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For a Friday that was billed as a ''Party at the Spa,'' things got off to a traumatic start. A horse was euthanized after breaking down in the first race. A horse had a heart attack and died in the second. Jockey Kent Desormeaux broke a bone in his neck.Only six New York-bred fillies partook in the $70,000 Saratoga Dew. The stake was supposed to ...

Among the promising newcomers that this Saratoga season has produced are Stay Thirsty, Valiant Passion, Uncle Mo and Nicole Russo. Only Russo’s a human.  She’s the 23-year-old turf writer from the Rochester, NY area who has caught on at The Pink Sheet. Russo’s daily reports on the two-year-olds continue to constitute a reading ...

Fall is the busiest time of year for sports in the U.S.  Football dominates the sports landscape for sure, but baseball continues well into the fall, and the basketball season cranks up early in November.  There’s hockey on the calendar, too.  Horse racing also has a major place on the sports calendar in the fall.  The last ...

Horse trailers the size of the noisy semis that ruin small talk in the sidewalk cafes of Broadway are beginning to appear on the backstretch. From up high in the grandstand, you can watch them come and go with a good pair of 7 x 50s.  Except for the impression left by the guy driving – a wiry dude in a wife-beater and ball cap and a Marlboro ...

This year's Perfect Trip Award will recognize a Breeders' Cup Challenge race winner from this season's North American races that best exemplifies a ''Perfect Trip''. The winner will be selected from a panel of racing experts and will have the opportunity to experience his or her own ''Perfect Trip'' through Sentient Jet, with ...

By William Shanklin  The word “great” is a recurring exaggeration in the current media age. Athletes, entertainers, and pedestrian successes are so routinely referred to with this superlative that the potency of the word has been diluted. An illustrious blue-blooded racehorse from Virginia and a famous blue-collar professional football ...

Don’t be misled by the long lines outside Ravenous. Crepes are quick to prepare and diners are served faster than you think.  Because the boutique Phila Street eatery opens at 10:00 am, you’d be well advised to pass on the scrambled eggs sandwiches that are sold at the morning workouts in favor of brunch. Try the pommes frites with aioli ...

Despite a paucity of horses in early races, Friday represented an excellent card. The 52nd running of the Gr.2 $200,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap brought together seven decent turf horses, including the winner Get Stormy. The bay colt by Stormy Atlantic has taken seven of his last eight races and is now four for four on the Saratoga turf courses.The ...

I mentioned in my last post that while I was on site at Lane’s End Farm ''life got even sweeter''.  Well, that's because I got the opportunity to photograph Sweet Life, dam of Life Is Sweet, and champion Sweet Catomine.  Sweet Life was named the 2009 Broodmare of the Year, so it was quite an honor.Order this Photo.Sweet Life and her ...

By Bill Pressey Thoroedge Equine Performance Pedigree and conformation are what you pay for at the sales. Once you have your prospects, don’t simply train them like everyone else – invest a little extra time and attention, not money for once, and you can gain an edge on the competition by the time you get to the track. HOW TO GET THE BONE ...