(This was originally published February 11, 2020 at thorocap.com. With that site offline, that link point to the copy on … More
Tag: meanderings
what is it going to take?
i had more hope on March 9, 2020 than i have any day since. it was one of the last … More
an incantation of the present
Horse racing is a game with a past, and it’s a game obsessed with its past. People, myself included, love … More
August 30, 1981
they breatheheartbeat, batteryhay –they are theatre tryoneabhorrent to thebettor, onenotjet, roar, banterthen onebeat abaryon another, to earn honoron the throne … More
the career maiden – #36
In 2016 and 2017, I wrote a newsletter called The Career Maiden. In May of 2017, I resurrected it today. … More
Maiden Win Trends Among Kentucky Derby Starters
Most people who follow two-year-old races have a general idea of what kinds of maiden races to follow in order … More
Horseplayer Confessions: Just Say No To Lifetime Losers
Over at Brisnet, I make my first visit to the Horseplayer Confession booth, and think about a stern reminder not … More
Frontier Red
Frontier Red a bay more brown than blood when shrouded by sweat and twilight only occasionally sparkling when she passes … More
building Catholic Boy’s foundation
When I think of Catholic Boy, I think of the unheralded hard work that goes into building a great horse’s … More
Canadian Triple Crown Trifectas
As soon as Wonder Gadot, Aheadbyacentury, and Cooler Mike crossed the wire 1-2-3 in the Prince of Wales, I wondered … More
The Underground Man, two times two, and Justify
So said Fyodor Dostoevsky in his masterpiece “Notes from Underground“: With the ant-heap the respectable race of ants began and … More
Thoroughbred Insider: Withers
In my latest piece for the Thoroughbred Insider Facebook page, I did a little something different: not a Withers Stakes … More
Thoroughbred Insider: Holy Bull
Today would have been Holy Bull’s 27th birthday. On the Thoroughbred Insider Facebook page, I wrote a short piece remembering … More
final NTRA poll thoughts
I voted in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll for the first time this year. Some weeks were more difficult than … More
A Day At the Races: Presque Isle Downs is the Cheers of racetracks
Of course, the sport on people’s minds was horse racing, not baseball. Deep, stained wood lined saddling stalls, not a … More
Blinkers Off 