Archive for the ‘News and Announcements’ Category

The Passing of an Icon

    It was 1986, and I was a young man working in the parking lot. – It was a 2nd job, but I loved it better than the one which made more money. – Wearing the windbreaker everywhere and always a Turfway Park on my noggin; I was pretty easy to see.  I used […]

Still Swinging for the Fences

Horse racing was the only game in town. There was no lottery long ago, and you had to travel to Vegas if you wanted legal games of chance. Talk about having your cake and eating it too. – Racing, Baseball, and Boxing were the big three in the country as far as sports to watch. […]

The Savior of Racing ?

For years I’ve been hearing tracks talk about what they need to survive. Not just to make a few more bucks, but survive. – I’m hearing of local tracks laying off long-time employees, cutting back to the bare bones and just limping along. But there may be a light at the end of the tunnel […]

Lucky Number 13

        The Triple Crown has been won and “lucky #13” is in the books. – Justify is undefeated and has done nothing wrong to date. But after the race there’s usually some hullabaloo about something that transpired. – He jumped from the gate, drew off quickly and settled in for a 1 […]

The New Game in Town ?

    When the first words came across the Internet about sports gambling being legalized, they were sweet sounds to my ears. – Then came the first shots of “would it be enough and who would handle the wagering.” – After the smoke cleared we received a new blast of ensuring the games would not […]

Family Fun !

Racetracks do not have the feel of your grandpa’s place anymore. – Where there was once a smoke-filled grandstand has been replaced by a more friendly environment. If you doubt my words, just pack the kiddies in the car and make the trek. You may be surprised. Kids at the track back in the day was a […]

What Da’ You Think?

Saturday was the last big hurrah of marquee races until Derby day. – That’s just fine. It will be here in 28 days. – Was it the Wood with Vino Rosso who caught your eye or the lightly raced Justify who has the racing world talking morning line favorite. Maybe it was the Bluegrass and […]

A Life Well Lived

    I’ve worked at the races since I was 18-yrs-old. I’ve had every job on the track minus selling tickets. – During this time you meet some pretty interesting people. Adding to the list was track photographer Pat Lang. – I first met him when I made my way down to get my picture taken […]

This Week in Racing

Nothing like a cliff note version of what’s going on. Don’t think of it as a cheat sheet as there are many issues that deserve a fuller explanation. – But here are a few items that caught my eye and as usual, the opinions here are just that. Remember what your high school teacher used to […]

Derby Trail – 3/20/17

With every passing weekend the first Saturday in May comes into view. – I have to admit the picture is still a little fuzzy but it is starting to take shape. I’m still leaning toward a long-shot payoff, but that’s why they run the races. There are only 47 days left till post time, and […]