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At about 10:00 PM Friday a storm came through to darken portions of Broadway and cool things off through the region.  The lightning ran sideways in the North, where the streaks of electricity must have traveled from peak to Adirondack mountain peak. On Saturday morning, 1200 runners in the annual Silks ‘n Satins 5K to benefit Special ...

Steam began rising from sidewalks as street lamps dimmed with the dawning of opening day. Dogs were walking their people by 6:00 AM. The streets emptied of canines and humans two hours later, the temperatures too high for staying outside. Activity ceased at Oklahoma, as if a neutron bomb struck. New NYRA CEO Chris Kay didn’t deserve such a ...

The Triple Crown. As the years expand into decades, the feat of sweeping the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes becomes more Herculean with each failed attempt, and those three words begin to take on more of a mystical quality. While not as elusive at the Holy Grail, the quest to obtain the Triple Crown trophy and rediscover the ...

In the spring of 1969, a magical seed was planted in the equine garden known as The Meadow, located in Caroline County, Va., just north of Richmond. From that seed the following spring would sprout a legendary creature who would one day transcend the Sport of Kings and forever alter the course of racing history. But the harsh winds of 30 ...

For as long as one can remember, July 4th has been synonymous with the Suburban Handicap. But unlike the 1 1/8-mile grade II race that is run now, the Suburban of old was one of the premier races in America, serving as the second leg of the once prestigious Handicap Triple Crown. And back then, a handicap was truly a handicap; not the feeble ...

In 1998, I made several visits to Michael Dickinson’s Tapeta Farm and witnessed first-hand the struggle Dickinson and his crew had getting Da Hoss back to the Breeders’ Cup Mile off only one minor race in two years. I wound up covering the Mile; my final assignment for the newly purchased DRF, for whom I had worked for 29 years. My family and ...

I’ll never forget the night my father walked into my bedroom and asked me a question that would change my life forever. I had left Wall Street and had been out of work for nine months. My mother no longer was speaking to me, and my father finally came in and asked me point blank what I wanted to do with my life. “What are you interested in; ...

Let’s try and get through this with as little pain as possible. If you think you can nail this year’s Belmont Stakes winner through conventional handicapping methods you’re most likely in for a rude awakening. But in our case the alternative is a blank space where the Friday column should be.You can decipher all this in whatever manner you choose, ...

Here are some of the players in one of the most perplexing Belmont Stakes in years. Jennifer Patterson is happy with the way Orb has been training, as is trainer Shug McGaughey. The Kentucky Derby winner had a spirited gallop Thursday morning in which he was feeling good down the stretch. Trainer Wayne Lukas and Oxbow have become quite a ...

Now that the post positions for the Belmont Stakes have been drawn, we at least can make an educated guess on how the race might be run. But we still have track condition to consider, and at this point it looks as if we are going to have a wet track on Saturday. But to what degree, and if it is sloppy, what type of slop are we going to get? Those ...