This Saturday the Saratoga Race Course will host the 91st running of the Whitney Stakes. The Daily Racing Blog would be remiss if we didn’t talk about the Queen of Saratoga– Marylou Whitney, who passed away July 19th, at the age of 93. For seven decades, Mrs. Whitney was among the most successful owners in thoroughbred racing. In 1958 she married Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny” Whitney, one of … Continue reading The Whitney…Marylou
A spike in racehorse fatalities at Santa Anita Park in California earlier this year led to a lot of negative press, and outcry from animal rights groups criticizing the horse racing industry of being fundamentally unethical in the treatment of horses. This sort of publicity endangers the future of horse racing. For horse racing to survive, it has to face its ethical hurdles and defend the fundamental … Continue reading For The Love Of Horse Racing
The 55th running of the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) is Saturday at Saratoga. It is the traditional prep-race for the Travers’ Stakes (G1), which is August 24th this year. The Jim Dandy is a race for 3-year-olds, contested at 1 1/8 miles on the dirt, with a purse of $600,000 dollars. Here is a brief look at the field for this years contest. #1 LAUGHING FOX [ML 12-1] … Continue reading The Jim Dandy Stakes
You will occasionally catch trainers or turf writers referring to a big race as a key race in a horse’s preparation for an upcoming race. This usually means that the race was essential to the trainer’s plan for that horse, a race that meant a lot for the horse’s development. But when you hear handicappers and horse-players using the term key race, they usually mean … Continue reading Key-Race Longshot Angle
When we signed off on Friday the Daily Racing Blog was hoping that Monmouth Park would cancel its card on Saturday (as did other east coast tracks) due to expected blistering temperatures and excessive humidity. Unfortunately Dennis Drazin who owns Darby Development, which operates the facility didn’t see it that way. He referenced a heat threshold the track needed to reach before deeming racing unsafe. There was no number … Continue reading Commissioner Of Horse Racing?
The last time the New York Racing Association cancelled a card at Saratoga due to expected excessive heat was thirteen years ago. That streak is over. Saturday’s racing at Saratoga has been cancelled for just that reason. Local forecasters are predicting the heat index will be near or over 100 degrees at times on Saturday, with extremely hot temperatures Friday throughout Sunday. The last time an entire … Continue reading Too Hot. No Handle.
It would be remiss of the Daily Racing Blog not to mention a big racing event in New Jersey this weekend. The $1 million dollar, Grade 1 Haskell Invitational Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park is traditionally the marquee event at the Jersey Shore racetrack. This 52nd running of the Haskell shapes up to be a very competitive race with several compelling story-lines, the most prominent … Continue reading The Haskell Stakes
The first four days of the revamped Saratoga Race Course meet have come and gone, and the new president and CEO of the New York Racing Association David O’Rourke seems happy with it. This years meet opened one weekend earlier than in past years. In regard to that O’Rourke said; “We’re not hiding from the fact that this is ‘The August Place to Be,’ but it’s … Continue reading Opening Weekend Numbers
The first Grade 1 Stakes race of the 2019 Saratoga meet is Saturday with the running of the $500,000 Diana Stakes which is contested at a mile and an eighth on the outer turf course. It is named for the mythological goddess Diana, the inaugural race was held in 1939. This years Diana has attracted an elite field of six older fillies and mares, each with … Continue reading The Diana Stakes
When I was 13-14 years of age she thought I was cute. I was giddy with this new (albeit childish) infatuation. From 15-17 I vied hard for her attention, only to be spurned for my lack of knowledge and experience. I vowed to get better. As I grew older and wiser my skills did improve and I thought I had what it took to Win … Continue reading And They’re Off
