Season Two of this year’s Big Race Showdown at America’s Best Racing continues this weekend: where I clash heads with six awesome handicappers (Emily Gullikson, Candice Hare, Dan Tordjman, Brian Zipse, Eric Bialek, and Mark DiLorenzo) to see who can stay the hottest through Derby prep season. This week we look at the biggest handicap-division race of the summer at Saratoga: the Whitney... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2018 Whitney Stakes Preview
The handicap division has no bigger showcase during the Saratoga meet than the Whitney. The race takes its name from the Whitney family, scions of the New York racing circuit. William Collins Whitney co-founded the Jockey Club, and campaigned prominent racehorses such as the 1901 Epsom Derby winner Volodyovski and 1904 Champion two-year-old filly Artful. ... Continue Reading →
a rabbit, the Woodward, and a simple solution left unused
Twitter was abuzz about rabbits leading into the Whitney, when Cautious Giant and War Story were not coupled. The move not to couple that pair left a lot of people scratching their heads, and the race went about as many expected -- Cautious Giant gunned it to the lead, and War Story ran late. About... Continue Reading →
Dubai Racing Channel – Greentree feature
Earlier this month, after Equestricon, I was part of a group lucky enough to visit Greentree, Godolphin's training facility in Saratoga. Last week I published a photo gallery from that visit -- but if you want to get another look, watch this feature from the Dubai Racing Channel! Laura King was out at Greentree to... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2017 Travers Stakes Preview
This Saturday's card at Saratoga is the biggest of the meet, and features the meet's cornerstone race: the Grade I Travers Stakes. This piece features full analysis of the Travers Stakes, as well as a selections grid for all of the stakes races Saturday at the Spa. If you're looking for dependability, go chat with the Maytag... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: A visit to Godolphin’s Greentree training center
...it surprised me to learn just how close Greentree lies to the racecourse. Just a fence and a line of trees separate it from the barns just south of Saratoga's main track. And yet, despite its proximity, it still feels a world away, as I learned when I had the once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit Greentree... Continue Reading →
A Day at the Races: Saratoga
The same road trip that brought me to Fort Erie also brought me to Saratoga for the first time ever! I had few expectations for the Spa...but one of the major ones I did have was shattered in the best possible way. Read how, over at Brisnet.
Picks and Ponderings: 2017 Diana Stakes and Sanford Stakes Preview
Summer has officially found its stride. After all, racing action returns to Saratoga this weekend. Picks and Ponderings turns it attention this week to the pair of graded stakes on Saturday at the Spa. In the Grade 1 Diana Stakes, a select field of six -- including proven star Lady Eli and rising stars Antonoe and... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: Hopeful Stakes Preview
The Saratoga meet draws to a close on Monday. The final day's card features one last Grade I affair: the Hopeful Stakes. The race will be a showdown between a pair of sharp graded stakes winners: Bashford Manor (GIII) winner Classic Empire heads east to match skills with Sanford Stakes (GIII) winner Bitumen. Will one... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2016 Woodward and Spinaway Stakes Preview
Saturday's card at Saratoga features a pair of Grade I races: the Woodward for the handicap division, and the Spinaway for juvenile fillies. The Woodward Stakes features Frosted, who is in career form this summer -- can anyone beat him? The Spinaway features a field of seven juvenile fillies -- who is going to punch... Continue Reading →
…that’s why they run the race.
On paper, it looked like just about anyone could win the Travers. That's why they run the race. Sure, that cliche usually applies to a race with a heavy favourite, a race in which people expect a horse who towers on form or class to romp, and someone else gets the best of them. The... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2016 Travers Stakes Preview
This Saturday's feature at Saratoga is a deserving one, even amid the Breeders' Cup quality card: the Grade I Travers Stakes. The Classic-distance race for three-year-olds drew a capacity field of fourteen. The field includes two of the three Triple Crown race winners, the winners of both local preps, and a lot of horses who... Continue Reading →
Picks and Ponderings: 2016 Whitney Day Stakes Preview
Saturday's card at Saratoga features five stakes races, including two Grade Is. Over at Picks and Ponderings, Paul Mazur and I take a divide-and-conquer approach. I tackled the meet's feature for the handicap division, the Whitney (GI), as well as the twelve-furlong Waya (GIII) for turf route mares. Paul takes on the other three stakes... Continue Reading →
onward and upward from Belmont Day
Belmont Stakes day got off to a good start for Curlin babies, with Connect posting an authoritative allowance win. Connect, of course, proved that was no fluke this past Friday when he returned to win the Curlin Stakes. Two others who raced on Belmont day did not fare quite as well. Curalina (Whatdreamsrmadeof, by Graeme... Continue Reading →
it’s a Curlin baby in the Curlin Stakes!
Trainer Chad Brown has taken his time with Connect (Bullville Belle, by Holy Bull). He debuted in December, finished a solid third in a maiden special weight at Aqueduct, then got another five months to grow into himself. He returned in May at Belmont, and came back a comfortable winner at the same level. On... Continue Reading →
