Opinion

“Just landed.”

“Just confirming that we have declared Valdez for tomorrow at Cheltenham, 2:05 p.m. and Choc is booked to ride. Best of luck. Everything is crossed!”

“Focus on your enjoyment and remember it is only a horse race, nothing compared to friends and family…”

Landed. Showered. Handicapping. Virgin Atlantic Lounge. Patsy Cline singing Crazy in the background. Now, Stand by Me.

Tuesday was a pretty big day in the world of football, or as we say in the states, soccer. The day was noteworthy because it marked the 100-day mark until the action starts in the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, probably the world’s most watched and followed sporting activity.

Seven days. Plane tickets booked, race tickets in transit, plans in motion (anybody traveling from Sandown to Marlborough Saturday night?), friends invited (all have said yes, that’s a first), races being analyzed and re-analyzed, favorites soaring, favorites suffering (what, My Tent Or Yours has a puncture in his hoof…). Yes, Cheltenham looms.

Monday Morning. Snow. Again. The long, arduous winter careens on, tenacious, unforgiving. Dictina’s Boy, Royal Bonsai, Three Steps Ahead and Border Agent love it; they gallop, buck, roll, dance in the snow. Loose horses always look fast, puffs of air billow from their nostrils, snow erupts with each hoof fall – call Budweiser and offer new … Read more

Quote of the Day: “That’s right, buddy.” Trainer Wesley Ward, who runs Royal Ascot winner No Nay Never at Gulfstream Saturday, when told he can dress more casually. Watch No Nay Never win the Norfolk Stakes. Name of the Day: L. A. Freeway. In Gulfstream’s fifth, the 3-year-old colt is by Run Away And Hide … Read more

Conversations with oneself on the run – literally in this case since it was a rare day to get out for a good 30 minutes without fear of freezing or crashing on the ice – always yield the best results.

“Don’t read them.” That’s my advice to those who complain about the critics. The critics are out there, they’ll always be out there. Whether you own a horse or wrote a book or run a restaurant or coach a team, the critics will swipe at you. The Internet has honed the knife – sharp and … Read more

Monday night, sitting on the couch, toiling with an article that wouldn’t end, the Olympics playing in the background, a long day winding down, when my friend Mark Hennig sent me an email. I cried for two girls. Madison Holleran, a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, committed suicide, jumping from a roof in Philadelphia … Read more

One from the archives, thought it might put us in the mood, as Cheltenham looms, a month and a day…. Nicky Henderson peered through his binoculars, clutching them like he had caught two rats by their necks. Then he lowered them and checked the infield big screen. Then he picked up his binoculars, watched. Again, … Read more