In horse racing, one phrase will be used more times than any. “Is this the year? Is this the year for the next Triple Crown winner?” – Thoroughbred racing needs a Triple Crown winner now and again. It draws attention to the beauty and pageantry and breathes life anew.  If we had one every year, would it […]

This is not Benjamin Button, or something out of a Twilight Zone episode. Yes, Virginia. There are 55-year-old kids. – Well, sort of. Time stands still for no one, but there is something magical when you hear a name and transported back in time. You think of that sunny Saturday afternoon, and the electricity in the air at Churchill Downs. […]

If you have ever watched a race at Belmont, you’ll see sweeping turns where horses and riders get lost. Just ask Stewart Elliot. – A solid reins man who has shipped his tack to Kentucky turned for home three-to-the-good in the Belmont, and like a bolt of lightning. The camera angle changed, and you could […]

It’s hard to believe it’s been 36-years since the last Triple Crown winner. I remember when Mike Battaglia was on the Winning Ponies Internet show, and we we’re talking horses. Mike has been a fixture on the racing scene for quite awhile, and when we opened the topic of the Derby. I asked Mr. Battaglia if  […]

The Travers is horse racing history personified – dating back to when Saratoga Race Course was in its second year and Honest Abe Lincoln was president of the divided United States. The so-called “Mid-Summer Derby” is the oldest stakes race for 3-year-olds in our great land. The racetrack is located in Saratoga Springs, about 160 […]

Coming in shocking style this morning, Belmont Stakes favorite I’ll Have Another scratched from the Belmont Stakes tomorrow, officially ending his pursuit of the Triple Crown.  In an interview, trainer Doug O’Neil cited tendonitis in his front left leg that was severe enough to keep him from running for history.  O’Neil also shared that they […]

Tight security measures for the 2012 Belmont Stakes starters have many wondering how settled in and comfortable the horses have been in the days leading up to the race.  Their detention barn type of lockdown is nothing permanent, and in less than a week, they will most likely be moved out and moving on. For […]

The 144th Belmont Stakes: Pretenders, Maybes and Contenders I’ll Have Another undoubtedly will be heavily favored in the 144th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, like seven of the past 11 horses since 1979 that had a shot at immortality. But those odds-on favorites failed to visit the winner’s circle at the end of 1 ½ miles. […]

Another 3-Year-Old Chases Elusive Triple Crown By GREG MELIKOV Nineteen times since World War II horses went into the Belmont Stakes and a possible date with destiny to become a Triple Crown champion. Nineteen times the racing gods crushed dreams since 1944 when Pensive lost by a half-length to Bounding Home. Actually, Belmont Park has […]

The Belmont Stakes has become a tricky race to handicap lately for several reasons. While favorites have triumphed about 40 percent during the past 142 races, that hasn’t been the case the last three decades as only six won — 23 percent. And 15 winners during the past 30 years rewarded backers with double-digit returns […]