Saratoga Race Course opened on August 3rd, 1863. It stands as one of America’s oldest and most prestigious sporting venues and remains the oldest major thoroughbred track still in continuous operation. The track was born from the vision of John Morrissey, a former bare-knuckle boxing champion who organized the first thoroughbred races during the Civil War. Today, the track encompasses over 350 acres and remains … Continue reading Historic Saratoga Race Course
The 2026 Belmont Stakes is Saturday, June 6th. As a matter of course the race is usually the final leg of racing’s Triple Crown, usually that is, unless a global pandemic upsets the order of things. The race typically is held at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY but that location is still undergoing a major renovation. The past three years this construction at Belmont necessitated the shifting of its signature … Continue reading Belmont Stakes Basics
This is the time on the calendar when Derby hopefuls should be concentrating on two-turn preps and qualifying points. The Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct Park on Saturday is a bit counter intuitive to this thinking. The Gotham is contested as a one-turn mile; however, the winner does receive 50 Derby qualifying points, a total that should be good enough for a spot in The Run for … Continue reading Who Wins The Gotham Stakes?
SANTA CLAUS (foaled in 1961) was a British-bred Irish trained racehorse and sire. As a three-year-old in 1964 the dark-coated bay stallion had his best year on the turf. There is no doubt that, back in the day, SANTA CLAUS brought a lot of joy (and cash) to the older boys and girls that believed in him. His most notable achievements were Winning the Irish 200 Guineas Stakes, as well … Continue reading Santa Hoofs
It appears the New York jockey colony and NYRA have, at least for the moment, reached an accord as racing resumed at Aqueduct Park on Thursday. Saturday at Aqueduct brings us the 2025 edition of the $500,000, Grade 2 Cigar Mile Handicap. Held around one turn, the Cigar Mile has long been an important race in the dirt mile division since its inaugural running in 1988 … Continue reading Who Wins The Cigar Mile?
If NYRA and the New York jockey colony can reach some form of an accord on Thursday, Aqueduct Park has a good card come Saturday. One of the feature races is the Grade 2, $250,000 dollar Remsen Stakes. 2-year-olds will be tested around two turns at a 1 1/8-mile distance with the top five finishers being awarded Kentucky Derby qualifying points. Here is a brief … Continue reading Who Wins The Remsen Stakes?
It was a short card at Aqueduct on Sunday. The New York jockey colony refused to ride after the first race because of a number of recent problems they have said they were having with NYRA management. The latest episode occurred around the time of the first race when the jockeys learned that NYRA Assistant Clerk of Scales Brian Pochman was told to leave work … Continue reading Another Blackeye For NYRA
Trainer Max Hirsch was a titan in the sport of horse racing. He won the 1934 Travers Stakes with OBSERVANT. He trained 1936 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner BOLD VENTURE. He was well on his way to a Hall of Fame career. In 1934 he had recently become the trainer for the King Ranch, which would soon be one of the most successful stables in America. That year Hirsch’s … Continue reading It Was A Happy & Fast Thanksgiving
Today the Daily Racing Blog is going to take a look at the fun, inexpensive, and sometimes prosperous wager called the Superfecta. It’s unique among exotic bets in that it can be played for as little as 10 cents at most tracks. The objective of a Superfecta is to pick the top four finishers in a race. There must be at least five wagering interests in a … Continue reading Fun With Superfectas
The leading candidate for Horse of the Year- SOVEREIGNTY will not run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Del Mar. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said on Wednesday morning that the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner will be scratched from Saturday’s contest due to a fever. “He was good 24 hours ago. … But then by yesterday afternoon, by seven o’clock … Continue reading Sovereignty Ruled Out Of The Classic
