So, this is it. One last week of the 2010 Saratoga Race Course race meet and I can feel the dread of the finale on Monday as I write this.Man, I hate that feeling.As usual, it all went by so...
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It’s a Movie in the Making
How can you not get a kick out of the Lisa's Booby Trap story?Who?Lisa's Booby Trap.You know who she is. She's the horse that got its name for her owner/trainer's now deceased wife and a popular trackside "gentleman's club" in...
The Wit of William R. Travers
When he died at the age of 67, the New York Times proclaimed William R. Travers "may have been the most popular man in New York."He was, in a word, adored.We know Travers as a founder and the first President...
Eddie Maple & The Travers
It's Travers Week at Saratoga and this week I'll take a look back at those - for various reasons - I find particularly memorable.My childhood heroes have always been my Mom and Dad. The list of reasons why could fill...
Calling All Bookies: All Aboard!!
A few years back when tracks had their own pools for simulcast races )before simulcasting got as big a business as it is today), we as horse-players got to shop for odds.Bouncing from one television feed to another, seeing where...
We’re Proud of You, Jim!
Ah, nuts!Runaway Jim ran fourth in a field of eight yesterday, earning Seabrook Stable his third check (i.e. his keep for the month) in four starts and we open the condition book to see what's next.Sigh. And that folks, is...
Go Jim, Go!
It is with great pride that I live vicariously through the beautiful brown eyes of my girlfriend Stacy. I ride her coattails with pleasure and without shame.In doing so I get to realize the dreams of a childhood blessed with...
Something “Special” About Steeplechasing
"Steeplechase horse racing is based on the concept of the countryside's natural and man-made features providing an obstacle course. Horses and their riders must negotiate an unpredictable terrain, jumping over fences and ditches, rather than racing on a flat, controlled...
Fists vs Wits – Part II: Richard Canfield
Richard Canfield was "the greatest gambling asset the United States had ever known." i And unlike his casino's original proprietor John Morrissey, he had the respect and admiration of the well-bred.He was born in 1855 in New Bedford, MA, and...
Fists vs. Wits – A Tale of Two Gamblers
Part I of IIOne was a pugilist. A roughneck, thief and gambler who made a reputation for himself socking people in the mouth and collecting money for mob bosses.The other, a gambler who took to self-education in the arts, philosophy,...