Horse Racing
Breeder’s Cup
It is that time of year when the Sport of Kings comes together over the next two days to see who is the best of the best. It is an exciting time as a racing fan and owner. I enjoy watching those friends of mine with horses in the event It will be fun to … Continue reading
TRF: Good work being done
On Wednesday, Joe Drape wrote an article in the New York Times highlighting the alleged difficulties of the Thoroughbred Retirement Fund. In the article, Drape claims that TRF has not taken care of the horses that are under its care and has run at a financial deficit for the last two years. I have no … Continue reading
Rick Dutrow: Should he be shown the door?
On February 16, the New York State Racing and Wagering Board suspended trainer Rick Dutrow for 90 days for various violations. These include a 30 day suspension for a positive for painkillers and 60 days for finding hypodermic needles in his barn at Aqueduct. Dutrow has consistently trained with a patent disregard for the rules … Continue reading
New York Racing is in Trouble
New York Racing is in Real Trouble New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the state budget yesterday. He made some very tough decisions in order to reduce a $10 billion deficit. As a result difficult decisions clearly needed to be made. One of those decisions Governor Cuomo made was to create an additional surcharge on … Continue reading
Blight on Racing’s Biggest Event
The joke used to be said I went to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out. Friday, horse racing became the punchline to this bad joke when jockey Calvin Borel attacked jockey Javier Castellano after the running of the Breeder’s Cup Marathon. While I was not there I did see the video, and … Continue reading
NYC OTB reaches deal on bankruptcy
NYC OTB reached a deal with its creditors to emerge from bankruptcy. This is good thing for horse racing and needed to happen. It also is a good thing for New York City. The agreement provides that NYRA, owed $24 million dollars by NYC OTB and the largest creditor will run the internet and phone … Continue reading
Secretariat The Movie: Truth is better than Fiction
hoping to be entertained and to some degree have the ability to teach my kids about the greatest race horse I saw in my lifetime. I was disappointed. Disney took a great story as evidenced by Bill Nack’s wonderful book, and made it schmaltzy. Let’s start at the begining. In reality, Penny Chenery Tweedy was … Continue reading
Rachel Alexandra’s Retirement
Yesterday, owner Jess Jackson announced that he was retiring 2009 horse of the year Rachel Alexandra. While this was not unexpected based on her performance this year, it is still bittersweet due to the promise that she showed last year. The fact is, during 2010 the horse was never able to regain the magical form … Continue reading
New York Bred Sales Company Cancels October Sale
According to a press release sent out by the New York Bred Sales Company, the NY Bred sale scheduled for Saratoga on October 10, 2010 is cancelled for this year. NYBSC President Joe McMahon said that due to scheduling difficulties this one year absence is necessary. I cannot comment on the why of cancelling the … Continue reading
What will you do with your horse when it’s done racing?
A recent article in the Saratogian highlights an important point that often goes disregarded in racing circles: What happens to a horse once it is done racing? An owner of a race horse has an obligation to make sure that the animal does not end up in the kill pen once its racing days are … Continue reading
