The 2020 racing season is here. And if this is the year you’ve vowed to make your first visit to a racetrack, you may be wondering what to wear exactly. It’s always embarrassing to arrive somewhere and realize that you’re either completely over- or under-dressed. Pop culture sends us mixed signals: either you’re supposed to dress like Eliza Doolittle heading to Ascot in My Fair … Continue reading What To Wear, What To Wear ?
A couple of weeks ago the Daily Racing Blog wrote about 54 year Hall Of Fame (still active) jockey Mike Smith. On Wednesday we featured the one-time golden boy, Triple Crown Winner (and fellow Hall of Famer) jockey Steve Cauthen. Here then, in an effort to perhaps appeal to a younger demographic, we look at a possible heir apparent: SIERRA LEONA rallied from mid-pack for … Continue reading A New Kid Appears
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 honored for that season with … Continue reading ‘The Kid’ Turns 60
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced last week that its 2019 race meets conducted at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course generated an all-sources handle of $2,108,126,369. For the first time in history, NYRA generated more than $700 million in all-sources handle during the 2019 meet at Saratoga Race Course, which was conducted over a five-day race week. Wagering from all-sources … Continue reading NYRA Final Accounting
Keene Ridge Farms lies in the heart of central Kentucky’s bucolic Thoroughbred breeding region, close to Keeneland Race Course. The 170-acre farm opened for business in 1994, and owner Ann Bakhaus has watched Keene Ridge grow into a respected operation that epitomizes small business savvy, astute breeding strategies, and a commitment toward caring for retirees- thoroughbreds that is. Bakhaus developed a love for horses and … Continue reading Keene Ridge Farm
Happy New Year from the Daily Racing Blog. We hope that you (like us) are aiming to make 2020 even better than last year, when it comes to the thoroughbreds. Horse racing can be a confusing sport, regardless of how long you’ve been following the game. So in our on-going effort to elucidate and educate, Here is a follow-up to our first edition of basic … Continue reading Always Learning
Saturday was opening day of the winter meet at Santa Anita Park. It proved to be a memorable one for jockey Mike Smith. In the process of Winning four of seven Stakes races on the card, Smith bested Jerry Bailey as the all-time leader among jockeys for Grade 1 Wins in North America. Smith surpassed his fellow Hall of Famer, with Win number 217, when OMAHA … Continue reading The Amazing Mike Smith
It’s no secret that we here at the Daily Racing Blog are always in search of a Value Play. A bit of common knowledge indicates that playing a long-shot is a cocktail best served with equal parts trust and intuition. In most cases, there are more reasons to stay away from these horses than to bet them, so you have to have some faith in … Continue reading Why Back A Long-Shot?
On December 18th, a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives were confirmed as co-sponsors of the Horse-Racing Integrity Act of 2019 (HIA), paving the way for committee consideration and then a vote by the full House of Representatives. The legislation now has more than 218 co-sponsors, which is a majority of the 435 voting members of the House. The bill was introduced in the … Continue reading Horse Racing Integrity Act
SANTA CLAUS (foaled in 1961) was a British-bred Irish trained race-horse and sire. As a three year-old in 1964 the dark-coated bay stallion had his best year on the turf. His most notable achievements were Winning the Irish 200 Guineas Stakes, as well as the Epsom and Irish Derbies. These Victories (in part) earned SANTA CLAUS the 1964 British Horse Of The Year award. The … Continue reading Right Down Santa Claus Lane
