So said Fyodor Dostoevsky in his masterpiece "Notes from Underground": With the ant-heap the respectable race of ants began and with the ant- heap they will probably end, which does the greatest credit to their perseverance and good sense. But man is a frivolous and incongruous creature, and perhaps, like a chess player, loves the... Continue Reading →
Saturday Stakes Action at Belmont and Arlington!
Over at Picks and Ponderings, I look at stakes action both here and out east! Saturday's card at Arlington features a pair of turf stakes, the Mike Spellman Memorial and the Black Tie Affair Handicap. Both drew small yet classy fields, but the Illinois turf route division is still such a good group that both... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2017 Belmont Stakes Point/Counterpoint
We've reached my favourite leg of the Triple Crown: the Belmont Stakes. Perhaps the most consistent part of this year's Triple Crown season has been Classic Empire's path being so star-crossed. Unfortunately, he is not one of the entrants into this year's Belmont, as he came up with a foot abscess this morning. However, twelve... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2017 Belmont Gold Cup Preview
Friday's card at Belmont features the fourth edition one of my favourite races of the year: the Belmont Gold Cup (G3). It's graded for the first time this year, and it drew a deep field of 13: seven Americans, and six international horses. It's exciting to see how far this race has come in just... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: Belmont Stakes Preview
It's almost here -- my favourite race of the Triple Crown, the Test of the Champion, the Belmont Stakes. Over at Picks and Ponderings, Paul Mazur and I go point-counterpoint on the entire field of thirteen. The horse in the field who has my #CurlinBabies heart is of course Exaggerator. It would be so much... Continue Reading →
Belmont chat with Dane and Ben
Set your clocks: Thursday morning at 9:05am CDT, I will be back on Sports Town Chicago to talk Belmont Stakes with Dane and Ben! There may be no Triple Crown on the line, but there will be no shortage of intrigue. The projected field seems to be getting bigger by the day, and we will... Continue Reading →
our chapter
eleven names have always hearkened back to what the books of history have said mute tones of sepia and white and black accented with blue checks or devil’s red illuminated manuscripts of old bring illustrated tales of hero steeds though yellowed leaves fall short of making bold the full extent of witnessing those deeds our... Continue Reading →
soundtrack to a Triple Crown
when you're thinkin' you're a joke and nobody's gonna listen to the one small point i know they've been missing around here Yesterday, I was more excited about seeing a horse race in person than I was about seeing the Goo Goo Dolls in person for the first time. I was more excited about catching... Continue Reading →
post-Belmont on WLS!
American Pharoah has won the Triple Crown, and people are talking. Tomorrow morning, I will be back on WLS 890 for a short segment about the Belmont Stakes! I'll be on a little earlier than I was on Friday: Monday I am scheduled for the quite precise time of 8:18am CDT. If you’re in Chicago,... Continue Reading →
Belmont Stakes Day!
Belmont Stakes day is finally here! Maybe we will see a Triple Crown today, and maybe there will be another spoiler. No matter what, it will be a top-class day of racing from beginning to end, and Blinkers Off has the information you need. Belmont Stakes Point/Counterpoint: Over at Picks and Ponderings, Paul Mazur and... Continue Reading →
Friday morning: talking Belmont on WLS
If you missed me on Sports Town Chicago this morning, or just can't get enough Belmont chat on the radio, you've got another chance! At 8:35am CDT on Friday, I will be a guest on WLS AM for a short segment, talking Belmont Stakes picks. If you're in Chicago, tune your radio to 890 AM. ... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2015 Belmont Stakes Point/Counterpoint
Eight horses have entered Saturday's Belmont Stakes. American Pharoah hopes to complete a Triple Crown...and after the prep season and the first two jewels of the Triple Crown, just seven horses stand between him and history. As we did for the Preakness, Paul Mazur and I have gone horse by horse, point-counterpoint style, through the... Continue Reading →
talking Belmont on Thursday at Sports Town Chicago!
This Thursday morning at 9:05am CDT, I will be back on the Dane and Ben show at Sports Town Chicago! I have been fortunate enough to be their guest before the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness as well, and this week I will be back on the show to talk Belmont. Will American Pharoah win... Continue Reading →
