tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69389196275824886582009-07-14T11:57:03.403-04:00Reports and reflections on (mostly) NY racingTeresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03118955760148482020noreply@blogger.comBlogger604125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6938919627582488658.post-20711038262038639412009-07-14T10:18:00.001-04:002009-07-14T10:20:13.892-04:00

May your day be full of boules, good wine, French cuisine, and revolutionary spirit. The Francophile in me is honoring the holiday by doing a little historical digging on appropriately-named horses—at least before the Champagne and Provencal rosé are broken out.The chestnut colt Bastille was born in 1918 and, according to Pedigree Query, won the 1922 Christmas Handicap at Agua Caliente. Far

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In no particular order, racing bits that have recently amused me:Day of the Kitten at Belmont on Friday afternoon—and race 4 had “hunch bets” written all over it for me: three Kitten’s Joy offspring (Raise the Kitty, Lisa’s Kitten, Jill’s Kitten) and an Afleet Alex filly. Unfortunately, they were all blown off the track by Will Phipps’ first time starter Mehndi, who became my favorite

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The Grade I Man o’ War leads off Saturday’s tough Pk4 sequence. You better have your turf handicapping shoes on for this one. Enjoy and good luck! --Brian NadeauPlease note horses are preceded by their betting number.7th. The $500,000 Grade I Man O’ War for 3-year-olds and up. 1 3/8 miles on the inner turf.1. Musketier: German-bred enters off his best U.S. race, a pace-pressing score in the Grade

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Not that one needs an excuse to head to Saratoga, even briefly, but a bit of business called me there this week, and I used it as an opportunity to mix business with all kinds of Saratoga pleasure.Mama Backstretch had not yet made the acquaintance of Furlong and Ruffian, so they made the trip with me. She was, of course, utterly charmed by them (and they by her), so here’s hoping that they have

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So Rick Dutrow heads to the sidelines again, this time for thirty days following a Clenbuterol overage that took place in, ahem, May of 2008.Glenn Craven wrote about this at length at his site yesterday; his piece and the Associated Press report that appeared in Wednesday’s Saratogian both note that while a 15 day suspension was initially recommended by the stewards at Churchill Downs (where the

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Last summer, I wrote about a filly who went through the ring during the New York bred sales in Saratoga; she sold for $200,000 and is a half-sister to New York favorite Naughty New Yorker. By Songandaprayer out of Naughty Natisha, the filly makes her racing début on Wednesday in the second race at Belmont. Named Nice and Naughty, the filly is in the barn of Christophe Clement and has been working

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On Saturday’s big day of racing, there were stories to be told, photos to be taken, and races to be analyzed…but you’re going to have to look elsewhere for all of that, because for the first time in ages, I spent Saturday at the races as a pure fan.Adam Wiener of Hello Race Fans and I held a belated for me/early for him birthday celebration at the picnic area at the top of the stretch—we were

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A few thoughts before heading out to celebrate Independence Day at beautiful Belmont Park.Widely noted this week was the pensioning of Rahy at Three Chimneys in Lexington. Ed DeRosa wrote about it in Thoroughbred Times and reflected on it at his Big Event Blog.A number of years ago, I brought my friend Jessica to Saratoga for the first time; both English teachers and Anglophiles, we’d become

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July 4th weekend is annually one of the best stretches of racing on the calendar and Saturday at Belmont only proves the point. Three graded stakes help make up a terrific late Pk4, so let’s jump right in. --Brian NadeauKeep in mind horses are preceded by their program number.Race 8. The Grade II, $200,000 Dwyer Stakes. 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles.1. Warrior’s Reward: Don’t be too harsh for the 4

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Some oft-told stories bear repeating, and as we head to a stakes-laden Fourth of July card at Belmont, the 1920 Dwyer comes to mind as one of those races whose story deserves to be told, yet again.On July 10th, 1920, Samuel Riddle’s once-beaten Man o’ War faced off against the only colt said to be able to challenge him, Harry Payne Whitney’s John P. Grier. They had never met before, and while Man

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The attention paid here over the weekend to Rachel and Russell might have led readers to believe that little else was happening in the racing world, so we’re taking a minute to recap other points of interest:Ventured out for my second visit to twilight racing on Friday afternoon; the Festival Tent had been taken over by various groups who had carried in their own food and drink, to the dismay of

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Turns out that I wasn’t the only person travelling to see Saratoga Russell make it back to the races.Arriving at Monmouth after a remarkably traffic-free trip early Sunday afternoon, I headed to the paddock to see Saratoga Russell in racing tack for the first time since March of 2008. I was on the early side, and thought that I might be the first one in the paddock, but four people had beaten me:

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Jess Jackson talks like a man in love, besotted by a woman he doesn’t quite understand. And to think, they’ve known each other for less than two months.“I am amazed at her beauty and her speed,” he said, following Rachel Alexandra’s ridiculously dominant win in the Mother Goose yesterday. “We have a greater burden because she’s a champion…and a lady.”Even as he praises, he fears. “She’s so eager

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By the numbers:Margin of victory: 19 1/4 lengthsNew stakes record: 1:46.33Attendance: 13,352 (so, some people didn't get bracelets...)Minus win pool: $18,692.62 Full report, with photos and quotations, to follow Sunday morning...

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In its marketing for Rachel Alexandra’s appearance at Belmont Park later today, NYRA has made explicit use of the horse crush with its “Is She The One?" campaign. In my observations, the horse crush is largely a female phenomenon, but I do know a handful of people—men and women—who are travelling from out of town this weekend to come see the Medaglia D’Oro filly. For them, she is indeed The

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The return of the sensational filly Rachel Alexandra highlights a turf-laden Pk4 sequence. Though the Preakness winner essentially turns the sequence into a Pk3, the other three races are contentious enough that you might be able to get a few prices home. Let’s take a closer look. --by Brian Nadeau Race 7. $44,00 state-bred allowance for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on the

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I stopped paying attention to Michael Jackson a long time ago. The music was always there, and especially when the old songs came on, it was impossible to resist singing, tapping, dancing, but the weirdness, for me, overtook the music decades ago.So in June of 2005, I wasn’t paying much attention to his trial for molestation. In those days before (for me) internet betting, I’d occasionally nip

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The racing gods had a mezzo mezzo day as far as we’re concerned here at Brooklyn Backstretch. Miss Saul “broke slowly and failed to reach a contending position,” but let’s hope that she learned something from her first start and will run better next time.As they are wont to do, however, the gods smiled upon one of the racetrack rookies featured on the left. Furlong’s Acquired Cat scratched, but

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This is not a great time to be a turf horse in New York. In the Daily Racing Form, Dave Grening notes that there hasn’t been a turf race at Belmont since June 17th, and I’m sure that Steve Grodsky, owner of Miss Saul, would be happy to verify that.Miss Saul is a four year old bay filly in the barn of Del Carroll, and in the last ten days, she’s been entered and scratched three times, as race

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For better or worse (and it appears mostly better), New York racing has been in the news a lot over the last week or so. In no particular order:--Charles Hayward appeared in Saratoga last week to discuss various elements of the upcoming racing season. In what will be welcome news to many, there will be nine races on weekdays this year, “in response to criticism about weekday programs being too

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I’ve stopped keeping track of the number of racing fans I know who were first brought to the track by their fathers. Count me among them.I know for sure that by the time that I was six and my brother was four, my parents were taking us to the races; it might have been before then. But I remember distinctly one summer night, as we walked into Saratoga Raceway, my mother and father quite seriously

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Let’s take a look at Belmont’s guaranteed $350,000 Pk4 on Saturday. I’ll give some analysis on each race and then throw out a ticket at the end (with a maximum of $48). Please note that horses are listed with their betting number. --Brian NadeauRace 7. $17,000 claimer (claiming price $7,500). 3-year-olds and up at 6 furlongs.1. Duke Of De Buqe: Before you cross him off right away, note there’s

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...…our regularly scheduled program to bring you this unabashed plea.We were recently discovered in someone’s back yard in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. We have two siblings who are still there, with our mom, but we were smart enough to realize that letting ourselves get caught could be a pretty good deal.On Wednesday, we were scooped up and brought to a temporary home, where we were examined by a vet

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Earlier this week, Steve Zorn of The Business of Racing suggested that I write about horses who have been named after hockey players. “Excellent idea!” I thought. He referred to Alex Kovalev and Zubov (two of the first four Russians to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup. Who can name the other two without doing any research?); I recalled Toccet, Dubinsky, Eric Lindros, Sean Avery,

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“I’d rather have this than a Rangers’ win.”So said Rick Schosberg following Giant Moon’s win in the Grade III Excelsior on April 4th at Aqueduct.And shortly after Giant Moon finished last in his turf début at Belmont and the Rangers had blown a 3-1 series lead over the Washington Capitals to lose in the first round of the playoff, Schosberg responded, “Obviously the Rangers season ended much like

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