they breatheheartbeat, batteryhay -they are theatre tryoneabhorrent to thebettor, onenotjet, roar, banterthen onebeat abaryon another, to earn honoron the throne Yesterday, while poking around the internet for poetic ideas, I stumbled across a French collective called the Ouvroir de Litterature Potentielle (OULIPO), the Workshop of Potential Literature. It was my first time hearing of this... Continue Reading →
TwinSpires Blog: Bankroll builders on the Arlington Millon Day undercard
Tomorrow's Million Day card at Arlington is full of stakes races -- but a cashed ticket on the undercard is just as good as one in a stakes race! Over at the TwinSpires blog, I have spot plays in three of the undercard races. Two of the plays are in juvenile maiden races -- you... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2018 Bruce D. Memorial Stakes Preview
The Bruce D. Memorial Stakes is the only one of Saturday's five stakes carded for the polytrack, and the only ungraded stakes of the group. Originally run as the Straight Line Stakes between 2012 and 2014, it was renamed in 2015 to honour R. Bruce Duchossois (1950-2014), son of Arlington Park chairman Richard Duchossois. Bruce Duchossois... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2018 Pucker Up Stakes Preview
This race is named after Pucker Up, the 1957 Champion Older Female Horse. Owned by Dan and Ada Rice (who campaigned 1965 Kentucky Derby winner Lucky Debonair) and trained by Jimmy Conway, she went on a tear at age four. At Arlington, she beat her own sex in the Arlington Matron. Out at Washington Park,... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2018 Secretariat Stakes Preview
Secretariat's Triple Crown run in 1973 ensures that he will remain top of mind as a dirt horse. Even the Arlington Invitational, his first race back after his historic Belmont Stakes, was a dirt race. However, the final two starts of Secretariat's career happened over grass. His turf debut came in the Man o' War... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2018 Arlington Million Preview
The centerpiece of the summer meet at Arlington is the Arlington Million: the world's first million-dollar Thoroughbred race when it was inaugurated in 1981. Its first running is commemorated with a statue overlooking the paddock at Arlington Park: a replica of the tight photo finish that went to John Henry over The Bart. A field... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2017 Arlington Million Recap
On a clear, sunny Saturday at Arlington, two Breeders' Cup bids were on the line. Though the mid-seventies temperature was moderate enough to be surreal at this time of the year, the results were not: two Breeders' Cup bids went to horses in high-flying turf trainer Chad Brown's barn. In the Beverly D, a Win... Continue Reading →
the Arlington Million: all you need to know!
Chicago's biggest day of racing is almost here! As always, I've taken an in-depth dive, and you can find my analysis right here. I discussed all six stakes races on Saturday in depth at Picks and Ponderings, and you can read those right here: Race 7: Secretariat Stakes (G1) Race 8: Bruce D. Memorial Stakes Race 9: American... Continue Reading →
A Day at the Races: Arlington Million Magic
The Arlington Million is my anniversary of falling in love with horse racing, and I always spend a lot of time during the week thinking about my life in the sport, and its role in my life. It has changed more this year than any other...and in this essay at Brisnet, I discuss my thoughts... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: MONDIALISTE Wins the Arlington Million, but the Rest of the Day Belongs to Florent Geroux
Yesterday was the biggest day on the local racing calendar: Arlington Million Day. The card featured six stakes races, including three Grade I events. And, it proved an electrifying homecoming for jockey Florent Geroux. Geroux won four of the six stakes races, including three of the Arlington International Festival of Racing events. He also won... Continue Reading →
Arlington Million Day analysis!
Tomorrow is Arlington Million Day! I have been on site at Arlington all week watching the horses in the morning, and handicapping and writing through the afternoons. At The Tournament Edge, I preview the four Festival race fields, highlighting a few interesting horses in each. At ShapperDaCapper, I preview the day's feature, the Grade I... Continue Reading →
Arlington Million talk on the BARN!
On today's episode of Jason Beem's most excellent radio show, BARN, Paul Mazur and I join him to talk Arlington Million! We talk about our favourite versions of the Arlington Million, as well as the horses we do and do not like coming into the day's Grade I races. So, tune into the BARN, and... Continue Reading →
Arlington Million Week: Wednesday
Wednesday is when Million week begins to get serious. I have been at morning workouts all week, but today was when a steady stream of festival horses came onto and out of the track. Over at Picks and Ponderings, you can see what I saw through the day in my photo gallery. Over at The... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: Dispatches from Million Week – Tuesday
Arlington Million week continues today, and I was back out at the track for morning works. Today was another relatively light day. Several of the Festival horses went out at 6am, too early for the Metra -- let's just say the Metra won't be a problem from now on, and I'll be out for the... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: Dispatches from Million Week – Monday
The week of the Arlington Million is upon us. Just as I did in 2014 and 2015, I'm heading out to morning workouts each morning of the week. Over at Picks and Ponderings, I posted a few pictures from my trip out there today. It was a gorgeous morning: cooler than it has been, with... Continue Reading →
