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 […]
On a cold and blustery afternoon, I walked past the ancient Sycamore tree and the familiar scent of horses caught my nostrils. Walking across the paddock area, and feeling the years of history whisper gently in my ear. I knew that I could only be in one place – in beautiful Lexington, at historic Keeneland. If […]
I was reading a little ditty about the Breeders’ Cup winner Hansen. It is a feel good story for horse owners. His owner is Dr. Kendall Hansen, and he has a big barn of two runners. His stark white colt by Tapit is eye-catching. When he won by a scary 1/2 length at Churchill Downs in […]
Keeneland first opened to the public on October 15, 1935 and has been a great center of Thoroughbred racing in Kentucky and the US ever since. The fall 2011 racing season at Keeneland is set to open on Friday, October 7th. Things will get off to a big start with the running of the […]
As the weather cools down a bit and the autumn weather slowly arrives, the major race meets of the summer are wrapping up and other tracks are getting ready to open their doors. After another successful summer at Saratoga Race Course, the New York Racing Authority (NYRA) will shift the action to Belmont Park for […]
Even though the Breeders’ Cup is nearly 3 months away, this has been a great week for watching some of the main contenders prep for their respective divisions. Stacelita: Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf On Saturday Stacelita won the Grade 1 Beverly D. at Arlington Park which is a “Win and You’re In” race […]
I attended the 16th Breeders Cup back in 1999 and didn’t do too badly handicapping the eight races on the Nov. 6 card while wagering on several contests. I had a couple of winners and three runners-up in races that appeared in my self-syndicated racing column published by several small daily newspapers in South Florida. […]
The Travers is America’s oldest recorded stakes race for thoroughbreds, staged in a most historic setting – Saratoga Springs. The area about 160 miles north of New York City began attracting wealthy pilgrims because of carbonated mineral springs. It’s where decisive battles were fought during the American Revolution and Civil War. The 1777 Battle of […]
The climate of racing has changed. We have heard so much about VLT expansion, that we are going to go to sleep if we hear about it once more. But for the folks at tracks that have worked so hard to get them in place, they might just be in for a big surprise. If there […]
The people that we meet along the journey of life are what makes it all worthwhile. I have spent most of my life working in racing. I have done every job except scoop the leftovers in the paddock, but I have not been to work in the morning yet. This has allowed me a great […]
