Posts by Steve Haskin

By the end of the year, not many people may look back at Saturday’s thrilling victories of Journalism in the San Diego Handicap and Baby Vino in the Haskell Stakes and consider them the sport’s highlights of the year. Nor will they link them together in any way. But the truth is they are very important races, especially for the former, and are definitely linked in perspective by the winning horse of one race and the winning sire of the other…

This is the time of year when we start paying close attention to 2-year-old maiden races. This column celebrates the anniversary of a maiden race six decades ago that provided the Sport of Kings with its first look at a horse whose like, it is safe to say, has never been seen since. We all remember Secretariat’s career debut, in which he finished fourth, and most are not aware that Forego was 10-1 in his debut, and Affirmed was 14-1, and those great rivals from the fifties, Swaps and Nashua, were 12-1 and 8-1, respectively in their debuts, while Round Table and Gallant Man were 14-1 and 31-1, respectively. This is the story behind the debut of the immortal Dr. Fager, who amazingly went off at 10-1 and changed the life of his trainer John Nerud…

From a small farm in Southern Kentucky to the European classics, the Curious Case of the Missing Mare unfolded like a mystery novel back in 1977, and although it was ultimately solved with an improbable, but happy, ending, there are still unanswered questions. This was big news back then, but the years have all but…

This has been an interesting week in horse racing, with the closing of Aqueduct and the biggest showdown of the year in the Stephen Foster Stakes. But it has also been a time of reflection of what we had and what we have. As we head into the Saratoga meet, we leave behind memories of The Big A and look ahead to a new Belmont Park, while envisioning what Thoroughbred racing will be like in the years to come. This column analyzes the Foster and its implications, but also, and more importantly, how we look at this year’s 3-year-olds and one horse in particular…

The closing of Aqueduct on June 28 deserves a lot of space and it gets it here. But in addition to the many memories and great moments The Big A provided, we also slip in connections to two other big events last week at Royal Ascot and one coming up this Saturday in the Stephen Foster Stakes. But this week is about Aqueduct, which was much more than just a racetrack; it was a way of life, whether you were a racing fan, a hard-core bettor, or a young kid sneaking into the track to be where the action was in a magical place far removed from the streets of New York…

I bid farewell to Aqueduct in a column last December, knowing that this would be the final Derby trail at The Big A. And if I am going to welcome in the new Belmont, I feel now is the appropriate time to do so, as it was just around this time of year in 1968 that we saw the opening of what was then the new Belmont Park. And what a time that was. There were no goodbyes, as Aqueduct was thriving, Saratoga was as popular as ever, and New York truly was the center of the racing universe. Although the sport was far different then than it is now, the country in many ways was the same…

An advance notice that due to the nature of this past weekend’s dazzling array of stars, spectacular victories, and nail-biting finishes, this column wiill be venturing into a number of different places. Obviously, the Belmont Stakes took center stage, but as often happens in three-ring circuses, some of the most memorable acts are in the side rings. So sit back and enjoy all the shows, especially the in-depth look at one horse in particular, who made a major impact on this weekend’s biggest events and has a Belmont history of his own…

Remembering Ron Turcotte on this first Belmont Stakes since his passing. Sometimes it is the small things that tell more about a person than his or her major accomplishments. This little-known story, which has been updated from an earlier column, should provide a deeper look into the core of Turcotte and give you a better idea of who he was behind the numerous accolades, celebrations, and cheering crowds…

This story is mostly about one of the most memorable Kentucky Derbys I have ever witnessed, which proved to be the opening act to a drama-filled Triple Crown unlike anything I had seen before. Providing lead coverage for the Daily Racing Form, this is my eyewitness account of the numerous storylines leading into those wild five weeks in 1996…

The Second leg of what has so far been a fascinating Triple Crown is in the books, and we have a Kentucky Derby winner and a Preakness winner who are as opposite as two horses can be. The same can be said about their trainers. Every so often, racing needs one of those straight from the gut New Yorkers, from Hirsch Jacobs to John Campo to Nick Zito. Now say hello to Chad Summers…