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Steeplechase Times began in 1994, a lark of  a business in a basement of a three-bedroom ranch house in Delaware. We had other jobs, other interests, other pursuits. We weren’t sure it would last, didn’t know it would work, had no idea if we were up to it. We wanted to write articles about horses and the people connected to them. We wanted to be like Bill Lyon and Frank Dolson, Grantland Rice and Joe Palmer . . .

It’s time for the Belmont Stakes

As Saratoga’s clubhouse big screen television showed a replay, Brent Johnson turned and said “I wish the racing public could understand. We aren’t doing it to be greedy or overwork him or put him in danger. He’s running well in big races, he’s competitive, he seems like he likes it.”

But . . .

That was last summer and Johnson was talking about his Grade I winner and multimillionaire Better Talk Now. A few races after that replay in the Saratoga clubhouse, Better Talk Now would make the 51st start of his career in the Grade I Sword Dancer Invitational.

Fourteen-year-old Jack Clancy takes over The Outside Rail and recaps his trip to the Preakness with trainer Graham Motion and family May 15.

It is really nice to go to the Preakness at age 14. I went with trainer Graham Motion and his family. We had a table in the Triple Crown Room and when we got there, the waitress pointed us to our table . . . Number 13.

“Oh, today should be just perfect,” we thought. “Thirteen, why’d we have to be at Table 13?”

Mr. Motion ran five horses on Preakness Day. They ran pretty well (a second, a third, two fourths) but there were no winners – his daughter and my friend Jane Motion definitely pointed that out and put the blame on the unlucky table assignment – but we still had a great time.

The spring steeplechase season finishes with its annual stop at Fair Hill Saturday May 29. Full fields should give bettors fits at the only steeplechase meet which offers pari-mutuel wagering. Three flat races, four hurdle races and a timber allowance should provide a dramatic afternoon at the Maryland oval, where the first starts at 1 p.m.

From the May 28 edition of Steeplechase Times...

Mrs. Gump said life was like a box of chocolates because you never know what you’re going to get. The same could be said about buying horses.

Todd Wyatt bought a horse, borrowed a truck and trailer to ship him, tried to return the horse, had to return the truck and trailer, kept the horse, sold him to an owner, got him back and now smiles about how it all came to be.

James Piper stepped out of his comfort zone as an assistant to trainer Doug Fout and bought some 2-year-olds at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic in 2008. Suddenly an owner, he planned early educations, paid bills, made decisions, worried about everything. Now he’s smiling at his good fortune.

Flying Southwest? Look for my program. I went to the Iroquois last weekend, took all kinds of notes in my program (names, numbers, themes, race running notations, and so on), and then left the thing in the seatback pocket in front of me. Duh. The stories worked out OK – interviews were on the digital recorder – but I hate knowing that program is out there. Toward the front of the plane, aisle seat, left side when you’re facing the back. Keep looking…

On the airplane topic, I came up with 30 (plus/minus) steeplechase people on the flight from Nashville to BWI that night. Probably some kind of record – and makes you think we could have chartered the plane, saved money and left on our terms (maybe Darren Nagle wouldn’t have had to fly in boots and breeches).

5:37.20. The Equibase chart says Tax Ruling set a “New Course Record”when he won the Iroquois Steeplechase Saturday. Not so fast.

Jockey Darren Nagle called his Irqouois trip “an armchair ride,” and thedescription fits. Tax Ruling shadowed Slip Away’s relaxed early lead for 2 1/2 miles, pressed the leader on the final turn, drew even at the second-last and kicked clear to win the season’s first Grade I by 4 3/4 lengths.

The son of Dynaformer (naturally) handled every step of the 3-mile test and leaped to the top of the championship ladder for 2010. Third in two Grade I starts last fall, the 7-year-old put himself in control for the rest of the year as a win in either the Grand National  (October) or Colonial Cup (November) would likely clinch an Eclipse Award. It may seem early to start handing out year-end honors, but such is the nature of the stakes division these days. Major summer stops in Saratoga carry some weight, but the Iroquois and the two fall classics drive home any point when it comes to titles.

New Online Photo Gallery posted by Tod Marks.

Good night, Shirt.

Two-time Eclipse Award winner Good Night Shirt has been retired. The 9-year-old injured his ankle after finishing second in the Iroquois lastspring and was unable to heal properly to return to the races. Dr. Dean Richardson performed surgery on the injury last year and after an extensive rehabilitation, the horse’s return to racing was deemed impossible. Owned by Sonny and Ann Via, Good Night Shirt retires as the second leading money earner in the sport’s history and one of just two horses to earn more than $1 million in American steeplechasing.