T Loves a Fight at Saratoga, July 2026 This was originally published in September 2017, nine months after I’d been diagnosed with breast cancer, on Brisnet.com. Ed DeRosa was Brisnet’s director of marketing at the time, and he and I had been friends for years; I am godmother to one of his sons. He knew…
Welcome (a little late) to Saratoga 2026. I’m getting back to this after a few years away, after I heard last summer that people missed having a go-to resource for what’s going on during the summer meeting. I focus on: Have an event you’d like publicized? E-mail me if it has something to do with racing…
Well, it’s August 2025 and I haven’t posted anything here since…September 2024. All is well. No health setbacks, thank goodness (knocking wood), and no good reason, as I’ve spewed forth plenty of words over the last year. If you get notifications of new posts, here’s your warning: in what is almost certainly a futile attempt…
Published Aug. 20, 2024 A few years ago, one of my favorite things on X (it was still Twitter then) was writer Evan F. Moore’s daily “Who y’all mad at today?” post. Sometimes he offered a poll of possible targets of ire, sometimes he let people hammer whoever had irritated them recently. In horse racing,…
Published August 23, 2024 Over the last few months, a trio of Mid-Atlantic-bred fillies and mares have established something of a rivalry, often entered in the same turf sprints and trading wins and placings. Most recently, Dontlookbackatall (PA), Roses for Debra (PA), and Future Is Now (MD) were entered in the Caress Stakes (G3) at…
On the penultimate day of the summer meeting at Saratoga Race Course, trainer Mark Casse was standing in front of a television on the ground floor of the clubhouse, watching one of his 2-year-olds race at Kentucky Downs. English Law didn’t win on Sept. 1, but Casse has made plenty of trips to the winner’s circle at Saratoga…
The list of accomplished horses that Nick Sallusto has been involved with is a long one, and at Saratoga Race Course this summer, he added two to that impressive list: Chancer McPatrick and With the Angels . On his own or with partners, Sallusto played a role in buying or developing Big Brown, winner of the 2008 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness…
When Papiamento crossed the wire first in the sixth race at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 24, the 2-year-old colt achieved a trio of firsts: the first win for the horse, the first win for owners Ryan and Larisa Kamp, and the first win at The Spa for trainer Whit Beckman. “This is the Travers, right?” asked a jubilant Ryan Kamp in…
If you didn’t know better, you’d have thought that the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was throwing a huge party, and that’s exactly how John Hendrickson would have wanted it. Hendrickson died unexpectedly in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Aug. 19 after suffering cardiac arrest. He was 59 years old, and the news of…
On July 24, 2011, a horse named Down Broadway made his racing debut at Belmont Park. A New York-bred that sold for $90,000, the 2-year-old was trained by Rick Schosberg, and he finished third by a length and a half. Over the next 19 months, Down Broadway raced 10 times, his best finish a runner-up…
“Don’t fall in love with your horses,” they say. “This is a business,” they say. “You can’t make decisions with your heart,” they say. It’s a good thing that Sharilyn Gasaway didn’t listen to what “they” said, or she might not have had a 2-year-old homebred filly, out of her heart horse, break her maiden…
Two of the most noteworthy horses in recent memory were honored at this year’s National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremony Aug. 2 at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.. The 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) and 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner (Candy Ride ) were the only contemporary horses in the…
As Peter Bradley walked into the paddock on a damp Sunday morning, the security guard staffing the gate wished him a good afternoon. “We’ll see about that after the first race,” Bradley responded with his trademark grin. About an hour later, Bradley was indeed having a good afternoon, when his 2-year-old filly Briland won at first asking…
After posting on X that he had purchased 2-year-old Bellacose, John Stewart of Resolute Racing confirmed Aug. 17 that he had purchased a 75% share of the Audible filly for an undisclosed price. “I had posted on (X) that I’d pay a commission if people find a horse they thought I should buy and hooked me up with the owners,”…
Ask Karen Mort about her life with horses, and she might demur, saying that she’s not really involved in the equine industry. Don’t let her get away with that, though: for decades, her life has been enriched by horses, and it takes only a few sentences for her to reveal her deep love for the…
Brooklyn Backstretch 