Between a Rock and a Hard Place
by Angela Hermann I’ll be watching the Preakness this Saturday from a few different vantage points. First, there’s live racing going on. It’s a different beast than when the race is only being shown via simulcast, and admittedly my attention this week has been shared between all of these events. Second, there’s the racing fan […]
Opening Night Preview
Excitement for the first race of 2014 is palpable. Opening night looks like it’ll be crisp but dry, which is an upgrade over the sloppy mess we began with in 2013. The card in store is eight races deep and features a lot of statebreds in the latter half. We’ll offer two pick fours Friday […]
One Famous Minnesota Mother
Mother’s Day is a very important one to me. Miss H. is my best friend, confidant and biggest fan. I’m sure many of you feel the same way about your matriarch, and today is their day. I’d personally like to thank mine for loving me despite the years of hell that I put her through….but […]
Q and A with the man in charge of racing: Eric Halstrom
There’s a new (well, sort of) sheriff in town. Eric Halstrom has returned to Canterbury Park in the role of Vice President of Racing Operations after a successful run at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. With the changes in place for the fast-approaching live racing season, I took a few minutes to pick the brain of […]
The Big Dance/A Lottery with Eighty Legs
Finally, the Derby is here. The weather is shaky in the coming days for Derby 140, but seeing that track dry out at an unbelievable clip in the past I’ll blog with the assumption that we see fast dirt on Saturday. Though there are always casualties along the trail this year seems to have an […]
The Derby Trial
The trial, much like the Lexington, has been a race usually used as a prep for things down the road in modern times. Sure, nice horses have won but it’s an oddly named race for what it’s become. However, this year it could actually shake things up with the graded earnings bubble keeping so many […]
Race of the Week – The Lexington
As the defections roll in with the top 20 headed for the Run for the Roses, the Lexington will represent the only bonus race in this week’s Road to Kentucky contest. It’s the homestretch in our contest and last week’s HUGE scores shook the standings – We have a new overall leader. There’s still time […]
Beginning to Smell Roses Yet?
The road is winding quickly towards Churchill Downs, and this weekend leads to the final round of “major” preps for the big race. The Bluegrass and the Arkansas Derby have had opposite influence in recent times (NONE as opposed to a Preakness winner factory) but Keeneland’s premier race for three year olds should regain its […]
Candy, Hops, Chrome and Wood
The preps I focus on this week are somewhat similar to the two we saw last Saturday – Not a ton of names in the Wood are topping derby lists at this point (like the Louisiana Derby), whereas many #1 prospects are going to attempt to top each other in the Santa Anita Derby (like […]
Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya
The pace picks back up in the Road to Kentucky contest this week, as the preps stack up and the action for older horses takes center stage half a world away. Meydan Racecourse celebrates the Dubai World Cup bright and early this Saturday, and our Clubhouse will open at 7:30 AM. First post for the […]