My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Although the Belmont was a bit of an anti-climax without I’ll Have Another, Union Rags ran a lovely race, squeezing through a hole on the rail to win by a head from Paynter. Bet Mike Smith wishes he’d kept that hole shut!
Read MoreI’ll Have Another, who had energized racing fans with his bid for the Triple Crown has been scratched from the Belmont and retired from racing after being diagnosed with tendonitis. The sad news came today at a press conference at 1:00 p.m. EST. According to The Paulick Report: O’Neill said he noticed a “lack of […]
Read MoreShortly after breaking from the starting gate, Animal Kingdom clipped heels with either Mucho Macho Man or Munzon, almost falling. Jockey Johnny Velasquez narrowly escaped falling but it took him more than an eighth of a mile to get his foot back into his stirrup. It was an incident that stopped Animal Kingdom’s Belmont bid […]
Read MoreIf you had bet on the top four finishers (superfecta) in the order they crossed the finish line, you could have taken home more $70,000 for a $2 bet. That’s because today’s Belmont Stakes was a race where betting the long shots paid off. The winner, Ruler on Ice, paid 24-1; Stay Thirsty paid 16-1; […]
Read MoreThe 143rd Belmont Stakes will be run tomorrow in New York. Belmont is a track that I used to visit as a child. My maternal grandfather was a big racing fan and I happily tagged along with him whenever I was invited. I never went for the big race, but it didn’t matter to me […]
Read MoreUncharacteristically for me I missed watching the Belmont live. Perhaps it was because there was no chance of a Triple Crown winner, or that that there just wasn’t very much hype about the race this year. Certainly it wasn’t because I was doing something more interesting . . . I was, in fact, shepherding my […]
Read MoreAnother “Bird” won the Belmont Stakes. Summer Bird, the half brother of Mine That Bird showed that Birdstone is passing along serious speed and stamina to his prodigy. In 2004, Birdstone upset Smarty Jones by winning the Belmont. His stud fee (up until now) has been $10K. But I suspect that will change. Here’s Birdstone […]
Read MoreIt’s amazing how many horse racing terms and idioms have snuck into every day speech. Here are a few. Out of the gate: We talk about how someone does at the start of an activity, like breaking from the starting gate. Jockey for position: If you’ve watched the first two legs of the triple crown, […]
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