News

Yo. Get somewhere comfortable because the first Saturday of the meet brings plenty to read. A Diana preview (In Italian “Star of the Grass” goes for a repeat in the Grade 1 turf stakes), a Kelso preview, a Sanford preview, coverage from the first two days of the meet. Oh, and a Belmont Stakes at … Read more

The 2023 Saratoga Race Course meeting sprang from the gate Thursday, beating the rain in the process, and entertaining a paid crowd of 29,102. Thursday’s opener, which featured an upset victory by 21-1 first-time starter Becky’s Joker in the Grade 3 Schuylerville, sets the stage for Day 2 and another 10-race card Friday. Two stakes … Read more

The Saratoga Special’s first edition of 2023 overcomes the logistical morass (Tom Law’s description minus an expletive) to make its way on the website and to the printer. It’s our 23rd season and while much has changed, the sheer enormity of roping it all together never ceases to be a challenge in the early days. … Read more

Just when the Triple Crown and even the whole of United States racing needed a jolt – even for just a day – along came Jena. And Javier. And Arcangelo. Blue Rose Farm’s Arcangelo put an emphatic cap on a turbulent spring classics season Saturday at Belmont Park, surging through the stretch en route to … Read more

The multitude of interviews were over, and Kelly Dorman was still soaking it all in standing in the Belmont Park winner’s circle. Junior Alvarado had just delivered another masterful ride aboard Cody’s Wish, arguably the best horse in training, in winning the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, more commonly known as the Met Mile and an … Read more

The skies were clear at Belmont Park Friday, a day after racing was cancelled due to poor air quality and 48 hours after it looked as if the apocalypse had arrived in New York City. The surroundings, however, don’t seem to matter to Pretty Mischievous, who shows up anywhere, anytime in any conditions, at any … Read more

Ready or not, the main event and closing act have arrived. The 155th running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets headlines a spectacular card featuring nine graded stakes Saturday at Belmont Park. The 1 ½-mile Belmont, truly the Test of the Champion, headlines the day with champion Forte, Preakness … Read more

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival kicks off Friday, after a one-day delay due to poor air quality in the New York Metropolitan area forcing a cancellation of racing Thursday. Things kick into gear in a big way Friday, with five stakes on an 11-race card including a trio of Grade 1 events with the New … Read more

Nobody takes being a jockey more seriously than John Velazquez. He’s 34 years into a Hall of Fame career, a winner of 6,507 races, a leader in every jockeys’ room he hangs his saddles. So when he says watching another jockey fall is ”a knife to your heart” you believe him. When Havnameltdown was fatally … Read more

(Originally published in May 19 edition of The Irish Field) Paul Townend wrapped a wet towel over his bare shoulders and hailed a golf cart quicker than a New Yorker flags a yellow cab. “I’m pretending to be a flat jockey a little bit for a while. We have a big meeting in France next … Read more