist & The Lumber Guy (NY Breeder, p. 25)
- Street Life Hits the Derby Trail for Hidden Brook Farm and Texans' Bob McNair (Forbes.com)
- From Horses to Hope, From Auction to Adoption: How one calendar inspires and raises thousands of dollars for horses (at Raceday360)
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
- Ernie Munick's The Daily Me
- Fillies First
- Foolish Pleasure
- Green but Game
- Hello Race Fans!
- Left At The Gate
- Michigan Bred Claimer
- 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 Race is Not to the Swift
- The Rail at the New York Times
- The Turk: Horses, Handicapping and Hijinks
- TURF
- Turf Luck
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
Tag Archives: racing history
John M. Gaver III
John Gaver doesn’t look quite bulky enough to carry the weight of three generations of racing history. Tall, lean, and lanky, Gaver seems pretty unburdened in general, walking his shedrow at the Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, welcoming a guest, elaborating … Continue reading
Happy birthday to Laurel Park
The Friday feature at Brooklyn Backstretch is generally devoted to New York racing’s past, but today we’re looking south, to the great racing state of Maryland as Laurel Park celebrates 100 years of racing. For five years in the early … Continue reading
Good-bye, Jamaica…
Among the trio of Grade 1 races on Saturday at Belmont is the Jamaica, named for Jamaica, Queens, for 56 years the home of Jamaica Racetrack. Opened in 1903, Jamaica was the odd track out in 1959, when management of … Continue reading
“The most successful gelding of all”
“More than any other racing country, America has had its share of great geldings…” claimed William H.P. Robertson in 1964. And Kelso, he said, was “the most successful gelding of all.” It’s nearly impossible to think about the Jockey Club … Continue reading
Effortlessly Artful
In September of 1905, a mere 106 years ago, the New York racing world had not yet returned to Belmont; its fall meet that year, the first year of the big track’s existence, would begin on October 2. And as … Continue reading
“The female Fourstardave”
The female Fourstardave. Dave’s Pal. Tough and dependable. So was Irish Linnet described during her six-year racing career, a career that saw her win at Saratoga for six consecutive years, including five straight wins in the Yaddo. She won her … Continue reading
Mr. Woodward at the Spa
Though the Woodward has been run at Saratoga only since 2006, Mr. William Woodward was no stranger to the old Spa. Owner and breeder extraordinaire from his Maryland farm, Woodward was a New Yorker: he was born in New York … Continue reading
First thoughts on the new Saratoga
On Monday, I got a release informing me that today, NYRA would unveil its proposed capital improvements for Saratoga Race Course, and that tonight, it would hold a community forum to get public opinion on the proposals. Really? Really? On … Continue reading
Bert Mulholland, King of the Travers?
If Angel Cordero, Jr., is known as the King of Saratoga, maybe trainer Winbert F. “Bert” Mulholland should be known as the King of the Travers. No one – jockey, trainer, owner – won Saratoga’s signature race more often than … Continue reading
The Tricky Tiara?
The poor Triple Tiara. It’s been poked and prodded and tweaked and changed multiple times in the last half century; it might be the Rodney Dangerfield of Thoroughbred racing. Even the trainer whose filly might become the first Triple Tiara winner … Continue reading






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