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...
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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,...
Big Stakes on Sure Things
Big Stakes on Sure Things Arnold Rothstein's Saratoga and the 1921 Travers StakesA. R.The Fixer.The Big Bankroll.The Great Brain.You can call him what you please. But if gambling rackets, crime, and murder stories of years gone by are the skewed...
Longshots Spring Eternal at The Spa
Saratoga Race Course has seen the mighty fall, champions thwarted and punters sick to their stomachs.It's what she does, folks. It's who she is.Take her or leave her.It is often you will see longtime and novice racing fans go to...
Jockey – A Short Story
I was the jockey in the family.I rode.I rode 'em all.Cheap claimers and allowance horses. Stakes race, black type and graded. Sprints or routes, turf or dirt. Necks and noses or the length of the stretch. None of it mattered. ...
Thoroughbred Racing in a Different Light
It all happened rather quickly.When we got word that yesterday's fifth race was taken off the turf, I had to call NYRA back and speak to someone else, just to get the information confirmed. It was confirmed.I bellowed to my...
Opening Day 1863, A Look Back
Opening Day, 2010.At last, she's returned.Opening Day 1863 ... just a little different.In May 1863 John Morrissey placed an advertisement in the papers calling for those who want to run their horses at a new race meet. The four-day meet...
Dust off your muskets and pack your ammo
The gates of Saratoga Race Course open for their 142nd time Friday and, following decade's worth of tradition, its first feature is the Schuylerville Stakes.A six-furlong event for two-year-old fillies on the dirt, Saratoga's racing history has proven itself to...