Ours is a sport with a lexicon all its own. People unfamiliar with horse racing would be surprised to learn that some expressions still being used today have their origins based in the sport of kings. So, let’s get out of the gate and take a look at a sampling: ACROSS THE BOARD. Meaning pertaining to all categories or things, originated around 1903 as a … Continue reading Popular Horse Racing Phrases
The adage says that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So too, is wagering Value. As much as ascertaining Value is a key element in handicapping a race, it’s as subjective as any other part of trying to pick a Winner. There might not be a clear-cut answer, yet that doesn’t mean it should be ignored. What could be an overlay to one … Continue reading Looking For Value
The Daily Racing Blog wishes the incomparable Johnny Velazquez a belated Happy Birthday. The Hall Of Fame jockey celebrated his 51st lap around the solar track yesterday (Thanksgiving). A native of Puerto Rico, Johnny V as he’s affectionately known, is Thoroughbred racing’s all-time leading money Winning jockey, with career purse earnings of more than $446 million from 6,357 Wins. A Winner of three Kentucky Derbies, Velazquez has Won … Continue reading Belated Birthday Greetings
Thursday is Thanksgiving in America. A day to gather with family and friends, to enjoy each others company while being grateful for the opportunity to do so. As horse loving people it’s a good time to reflect on the sport and the equine athletes that draw us to the flame. Explaining the fundamental magic of horses is a large undertaking. But here are some folks … Continue reading Horse Gratitude
The 12th and final race of the card, on the last day of racing at Saratoga this summer was also the last call at The Spa for track announcer John Imbriale. Imbriale will retire as NYRA’s full-time track announcer at the end of 2022. While he will step away from the microphone at Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct Racetrack, Imbriale will continue to serve as … Continue reading New NYRA Announcers
As teenagers, some/most youngsters tend to think the world is their oyster. Not so for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. He did not dream big as a youth. “I was 18 years old and hauling horses around in a two-horse trailer to the bush tracks,” recalled the native of Mobridge, South Dakota. “I never imagined training for anybody else other than myself.” As the son of a Veteran, … Continue reading Mr. Bill Mott
Monday we wrote about the racing rivals, today The rider. Over four decades (can that be right?) removed from his sensational jockey career, Steve Cauthen lives the life of a typical Thoroughbred insider in his hometown of Verona in Northern Kentucky. Best known for capturing the 1978 Triple Crown aboard AFFIRMED, Cauthen had established himself as a potential superstar in his first full year as a jockey in 1977. He was … Continue reading The Kid Is 62
There are lots of so-called rivalries in sports. But there are few whose status lives on and can stand up to the test of time. It is one small three letter word that is the barometer for these athletic battles that grow more legendary with each passing generation. That word? AND. It’s just that simple. Whenever you cannot name one participant without the reflexive action … Continue reading AFFIRMED & ALYDAR
Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is observed annually on November 11th to honor military veterans. Perhaps the most largely unrecognized, and sometimes altogether forgotten veterans are the horses that served alongside the soldiers. Throughout the United States’ military history, the horse played an indispensable role. In wartime, the horse was used to transport cavalry troops, supplies, and artillery weapons as well as for charges, scouting, … Continue reading Decorated Veteran
The Fair Grounds Race Course is one of the oldest operating racetracks in America. It is located in historic Mid-City on Gentilly Blvd. in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has a long, complicated history that has seen it rise from the ashes of war, development, flood and fire. The grounds upon which Fair Grounds currently sits has been the site of horse racing since before the … Continue reading Racing At Fairgrounds
