Archives > Miscellany

Varieties of Greatness: Yesterday, the Nadal-Federer Wimbledon final that went to the Spaniard after nearly five hours of intense play. In 2006, the first Nadal-Federer Wimbledon final, which David Foster Wallace limned in words as sublime as the action on court. One example: A top athlete's beauty is next to impossible to describe directly. Or to evoke. Federer's forehand is a great liquid whip, his backhand a one-hander that he can drive flat, load with topspin, or slice -- the slice with such snap that the ball turns shapes in the air and skids on the grass to maybe ankle height. His serve...; [Posted July 7, 2008 9:20 AM]; ---

Happy Fourth: Twilight card at Belmont this afternoon, Ernie plays the tent. Enjoy the holiday ......; [Posted July 4, 2008 2:00 PM]; ---

Around the TBA: I have been slacking this weekend, but my colleagues around the TBA have not: Over on Green But Game, Dana covers ladies, drugs, and players; at That's Amore Stable, Frank introduces Irish Colony and ponders how best to provide safe retirements to racehorses; on Left at the Gate, Alan takes a second look at Derby prospects with pedigrees for the distance; and on Thoroughbredblog, Michael reports on the Oaks and Derby from Churchill. For much more good stuff, visit the TBA feed....; [Posted April 27, 2008 8:45 PM]; ---

Headlines - April 1 Special: Hoofblog rounds up headlines you might have missed: "WANTED" HORSE CRISIS PEAKS IN USA: As gas passes $10 per gallon, horse demand soars. “Everyone wants one,” moans auctioneer at New Holland (PA) sale. “And no one's selling!” Rescue farms forced to mow empty pastures. Meat-packing industry charges rising gas prices all a ploy by anti-slaughter crowd. (April 1, 2008) And here's another headline, courtesy of reader EJXD2: Big Brown sold, to be entered for Epsom Derby. Not a joke: Trainer Rick Dutrow's comments after Big Brown won the Florida Derby. "I haven't seen one 3-year-old anywhere in the world that...; [Posted April 1, 2008 8:45 AM]; ---

Gone, Baby, Gone: Items lost at Roosevelt Raceway, 1977-1981: On March 20, 1978, someone reported a lost box of Girl Scout cookies and a book entitled Physics for Career Education. Several weeks later, a Mineola man claimed to have lost $2,350 sometime between buying a pretzel and the top of the 10th race. (The plot thickens!) Elsewhere, there are missing baby clothes (who takes a baby to the track?) and wedding rings, a birth certificate, a blue and orange flowered plastic bag, mimeographed copies of important files, and a woman's imitation fur coat: "Right pocket contains a lot of keys and left has...; [Posted February 14, 2008 5:45 PM]; ---

Sunday Evening Notes: - Teresa has a great post up on Brooklyn Backstretch about our Saturday trip to Laurel Park. While the day was a bust for me at the windows, the visit was more than redeemed by the pleasures of watching a race from the backstretch, hanging out in Laurel's comfortable clubhouse box seats with fellow horseplayers, and meeting Washington Post turf writer John Scheinman, who had some excellent tips on the local card (if only I had listened). - First round Triple Crown nominations are out (PDF). - The Super Bowl looked over at 14-10. Then -- in a fourth...; [Posted February 3, 2008 11:00 PM]; ---

How to Make Burgoo: You could serve mint juleps and Derby pie on Derby day, or you could make up a big pot of classic Kentucky burgoo: The more kinds of meat the better. Minimally, a good burgoo contains some lamb for authenticity (sheep being an important industry in Kentucky), but many recipes also include beef, pork, veal and chicken. Including local game would put your burgoo in the winner's circle. Horsemeat, however, would be considered tacky, especially on Derby day. Vegetables include at least potatoes, cabbage, onions, corn and tomatoes, although many recipes add okra, beans, peppers and carrots. If this all begins...; [Posted April 27, 2006 6:30 PM]; ---

A Worthy Cause: If you've ever scrolled down the front page and looked to the right, you've probably noticed the photo of the curious chestnut. That's Ascot Doll, one of my all-time favorite racehorses. His career wasn't exactly illustrious: He started 111 times, earning slightly more than $253,000 in claiming and allowance races at tracks like Woodbine, Delta Downs, and finally, Suffolk, which is where I came to know him, but he always ran with a lot of heart and his sweet, goofy personality made him a favorite around the barn. Retired last year with a minor ankle injury, Ascot Doll is now...; [Posted March 23, 2006 9:00 PM]; ---

Catching Up: Now that I've returned from my little jaunt to Lexington, Kentucky, it's time to start blogging again. That is, as soon as I catch up on news, emails, mail etc. I was in Lexington to do some work on my book about America's greatest racehorses (due to the publisher August 1, a deadline approaching with angst-inducing speed) at the Keeneland Library, and while I did spend several hours there, I also took time to visit Old Friends (a wonderful organization devoted to caring for retired thoroughbreds), Kentucky Horse Park (which celebrated John Henry's 31st birthday on Thursday), and Turfway...; [Posted March 13, 2006 10:00 PM]; ---

Odds & Ends: - Jockey, 62, has never broken a bone. "I've had many spills but I've never broken anything," said Nuke Shim. "That's why I keep going." Shim started riding in 1959 and says he may continue until he's 65. - Forget handicapping. Just sprinkle some race track occult powder over your Form. - Polytrack moves west. The California Horse Racing Board will require all tracks running meets longer than four weeks to install the surface by the end of 2007. - Imagine the embarrassment. Given a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream of calling a race, reporter Roger Clark badly bungled...; [Posted February 17, 2006 10:00 PM]; ---

A Year to Forget: Barely a week into the new year and already 2005 seems so long ago. I guess that speaks to what an abysmal year in racing it was: 2005 opened with indictments against 17 people for race fixing, fraud, and conspiracy; it closed with the retirement of Afleet Alex. In the months between, the Jockeys' Guild collapsed into scandal and insolvency, three jockeys died, and NYRA barely escaped bankruptcy. In Massachusetts, Suffolk Downs cancelled the Massachusetts Handicap and Northampton Fair cancelled thoroughbred racing permanently. No, it wasn't a very good year. Bill Finley, Jay Privman, and Jennie Rees catalog the woes...; [Posted January 7, 2006 12:00 PM]; ---

Odds & Ends: In his Lowell Sun column this week, Paul Daley interviews Gary Donahue, a jockey paralyzed in 1986. Until dismissed from the position in 2003, Donahue was co-chairperson of the Jockeys' Guild Disabled Jockeys Fund. His questions about the fund's depletion helped set in motion the changes in Jockeys' Guild management made last Tuesday. --- There's an interesting Letter to the Editor in last Friday's Daily Racing Form from one Lenny Moon of Maryland, who writes to suggest that the public be given information about how horses behave in NYRA's detention barn. "It is unfair to everyone who wagers to have...; [Posted November 21, 2005 11:00 AM]; ---

Et Tu, DRF?: The Daily Racing Form starts a poker column....; [Posted November 17, 2005 11:00 PM]; ---

Catching Up: Well, I returned home to Boston from Saratoga more than a week ago, but it's only the past couple of days that I've finally begun to get out of vacation mode, back to work and old routines -- like posting to Railbird. And just in time too, since the Breeders' Cup is only six weeks away. I see on the Daily Racing Form site that trainer Tim Ritchey isn't ruling Afleet Alex out of the Classic. Ritchey says the colt could be training as soon as Friday, depending on Dr. Larry Bramlage's assessment of recent x-rays taken of the hairline...; [Posted September 15, 2005 4:00 PM]; ---

One Year On ...: Today marks the first anniversary of Railbird, which started with this post: If only I'd had Brad Free's excellent "Handicapping 101" (DRF Press) when I started trying to learn this game. The chapter on form alone elicited many, many aha! moments. My only quibble (and it's one I have with almost all handicapping books) is with his disdain for place and show betting. "Wagering to place and show is futile," Free writes. Oh, but such bets can be part of a sound wagering strategy. When judiciously made, they can pay off quite nicely. Example: In race two at Suffolk Downs...; [Posted June 17, 2005 4:05 PM]; ---

Catching Up: The cable installer arrived an hour late yesterday afternoon, but my annoyance disappeared with the realization that this was the man who was going to restore the Internet to me. Sweet, sweet Internet! It's been an excruciating week without the web. The only way I've been able to get online is to visit my new local public library, which actually has a good wireless network, but less-than-ideal space for working long stretches, and as a result I've missed much news, such as the entire lead up to the Belmont Stakes. Although, through old media, I've been able to keep up...; [Posted June 9, 2005 9:50 AM]; ---

Not the Bloggers: I like Jay Hovdey. He writes about racing with style and feeling. But I feel compelled to correct this one little thing in his latest column, in which he writes about Jeff Mullins and the Santa Anita Derby: The trainer subsequently became famous for all the wrong reasons, when a frustrated Mullins was quoted by a Los Angeles Times sports columnist, lashing out in a number of directions. Bloggers had a field day, stomping Mullins's name into the mud. It wasn't bloggers who stomped Mullins' name in the mud. There are maybe 10 blogs that touch on horseracing regularly, and...; [Posted April 12, 2005 9:10 AM]; ---

April Fools News: Paul Daley of the Lowell Sun reports breaking racing news: In an attempt to allow any serious fan of thoroughbred racing to be able to afford to attend one of the big events, the NRTA announced today that the price of tickets to the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and the Breeders' Cup will be pro-rated depending upon income level and standard of living. A ticket to each event will now cost the purchaser an amount equal to either one-month's rent or mortgage payment. Verification will be through a notarized letter sent to the NRTA at predetermined dates. "We're...; [Posted April 2, 2005 12:20 PM]; ---

The Birds: In a bizarre incident at an Australian track, a flock of seagulls disrupted a race. Five jockeys were thrown from their startled horses as the birds swarmed. (Link via Equidaily)...; [Posted March 31, 2005 2:50 PM]; ---

An Evening at the Track: Alan Mann at Left at the Gate has a lovely story up about an evening at the defunct Brandywine harness track with his brother, in which he scores big on a favorite horse: The thing about Saratoga Stan was that, unlike most other harness horses, he absolutely loved the very outside 8 post, from which he could hang back last and make his late run. When he drew inside, he'd be too close to the pace, inside of horses, and inevitably run up the track. Prior to that night at Brandywine, he had had a long string of races from...; [Posted March 26, 2005 10:50 AM]; ---

Two Unrelated Things: An article by Paul Daley in today's Lowell Sun on Mom's Command, one of this year's Hall of Fame nominees in the contemporary female category, has sparked remembrances of the mare over on the Derby List, including this funny story from Sal Carcia: Mom's Command was coming off a race where we thought Abby had given the horse a mediocre ride. We were waiting for the horse to come back. It was a Saturday and we were kind of having a lazy day in betting. We were upstairs in the grandstands casually sitting around waiting for the next betting opportunity....; [Posted March 25, 2005 12:50 PM]; ---

Keeping Customers Happy: "Whales should have their own room," Shapiro said. "They should have free drinks and a girl in a short skirt bringing them free food." Ok, but I want a boy in hot pants bringing me lunch then the next time I'm at the track....; [Posted March 12, 2005 10:20 AM]; ---

Seabiscuit's Fishy Finish: Vic Ziegel revisits Seabiscuit's 1940 Santa Anita Handicap win: "One of sports' greatest what-ifs took place 65 years ago today in the $100,000 Santa Anita Handicap, which was then racing's richest prize. What if -- and why didn't -- the jockey on Kayak II use his whip when he seemed ready to pass the leader near the finish line? "Kayak finished second and, the chart notes tell us, 'might have been closer to the winner had he been vigorously ridden in the last sixteenth.' Which is racing's dignified way of saying, 'You can smell it from here.' "Kayak's owner didn't...; [Posted March 2, 2005 3:35 PM]; ---

Sunday Evening Notes: I thought that for the next couple of years my goal was to get a PhD in political science, but after watching ESPN's sensational show on the 2005 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship this afternoon, I have a new goal: To make it to the 2006 NHC. --- Rockport Harbor hits a bump on the Derby trail: The colt has a bruised foot. "Despite the setback, Servis said Rockport Harbor remains on course to make his seasonal debut in the Grade 3, $250,000 Rebel Stakes on March 19," reports the Daily Racing Form. The Thoroughbred Times has a slightly more pessimistic...; [Posted February 20, 2005 6:40 PM]; ---

She's Not Part of the Act: Pussycat Doll ...why is that name so familiar? Oh yeah ......; [Posted February 11, 2005 9:30 AM]; ---

Here's Something Nice: To send your sweetie, a friend, or a favorite horseplayer, while helping out a good cause: Our Mims Retirement Haven, an organization that cares for retired thoroughbred broodmares, is holding a special Valentine's Day fundraiser. For a minimum donation of $10.00, OMRH will send out a lovely, personalized card to anyone within the United States....; [Posted February 3, 2005 10:55 AM]; ---

A True Story: Sure it is, which is why no people or horses are named. (Fauquier Times-Democrat)...; [Posted January 13, 2005 5:00 PM]; ---

Sports Museum Adds Racing Exhibit: I had heard that the Sports Museum of New England opened a Thoroughbred racing exhibit last month, but I didn't hurry over to see it because I feared it would be nothing more than a small glass case with a tiny collection of memorabilia dominated by the photo of Seabiscuit winning the 1937 Massachusetts Handicap that appeared on Suffolk's program cover all last year. Turns out I was right about the photo's presence, but wrong about the depth of the display. (Lowell Sun)...; [Posted January 7, 2005 12:50 PM]; ---

Awards You Won't See: But should: "I Forgot My Parachute Before I Jumped Award: To Tim Smith, who resigned as commissioner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association ostensibly to take the top job at the New York Racing Association, only to back out of consideration for that post before ever taking it. "The Bald -- And We Do Mean Bald -- Faced Lie Award: To Pat Valenzuela, who shaved off all the hair from his head, chest, armpits, and pubic area, and therefore could not supply hair-follicle samples as required for his mandatory drug testing, while maintaining his innocence because he had not been...; [Posted December 23, 2004 4:30 PM]; ---

Osama's Racehorse: "The horse Osama bin Laden used to ride now lives in the run-down stables of a colonial-era racetrack on the edge of Khartoum. "Her name is Swift Like the Wind, but a more appropriate one might be Victim of Circumstance. At 12, she's too old to race. Last year she almost starved to death. Now she spends her days in a small caged area, next to a grimy pool of water turtles. "There was a time when the spirited white mare, dusted with gray spots, was one of a dozen prized horses that galloped in glory along the dusty stretch...; [Posted December 12, 2004 5:55 AM]; ---

Today's Oddity: Thoroughbreds, known for their keen design sense and barn decor savoir faire, "prefer True Value paint" above all other paints. (Inside Paint)...; [Posted December 3, 2004 11:55 AM]; ---

The Age of Racing: Jay Cronley notices that the grandstand of a typical track resembles a retirement home: "No offense, but I wouldn't mind seeing a defibrillator next to the fire extinguisher at the horse races. The age of the average patron at the horse race simulcast venue seems to be going up markedly right before our eyes." (ESPN)...; [Posted November 20, 2004 10:25 AM]; ---

Make Way for Wal-Mart: "A Home Depot and Super Wal-Mart could soon rest in the same spot where 18 famous racehorses now rest in peace on Hamburg Place Farm." (Lexington Herald-Leader)...; [Posted November 18, 2004 8:20 PM]; ---

A Cautionary Tale: Of sorts: "A husband and wife, alleged to have stolen £1.48 million to finance a love of horse racing, held hands and walked in front of a 100mph train after agreeing a suicide pact, an inquest was told yesterday." Henry and Eleanor Yearley decided to take their lives rather than face trial for theft and other charges. Despite living in a modest home, the couple was spending up to £25,000 a month to keep Mrs. Yearley's horses in training at Newmarket and elsewhere. "Although she had little success and was told that several of her horses would never be winners,...; [Posted November 17, 2004 6:15 AM]; ---

An Irish Tradition: "Horse racing on the strand is an old practice in Ireland, and the Omey Races go back farther than anyone can recall ... In the old days, locals brought their Connemara ponies, the hardy native breed, and even a few donkeys for a day of racing on the beach. Present-day races have an equally old-fashioned flavor, but with the addition of thoroughbreds, semiprofessional jockeys and bookmakers." (New York Times)...; [Posted November 15, 2004 8:00 AM]; ---

Just In Time: For Christmas: A custom Daily Racing Form front cover for the horseplayer in your life....; [Posted November 12, 2004 1:00 PM]; ---

Bubbly vs. Brewskis: "And finally, horseracing may be the sport of kings, but it's the vice of the common man. The best barometer of that is the alcohol breakdown. On Breeders' Cup day, Lone Star sold five cases of Dom Perignon champagne. They sold 60,000 beers." (Dallas Morning News)...; [Posted November 6, 2004 9:05 AM]; ---

Inspiring Names: "The Red Sox have inspired a number of thoroughbred names in the past couple of weeks, according to The Jockey Clubs Registry of Lexington, Ky., the organization that approves and registers thoroughbred names in North America. In addition to Curse Reversed, Red Sox Parade, Sweep the Series, Bambino's Curse and Walkoff Homer have been registered." Sure to be registered soon: We Believe and Who's Your Papi? (Boston Globe)...; [Posted November 5, 2004 2:50 PM]; ---

Racing Back Where It Belongs: "This part of the Lone Star State has traveled miles since those early 1990s days at little Trinity Meadows. "We still love our horses. Some of us still cherish our horse racing memories. "To the owners and breeders, welcome home." (Star-Telegram)...; [Posted October 30, 2004 12:25 PM]; ---

Ticket to Travel: Major races give mutuel clerks an excuse to travel. (Dallas Morning News)...; [Posted October 28, 2004 3:35 PM]; ---

Shocking Practice: "For the bargain online price of $8,700, any trainer or owner in the horse racing industry can buy something shocking -- an electric cord and zapper that can effectively shock a horse's leg injury into numbness." (San Diego Union-Tribune)...; [Posted October 14, 2004 7:30 AM]; ---

For a Good Cause: Moneigh by Distorted Humor The Kentucky-based horse adoption organization ReRun is hosting its second online auction of Moneighs -- artwork created by famous horses -- on eBay. The auction runs through December 1, and will feature paintings by Silver Charm, Funny Cide, and Tiznow. (Blood-Horse)...; [Posted October 12, 2004 10:50 AM]; ---

Profiles Galore: Trainer Patrick Biacone: "Biancone, born into a famous French racing family, operates a relatively small stable of just under 25 horses, but in the four years since he moved to the United States, he has moved into the racing elite." (Daily Racing Form) Retired jockey Patricia Cooksey: "For the longest time, Patti Cooksey wondered what she would do with all her time when she finally decided to hang up her tack. Now, nearly four months since finishing third on her final mount at Churchill Downs, Thoroughbred racing's second all-time leading female jockey by victories has found she is on the...; [Posted October 6, 2004 7:17 AM]; ---

NY Fall Racing Has Changed: "A meeting that for decades before the Breeders' Cup served as the season-ending stage on which division championships were determined has become the principal Eastern staging area for the sport's movable feast. Although the races here during autumn remain important in their own right, they are no longer the principal objectives of the best horses." Ghostzapper, Azeri -- all the best horses are prepping the Breeders' Cup elsewhere, writes Paul Moran, and the result is a lackluster Belmont autumn meet. (Newsday)...; [Posted September 24, 2004 8:17 PM]; ---

For All Those: Who have stumbled across this site looking for information on the Mr. and Mrs. Walter Jeffords Sotheby's auction, here's a link to the online sale catalog....; [Posted September 24, 2004 8:15 PM]; ---

Can't Resist: Jay Hovdey tells jokes: A man's car stalls on a country road. When he gets out to fix it, a horse in the nearby field comes alongside the fence and leans over. "Your trouble is probably in the carburetor," says the horse. Startled, the man jumps back and runs down the road until he meets a farmer, and excitedly tells him the story of the talking horse. "Was it a large white horse with a black mark over the right eye?" asks the farmer. "Yes, yes, that's the one!" the man replies. "Oh, I wouldn't listen to him," says the...; [Posted September 22, 2004 7:45 AM]; ---

Today's Oddity: On eBay: "Smarty Jones straw from his Three Chimneys stall." Not too surprising -- the auction closed bidless. (Link via Oregon Racing News)...; [Posted September 10, 2004 7:55 AM]; ---

The One Sure Thing In Racing: Pierre Bellocq's cartoons have provoked and delighted racing fans for 50 years. (ESPN)...; [Posted August 17, 2004 8:50 PM]; ---

Garage Sale Treasure: "In his years of treasure hunting at various garage sales, Bill Steele always hoped he would stumble across the ultimate bargain find. Last summer, the Toronto resident found himself in possession of not only his greatest yard-sale deal to date but a piece of racing history as well ... Northern Dancer's 1964 Canadian Horse of the Year award presented by Daily Racing Form of Canada." Steele is now selling the silver plaque, which he bought for $300, on eBay with a reserve bid price of $20,000. (Thoroughbred Times)...; [Posted August 13, 2004 8:20 PM]; ---

Reunited: From today's New York Times, a story that'll make you say aah : "When Tyler looked at me there was that certain look in his eye, a gentle look," Wriston said. "I said, 'My God, that's him.' I knew by the way he looked at me. He had his head and his big long neck stuck out. I put my forehead against his neck and said, 'Tyler, Tyler, Tyler.' He curled around my shoulder as if to say, where have you been? When that happened, I wept tears of joy."...; [Posted July 20, 2004 5:15 PM]; ---

"One Thing After Another": It's like the New York Times Magazine's Diagnosis column, only written by a veterinarian (Thoroughbred Times)....; [Posted July 19, 2004 4:40 PM]; ---

Happy Horse Stories: Calder's Summit of Speed Rocket Man stakes winner, Pembroke Hall, is a horse with one asset -- "raw, unadulterated speed, the reason why he's the king of the 440-yard dash" (ESPN). The filly America America wins and wins -- with walks in the woods, no medication, and the care of a loving trainer and owner. "Mourier may be considered unconventional by other trainers, but he believes in racing a happy horse naturally, with grass and fresh air" (Daily Racing Form). "Through his adventures as a handicapper and a horse owner, Dan Lynch learned that certain racehorses have a way of...; [Posted July 16, 2004 2:40 PM]; ---

Letters to Smarty: A month after Belmont, and the fan mail keeps coming.... Dear Smarty Jones, I am thrilled to know you are training for your next challenge in life.... It amazes me how you run and reminded me of Secretariat and Seabiscuit. And some other famous horses who run so fast. --- Their grace, beauty soar Their hoofs thunder down the track Crowds cheer: Smarty Jones (New York Times)...; [Posted July 8, 2004 10:25 AM]; ---

Not Such a Surprise: "Smarty Jones inspires names for horses" (Boston Globe)....; [Posted July 1, 2004 5:50 PM]; ---

Search

Archives