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For some unknown reason, the racecourse vendors stop selling Daily Racing Forms early on Mondays.  Patrons leaving the racetrack after the fifth race are unable to buy a Form for Wednesday. It can be frustrating.  On the other hand, it can be a blessing.Maybe, when a race meet runs 36 days, getting a break from the horses is a good ...

TrueNicks is happy to announce that the Pin Oak Stud stallions are the latest to join the TrueNicks team. The Versailles, Ky., stallion farm stands a trio of stallions, veteran Sky Classic (TrueNicks, SRO); the up-and-coming Broken Vow (TrueNicks, SRO); and Bob and John (TrueNicks, SRO), who recently completed his first year at stud. Sky Classic ...

Today brings the sad news of the passing of the great Genuine Risk, winner of the 1980 Kentucky Derby (gr. I).  (Developing story) Genuine Risk (pedigree) won or placed in all 15 of her starts. In addition to becoming the second filly to win the Run for the Roses, Genuine Risk captured three additional stakes including the Ruffian Handicap ...

The weekend photo contest exposed a few readers as true Turf historians -- not all of the pictures were easy but we had a couple of perfect responses.  Good work Sharon, Ashley A., and iknowitall.  By random draw, Ashley A. was selected as winner and will receive a $20 gift certificate to Blood-Horse Photo Store, which sponsored ...

The morning of the Kentucky Derby, in a corner of Barn 43, all was right with the world. Larry and Cindy Jones were still beaming over the impressive victory of Proud Spell in the previous day’s Kentucky Oaks. Their African Gray parrot, Buddy, was whistling up a storm outside his cage in the office. Proud Spell was having her picture taken with ...

Racetrack representatives are passing out rainbow-arced lapel pins to people who register in NYRA Nation, the new data-based marketing initiative aimed to co-op fans in the struggle to make horse racing in New York relevant.  But the pins are as useless to a racetracker without a lapel as a stadium cushion without an imprint of “Saratoga” is ...

The day began with a race – more specifically, a 5K through the streets of Saratoga Springs to raise money for the Healthy Transportation Network. And like so many of the races at the thoroughbred track during this rain-plagued August, it was lacking participants.Only about 100 men and women partook in the event won by Catherine Rossi, a sophomore ...

Proud Spell (pedigree), winner of today's $600,000 Alabama Stakes (gr. I), is a representative of family 4-m.  Her distant cousin, family 4-k member Music Note (pedigree), finished a neck behind in Saratoga's historic race (full race coverage here). Croft's Spinster (a.k.a. the Widdrington Mare, born 1735) is Proud Spell's 25th dam and ...

The classy folks at TVG anxiously looked on, awaiting Mr. Durkin and his call for race 6 at Saratoga. As the TV audience, the announcers, and the spectators at the Spa witnessed a great stalking/closing to the race. Arrrrr found a spot right up the middle to win his second race in a row. He is on a roll after trying to break his maiden ...

There is a guy named Don who sits alone in a clubhouse box and charts the odds with each click of the tote board.  His is a lost art, as much a throwback as anything else to the bygone days when bookmakers set the line on a blackboard with chalk.  But this is Saratoga, and not everything needs to make sense or fit into a logical ...