Features

By Alec DiConza It is finally that time of year. Each summer, Saratoga Race Course is viewed as a sort of heaven for horseplayers, a 40-day extravaganza filled with exciting opportunities to make money. This meet will be no different, with a plenitude of horses to bet on in each race this opening week. It … Read more

In racing’s current climate of win percentages, instant criticism, training for peak efforts and the generally-agreed-upon-if-difficult-to-prove thought that Thoroughbreds aren’t as hardy as they once were, trainer Dan Moore’s decision to run American horse Inkslinger twice in three days at the 1973 Cheltenham Festival seems implausible. “Nowadays, with all the technology and feeding them and … Read more

Dozens of horses will compete in 28 races over four days at this week’s Cheltenham Festival, but they face the impossible task of matching the 50-year-old achievement of an American steeplechase hero. At the 1973 Festival, Inkslinger won the 2-mile Champion Chase – now known as the Queen Mother – and returned two days later … Read more

When it comes to American steeplechase success in England, a handful of names and achievements quickly find the way forward: Jay Trump’s 1965 Grand National win at Aintree. Ben Nevis’ 1980 National triumph. Flatterer’s second to See You Then in the 1987 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham. Lonesome Glory’s novice hurdle score at Cheltenham’s December meeting … Read more

(Editor’s Note: We’re still thinking Saratoga and are happy to (belatedly) roll out another piece from the almost archives of The Saratoga Special in 2022. Special thanks to Kim Weir and Tyler Frame for the visit with our own Timothy Littau back in August, before the latter headed back for his senior year at Marquette … Read more

(Editor’s Note: Who’s ready for Saratoga now that we’ve moved into the New Year? We feel it too, and figured we’d kick off the season with a piece that unfortunately never made the pages of The Saratoga Special in 2022. Special thanks to John Weber for the visit with our own Timothy Littau back in … Read more

The email came in from Tom Law at 9:34 a.m. on Travers Day with the day’s writing assignments. I drew the Forego and, for the second year in a row, the Sword Dancer. It seemed simple enough. Jackie’s Warrior was a heavy favorite  and very likely winner in the Forego and I had plenty of … Read more

By Paul Halloran Steve Forst waited a half-century to experience the euphoria of being in a winner’s circle photo as an owner. If only he could erase the preceding half-hour. Forst was at Aqueduct Sept. 29 – his first time back at the track since before the pandemic – as a partner in the three … Read more

By Jessica Paquette When the last horse crossed the finish line at Suffolk Downs, I knew there were going to be a lot of things I would miss. At a racetrack, live racing promises that no two days are the same – there is the chance for greatness every single day. The thing I ultimately … Read more

The 20th edition of The Saratoga Special is already old news and there’s always come content that we couldn’t get in print. We were blessed with Richard Zwirn’s “Every Horse Has a Story” columns for the meet and offer up his final installment below. We thank Richard for the work and insight, and apologize we … Read more