Recent publications
- Building a better racetrack is not a losing bet (Forbes.com)
- With Mile, Penn National seeks to follow Charles Town's path (The Racing Biz)
- "Welcome to the cabin by the sea": Brooklyn's Sheepshead Bay track (Belmont Stakes blog)
- Hessonite & Lubash star in graded stakes at Belmont (NY Breeder)
- State-bred takes flight (NY Breeder)
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
Tag Archives: Synthetic surfaces
Making Racing Safer for Horses, Starting With the Surface
This Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, hundreds of horses will take to the track for the Breeders’ Cup. One hundred and eighty horses have been pre-entered in 15 races, and if Dr. Mick Peterson has anything to say about … Continue reading
Equine Injury Database update
My first post on synthetic racing surfaces was on September 26, 2007, nine days after this site was launched. I suppose that I can rightly be called a synthetic skeptic; while heartened at the possibility of a surface that would … Continue reading
Summary of the Summit: Racetrack Surfaces Panel
When I left Brooklyn 12 days, 2,500 miles, and 10 states ago, I knew that I’d visit two racetracks, see lots of friends, meet many horses, research not enough, and, probably, write very little. I didn’t know that I’d spend … Continue reading
Track surfaces and breakdowns
It’s been a while since we’ve taken a spin through the world of synthetics, but with all the news in the last couple of months, it seemed time for an update. This is not an exhaustive overview, but a sample … Continue reading
Synthetic review
In the aftermath of the first ever Breeders’ Cup on a synthetic surface, we’ve heard about equal calls and predictions from both sides: “Get used to it; in ten years, every track in North America will be synthetic.” “Don’t worry, … Continue reading
So what do we do now?
I’m not sure what it would have taken over this past weekend to change my opinion of this year’s Breeders’ Cup, not sure what would have made me think that having all of the distaff races on Friday was a … Continue reading
Synthetics panel: the final report
Panel #4: Jockeys Participants: Richard Migliore, John Velazquez, Javier Castellano Richard Migliore, who’s been riding in California for the last few years, dominated much of this conversation because he’s had more experience than the other two jockeys. Migliore spoke about … Continue reading
Report on synthetics: trainer panel
Panel #3: Trainers Participants: Todd Pletcher, Nick Zito, Mark Casse, Dale Romans Each participant began by talking about his experience training on synthetic surfaces. Casse, who is based at Woodbine, obviously had the most, and he is an unequivocal fan … Continue reading
Report on synthetics forum, part I
I first began to pay significant attention to synthetic surfaces two years ago in Saratoga, when I attended a panel at the National Museum of Racing at which several participants expressed concern about the possible respiratory effects of prolonged exposure … Continue reading
Synthetics forum
I’m here at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion at the all-day forum on synthetic surfaces. The first two panels were track execs and vets; the first was informative, interesting, and at times lively; the second less so, which disappointed me, as … Continue reading




