The highest honor to win in horse racing is an Eclipse Award. The industry has been giving out these equine statuettes since 1971. I’ve had the privilege of being an Eclipse voter for 15 years and do not take it lightly.
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Richard Eng
Hollywood Park will host its final day of racing on Sunday. The “Track of the Lakes and Flowers” in Inglewood, Calif., opened on June 10, 1938 and has a rich history.
Hollywood Park will host its final day of racing on Sunday. The “Track of the Lakes and Flowers” in Inglewood, Calif., opened on June 10, 1938 and has a rich history.
One of the things I love about Las Vegas is, if you wait long enough, many of the great ones will come to you. That will be the case at the South Point race book at 11 a.m. Wednesday, when jockey Gary Stevens and sportscaster Dick Enberg will do a meet and greet hosted by Ralph Siraco.
Decades ago, the horse racing industry would study the Las Vegas casino business hoping to emulate its success. The business here was booming, and racing was starting to take on water.
There is a natural pause in horse racing after the hectic 14-race Breeders’ Cup four weeks ago. Many Eclipse Awards were won and lost. Many horseplayer bankrolls ballooned or got deflated.
When some state governments began granting casino licenses to racetracks years ago, it stopped the demise — and potential closure — of many tracks.
When jockey Javier Castellano fell to the track after the ninth race at Aqueduct on Wednesday, I thought to myself that bad things happen in threes. Castellano’s fall came on the heels of recent spills involving Hall of Fame riders Calvin Borel and John Velazquez.
Last week’s Breeders’ Cup came and went as advertised, a thrill ride like no other in horse racing. So many highs and lows that it would take a book to fully chronicle.
More often than not, the Breeders’ Cup decides, on the playing field, who will be the Horse of the Year. This should be one of those years, as the top three candidates — Game On Dude, Wise Dan and Princess of Sylmar — will be racing at Santa Anita Park.
The Breeders’ Cup offers two of the best betting days of the year for horseplayers. The Daily Racing Form Breeders’ Cup Advance edition is available in all race books. You’ll need a week to get familiar with 172 horses that pre-entered into 15 championship races.
If I were 30 years younger, I’d be tempted to send in a resume to be a brand ambassador for America’s Best Racing, sponsored by The Jockey Club.
Last week the New York State Gaming Commission dismissed charges against jockey Luis Saez that alleged he used an illegal electrical device in winning the Travers Stakes on Will Take Charge.
As if you hadn’t seen enough drama last weekend, this weekend offers up 20 more graded stakes. Included are eight Grade 1 races as racing’s super stars prepare for the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita Park on Nov. 1 and 2.
The next eight days will tell a lot about the horses prepping for the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 1 and 2 at Santa Anita Park. By the way, the grand Great Race Place is opening today and will show off more than $15 million of improvements.