When ‘The Big A’ Was Really ‘The Big A’
We are about to bid farewell to Aqueduct, which for the past 65 years was considered, at least to New Yorkers, the crown jewel of Thoroughbred racing, along with its neighbor Belmont Park. The latter is currently undergoing a complete makeover, with its elegant ivy covered red brick walls being transformed into a more compact weather-friendly glitter palace. As we head into 2026, Aqueduct’s traditional and once successful road to the Kentucky Derby will be traversed for the last time. With the Derby Rankings coming up soon, this is the last opportunity I have to say goodbye to a place I once considered magical; a portal I passed through when I was lost that led me to a new world and more important, a new life. ~ Steve Haskin
When ‘The Big A’ Was Really ‘The Big A’
By Steve Haskin
When I was a kid there was a song I heard every Sunday night at the conclusion of “The Roy Rogers Show” that got me depressed. That was when Roy Rogers and Dale Evans sang, “Happy trails to you until we meet again.” That meant that the weekend was over and the next day was school. Now after all these years and with a new Derby season approaching I can’t help thinking about that depressing song as I prepare to bid “Happy Trails” to Aqueduct and those wonderful memories of Kentucky Derby fever when racing fans in New York came out of winter hibernation in mid-March and once again headed to The Big A. Who could forget opening day, seeing the paddock adorned with bright colored tulips, sitting the sunshine with the cool winds off Jamaica Bay blowing gently in your face, and getting your first glimpse of horses in the flesh. Racing was alive again and we looked forward to another season of hopes and dreams.
But times have changed and the vibrant colors that once splashed across the facade of the “Track of the Future” have dimmed over the years, and next year they will fade to black. The hallowed halls where crowds of 50,000 gathered on Saturdays to seek their fortune or simply witness the excitement of Thoroughbred racing at its finest now look like a barren wasteland eroded by time. The only difference between “Happy Trails” then and now is that we will never meet again. Next year it will all be gone.
Most of today’s racing fans know little or nothing about the history of Aqueduct and have no idea what it was like in its heyday. Back in the mid-1950s, the newly formed New York Racing Association heard a voice from above: “Build it and they will come.” This wasn’t Kevin Costner hearing that it from a corn field in Iowa; it was a group of racing’s wealthiest movers and shakers. And so it was that in September, 1959 the new modern Aqueduct Racetrack sprung up just off the Belt Parkway. And boy did they come. I was just a youngster, and all I remember was seeing the grandstand from our car as we drove past it on the Belt and not knowing what it was, only that it looked like a baseball stadium and that something wonderful must be going on there.
For the next 50 years, Aqueduct provided the Sport of Kings with some of its most memorable moments and showcased many of the sport’s all-time greats. For several months beginning in January racing fans in New York had nothing but newspaper reports and occasional race calls on radio from Florida to keep them up to date on the early Derby hopefuls. And California seemed like a million miles away. But now it was time for the New York road to the Derby to begin and seeing live horses again.
Although the six-furlong Swift Stakes was pretty much reserved for sprinters, the seven-furlong Bay Shore Stakes, one-mile Gotham Stakes, and 1 1/8-mile Wood Memorial were major Derby preps, which attracted horses coming out of winter quarters along the east coast and others from Florida moving up north after competing at Hialeah or Gulfstream.
Soon, 3-year-olds will embark on Aqueduct’s Derby trail for the last time. But before we discuss some of the great horses that have left their hoofprints on that trail and the unforgettable moments they provided, I want to take you back in time to the late ’60s and invite you to spend a Saturday at Aqueduct with a lost 20-year-old who had outgrown the passions of his childhood and was seeking new interests and direction.
After growing up in Bensonhurst Brooklyn, we moved to the Flatlands section when I was 16. Four years later (skipping past the details) I was totally immersed in Thoroughbred racing and looked forward to Saturdays and heading to that mysterious grandstand I had seen from the Belt Parkway.
I walk the two avenues to Flatlands Avenue and wait for the Pioneer bus that will take me and other racegoers to Aqueduct. You can feel the anticipation as you board the bus, even knowing that the return trip likey will have many of those same people complaining about the one that got away, the agonizing nose defeat, or the bad ride that cost them a huge hit.
The bus arrives at the track well before the first race and lets everyone off at the end of the grandstand by the top of the stretch. I make my way up to the top level and walk down the stretch until I find a good spot. It is early so the grandstand is still relatively empty. As people arrive and find their seat, the first thing they do is pull out the past performances from “The Telly,” also known as The Morning Telegraph or “The Bible” and use the rest of the paper, basically the articles, to save their seat.
The Telly is the Eastern, and main edition, of the Daily Racing Form that was located on West 52nd Street in Manhattan, right smack in the middle of Hell’s Kitchen, where the editor and publisher had their offices, and where the copy editors, handicappers, and statisticians worked, along with the printers. It also housed the library, where I worked after starting as a copy boy in October of 1969 following a futile couple of years on Wall Street and nine months of unemployment. By a stroke of luck I wound up as head librarian and was the proverbial kid in the candy store. The Telly closed for good in April of 1972 when the new Eastern edition of the Daily Racing Form opened its office in Hightstown, New Jersey, where I commuted to for the next nine years before moving to Jersey a year after getting married.
The initial Aqueduct Subway Special run.
Getting back to Aqueduct, it doesn’t take long for the aroma of cigar smoke, beer, and mustard to begin wafting though the grandstand, bringing back memories of my youth when I experienced that combination of intoxicating fragrances at Madison Square Garden and Ebbetts Field. With Aqueduct having its own subway stop, a common sight as the first race nears are the throngs of people pouring out of the train frantically trying to make the Daily Double, knowing it is the only exotic bet of the day where big money can be won.
One of the track’s many characters was Roland the Magnificent. One day, Roland was seen making a mad dash from his subway car to the betting windows with less than a minute to the first post. He arrived at the windows with only seconds to spare, slapped a wad of bills down on the counter and told the mutuel clerk, “Gimme anybody.”
Then comes the big moment when the distinctive high-pitched voice of racecaller Fred Capossela announces with “Cappy’s” signature phrase, “The crowd moves close to the rail and that means one thing…it is now post time!”
By now the grandstand and apron are pretty much filled. This was before off-track betting. The Telly was 60 cents and the racetrack was the only place to wager, unless you had a bookie. It was also before exactas, quinellas, and trifectas. You bet win, place, or show or just skipped the race and started handicapping the next one. Remember, this was a time when the three most popular professional sports in the country were baseball, boxing, and horse racing.
On this particular day in 1971, which I chose at random, everyone is eagerly awaiting the appearance of the potential superstar Hoist the Flag in the seven-furlong Bay Shore Stakes. So impressive was this son of Tom Rolfe, he was voted champion 2-year-old despite having won only a single stakes, the seven-furlong Cowdin. But he had won his first two starts at Belmont very impressively and was an easy three-length winner of the Champagne Stakes in a sharp 1:35 2/5 for the mile, only to be disqualified and placed last for causing interference at the start of the race. Trained by the veteran Sidney Watters, he returned at 3 and galloped home a 15-length winner in a six-furlong allowance race at Bowie. Now it was time to hit the Derby trail in the Bay Shore.
In an earlier race, we are given a barometer on which to gauge his performance when Rokeby Stable’s promising 3-year-old Farewell Party wins a seven-furlong allowance race in a solid 1:23 3/5. But I sure wasn’t expecting what was to come, as Hoist the Flag, who looked spectacular in the paddock, demolishes the top-class colts Droll Role and Jim French by seven lengths eased up in a spectacular 1:21 flat, which boggles my mind. Unless you’re Dr. Fager, horses, especially young 3-year-olds just do not run that fast. In fact, at the time it was the fastest seven furlongs ever run by a 3-year-old in New York. At first I think the time is wrong. This not only looks like the Derby winner already, but with his looks and pedigree, the Triple Crown winner.
There is a buzz on the bus coming home, as passengers talk about Hoist the Flag’s performance, realizing they had seen something special. I come to my stop and get off the bus, still excited over the day’s events. So ends another stimulating Saturday at the Big A.
Unfortunately, while training for the Gotham Stakes, Hoist the Flag suffered a fractured pastern and cannon bone in a workout over the Belmont training track, and despite the insurance representative saying he would be euthanized that same day, he was able to be saved by a bone graft, screws and a plate placed in his leg, and the first ever fiberglass cast to keep the leg stable. Hoist the Flag was retired to Claiborne Farm where he proved to be a successful stallion, siring two-time Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Alleged and 2-year-old champion filly Sensational among others. He also is the broodmare sire of such top horses as Personal Ensign, Broad Brush, and 3-year-old champion filly Sacahuista.
Hoist the Flag with jockey Jean Cruguet aboard dominates the 1971 Bay Shore Stakes in stakes record time.
Although you most likely will not find a replay of the 1971 Bay Shore anywhere, it remains embedded in my memory. Unlike racing today, the vast majority of fans back then came equipped with binoculars, while others would rent them at the track. There were no replays until the late ’60s and it was through those binoculars that you recorded and preserved all images for posterity. We have virtually no video of Hoist the Flag and many other equine heroes of the past. We saw their races once and in some ways that is why many of them remain larger than life after so many years. We remember them as we want to remember them without the extreme scrutiny of today’s visual world to alter those initial images.
In short, the visions of the heroes of the ’60s, such as Kelso, Buckpasser, Damascus, Dr. Fager, and Arts and Letters left a lasting impression because they were right there before your eyes; their glistening coats and familar silks a vibrant blend of striking colors. You could hear the pounding of their hooves and watch their every move through your binoculars, and everything you saw remained in your mind’s eye forever. It was all live, all real, and all beautiful.
Like with Hoist the Flag in 1971, the Bay Shore was the opening act of Aqueduct’s three- race Derby trail that was designed to give horses a sharpener following their winter vacations and prepare them for the one-turn Gotham and the all-important Wood Memorial that would tell you for sure if you have a Derby horse or not.
The Wood had gained in stature over the years when it was run at Jamaica Racetrack in the borough of Queens. During that time it was won by greats such as Gallant Fox, Count Fleet, Assault, Native Dancer, Bold Ruler, and Nashua. Jamaica was built in 1903, nine years before Aqueduct, also in Queens. In 1955, Jamaica, run by the Mertropolitan Jockey Club, was taken over by the Greater New York Association, which ran Aqueduct. That is when the New York Racing Association was formed with plans to rebuild Aqueduct and sell Jamaica for redevelopment as a housing project.
On September 14, 1959, the new modern Aqueduct opened. Just 12 days after it opened, Aqueduct took center stage with the much-anticipated showdown in the Woodward Stakes between the nation’s best 3-year-old Sword Dancer representing the East, the great Round Table representing the Midwest, and Hillsdale, the king of California. This was an epic confrontation to decide Horse of the Year honors. In the end, it was Sword Dancer nosing out Hillsdale in an exciting stretch run, and the new Aqueduct was on the map. Over the next 10 years, every Horse of the Year competed at The Big A that autumn.
Aqueduct truly became the center of the racing universe when Belmont Park closed from 1962 to 1968 to be rebuilt and Aqueduct took over as home of the Belmont Stakes.
But each year started with the Derby trail. In 1960, the first Bay Shore Stakes was run at Aqueduct and won by Francis S., who would go on to win the Wood Memorial and Dwyer Stakes. Over the next dozen years the Bay Shore was won by one of racing’s all-time greats Damascus; the brilliant Reviewer, the sire of Ruffian who won under 130 pounds; the aforementioned Hoist the Flag; and of course Secretariat, making his first start after being syndicated for a record $6,050,000.
Following Damascus’ Bay Shore victory he took on Dr. Fager in the Gotham Stakes in what was to be the first of their four epic confrontations en route to the Hall of Fame. It proved to be a memorable battle, with Dr. Fager out-dueling Damascus to win by a half-length. Only one week later, Damascus romped by six lengths in the Wood Memorial, with Dr. Fager passing the race to remain in one-turn races. Damascus would put a seal one of the greatest 3-year-old campaigns in history by crushing defending Horse of the Year Buckpasser and Dr. Fager in the Woodward Stakes and then easily winning the two-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup. Dr. Fager would race four times at Aqueduct the following year on his way to becoming the first horse ever to win four titles in a single year — Horse of the Year, Handicap Horse, Sprinter, and Grass Horse.
The Gotham again attracted attention in 1969 when Claiborne Farm’s Dike came up Florida after performing below expecations and scored heart-pounding victories in the Gotham and Wood Memorial, coming from far back with explosive stretch runs. He would go on to finish a close third behind future Hall of Famers Majestic Prince and Arts and Letters in the Kentucky Derby.
In 1973 Secretariat became the first superstar to compete in all three of Aqueduct’s Derby preps by following up his Bay Shore victory by equalling the track record in the Gotham Stakes before suffering a shocking upset at the hands of his stablemate Angle Light in what was to be a showdown between Big Red and California invader Sham, who finished second ahead of Secretariat, who it was later discovered had been battling an abscess in his mouth. It was also at Aqueduct that racing fans got their final look at the immortal Secretariat at his farewell appearance on November 6, 1973 in front of a Tuesday crowd of 32,990 fans before being retired to Claiborne Farm.
In his farewell appearance at Aqueduct, Secretariat parades in front of the grandstand one last time.
Over the years we saw Derby and Belmont winner Bold Forbes win the Bay Shore; Easy Goer, Gone West, Lure, Devil His Due, and General Assembly win the Gotham, with Easy Goer missing Dr. Fager’s iconic mile world record by a fifth of a second; and champions Seattle Slew, Bold Forbes, Foolish Pleasure, Pleasant Colony, Easy Goer, Slew o’ Gold, and Personality win the Wood Memorial. Of those, the first four mentioned would go on to win the Kentucky Derby. Another Wood winner, Dancer’s Image, would finish first in the Derby, only to be disqualified when he came up positive for the then ilegal (in Kentucky) drug Butazolidan.
Over the last 30 years, the Derby trail began to steadily change, as trainers began running their Derby horses in as few preps as possible and focusing more on spotting them carefully to accumulate graded earnings and more recently all-important qualifying points, which replaced the graded earnings. They now prefer the preps at Gulfstream, Oaklawn Park, Keeneland, and Fair Grounds to the deeper and more tiring surface at Aqueduct. As a result, the Gotham and Wood Memorial now play little role in producing Derby winners. The last Wood winner to repeat in the Derby was Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000 and the last Gotham winner to be victorious in the Derby was Secretariat more than a half-century ago.
The Gotham and Wood Memorial are now known mostly for their inabilty to produce Derby winners, but I believe a race is only as good as the horses that run in it. And trainers rarely send their top Derby hopefuls up to New York. They no longer look at one turn races in March as serious Derby preps, and in this speed-conscious era, they don’t want their big horses going into the Derby coming off a slow mile and an eighth (In nine of the last 13 years the Wood has been run in over 1:50).
Whatever the reason, those who remember when the Wood was a coveted race can only hope that, along with the Gotham, it goes out with some dignity next year and leaves us with the kind of memories it provided long ago .
No matter what happens, to me Aqueduct will always be “The Big A.” It is just unfortunate that racing fans of today and tomorrow will never know just how big it really was.
Photos courtesy of New York Daily News, Anthony Calvacca, and the New York Racing Association/Bob Coglianese.
Racing historian, author, and award-winning retired journalist for the Daily Racing Form and The Blood-Horse, Steve Haskin was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame’s Media Roll of Honor in 2016. Known for his racing knowledge and insightful prose, he has been an exclusive contributor to Secretariat.com since 2020.
I first saw Aquaduct’ s huge grandstand back in 1969. I was waking up from a wedding hangover in the bride’s cousin’s family basement, walking upstairs and passing outside to the rear yard in Howard Beach neighborhood. The first thing I saw was this enormous structure across some railroad tracks. Unbelievable sight. “And now to call the 7th race this afternoon I’m switching the microphone to Fred Cappasella” “Thank you Wynn Elliot! This is Fred Cappasella “……. Time marches on and many things just stop. That’s life in the big city.
Wow!!! Great read Sir!
Everything you said about “The Big A” is spot on. OMG nice job!
I remember going to Aqueduct on Saturday’s tagging along with Dad’s crew of friends riding on the Belt Parkway from Staten Island in “the back well” Chevy Station wagon -during the late 1960’s. I was about 10 years old then. Not sure if I was “legal” to be attending in those days? but Dad knew one of the guards. (Under the turnstile type thing at the gate) LOL.
Your image written of the view of the massive grandstand from the Belt, def resinates with me. Riding with Dad’s crew (all reading “the bible” and smoking cigars)
When the movie “The Bronx Tale” was released, that scene at Aqueduct was similar and hit home with me. It was like I was “Cologgio” in that film. And yes, Dad’s friends were a mirror image some of those movie characters. We had an “Eddie Mush” named Big Nick. Also had a “Frankie Coffeecake” in Handsome Artie. LOL
The anticipation of a winning day and excitement of racing was the reason people went to the track. The piece with finding a good seats and marking them with the first two or three pages of the from was paramount. We tried to get seats close or on the finish line. Which usually meant sitting in the upper tier. Those seats on the 3rd floor were tabbed in section by alphabet letters. I think we usually chose the “J-K-L” section.
Don’t forget the parking lots. If you were late, it meant driving over that bridge to the “over-flow” lot near JFK Airport. Then catching the shuttle to the grandstand gate.
We never went to the Clubhouse mainly because the seating was positioned after the finish line. Never understood why the planners would do that? To support my argument, the specs overview (from the top) track appears the Clubhouse was set on an angle.
Also the Pioneer Bus ride to and from struck a nerve here. Later in the mid 1970’s Pioneer offered a bus ride from Staten Island. Your images “to and from” moods are EXACT.
IMO, NYRA racing peaked 1973 with Secretariat. After that, Forego saved NYRA racing as horse of the year 1974, 1975 & 1976. Unfortunately nobody talks much about Forego. (we all know Forego finished 4th in the 1973 Kentucky Derby behind Secretariat. He was a late bloomer after he was gelded)
Fast forward to Affirmed/Alydar years. Who could forget jockey rookie Steve Cauthen?
I could go on with details thru the years but you covered just about everything, not much to add.
My last few trips to Aqueduct were 2004 Wood Memorial (Tapit won) pre- casino construction. 2016 a nostalgia stop for a few races. (post casino)
I could not believe the transition. They took away all the best seating in the grandstand to make way for the casino. No doubt whoever drew up these plans was never a racing fan. Nor any heartfelt passion of nostalgia in any bones. My dad used to call someone like that “dead from the neck up”
Thanks again. Nice to know there’s somebody out there feels same way I do about “The Factory”
Stay well brother
Fred.
Excellent article. My first excursion there was in 1963.
Robert MacDonald.
Your article makes me want to visit before it closes down. I had gone several years ago and walked around, but racing had been cancelled that day due to high winds.
I’m always sad to see another track bites the dust.
This article brought back memories.my father rubbed Hillsdale. I have since seen the films of that Woodward and it looked like the 6 lbs he spotted the 3 year old was enough to get him barely beat.There were 4 ways you could win horse of the year .One way was most winnings in major stake races.Hillsdale won that way but Sword Dancer beat him head up so he was crowned Horse of the year.He did beat Round Table the 2 times he raced him once equal weights once with a 17 lb weight spot.Hillsdale made the hall of fame 2years or so ago I am proud to say.Thanks for a great article.Early on the tried to get the Shoe to ride him he wouldn’t but he never rode a horse that beat him either!
Thank yoy David. What great memories he must have shared with you about Hillsdale. I was one of those on the Hall of Fame historic committee that voted him in.
RE: Jerome Stakes, Saturday, January 3rd (10 Derby points to the winner)
A short field of five will contest referenced race, with Balboa as the likely favorite when the gates open. However, I’ll go with Mailata, who displayed plenty of speed, last out, in winning the Pa. Nursery Stakes, at Parx, on 11-26. By Maximus Mischief, out of a Medaglia d’Oro mare, Mailata is a Cash is King homebred that could make some noise on the Kentucky trail.
On a side note, it appears Bob Baffert is convinced that Plutarch is best suited for turf. He’s entered in the Eddie Logan Stakes on Wednesday, 12-31. I was hoping he would point him to an allowance race on dirt, down the road. We’ll see.
BTW, 10 Derby points are on the line in the Smarty Jones Stakes race, at Oaklawn Park, on Saturday, Jan. 3rd. I’ll go with Rancho Santa Fe, as the likely winner.
RIP Bridget Bardot, a real knockout beauty, who will be best remembered as an animal rights activist.
Will miss The Big A. Lots of memories from the ’60’s watching Gun Bow, Mongo, Beau Purple, Roman Brother, Olden Times, Northern Dancer, Quadrangle, Chateaugay, Buckpasser, Damascus, Dr. Fager, and so many others. And standing alone at the top of the list – the incomparable Kelso. I loved that horse.
What a time!!
On a site called Western Racehorse, there’s a terrific tribute to Cougar II, hosted by John Forsythe…..a very unique horse that always came with a bif finish, head held high and long tail—-he dominated on turf and dirt, with a flair not often seen, and he would stand still and “count the crowd”, during the post parade!
They stole the Woodward from him. So much the best.
Mike,
You are so out touch with reality!!! It more of reflection of the sad state horse racing in California. You’re Clueless!!!
Says individual who resides in world of delusion in relation to one barn. Stated year ago no shot at Derby this year when reading how ‘loaded’ barn was. Standing by same for 2026.
Looks like someone wants your attention. I would say that there are many contributing factors to the demise of CA racing, but most certainly that unreported overage of 2018 was not a help.
Without a doubt! Some make a career fawning over one barn only.
That barn did pretty well today, Mike, in spite of multiple scratches. Why the animosity?
Cue the reinforcements.
I simply asked a question.
So, no one can have a different opinion here?
You are so classy how you treat Mr haskin and so trashy the way you act toward bob b this is a civil board can’t you act nicer here especially to Mrs black type etc your animosity towards bob b is really sad you using our nice board that Steve created is the saddest part here people use constructive critiques etc we’d all love to know your opinions not your name calling on bob b ps bob b had an amazing day today ! Congrats to him 🥂
And the whining
Much ado about nothing…
Of course!
Agreed! Consider this your notice, Mike.
Does that go for other individual as well? Thinking I already know the answer.
Irad and Prat are very close, on the money won award…..today they are at Santa Anita, and it’s one gorgeous day—fast and good, for the turf …Bob will scratch Barnes, he said yesterday Nysos is in his top ten he’s ever had, and he is pointed towards the Saudi Cup….After today ….Irad and Prat might be seen riding at a track they don’t go to—three days remain, for the 2015 money won title….
(2025)..
Sovereignty will race in 2026! Whoo-hoo!
That’s great news, isn’t it?!
It is indeed!
Steve,
Wonderful article that brings out the colour of those days. Your memories are so important and I’m glad you share them.
Steve,
Thank You for this wonderful column on the Big A. I wish I could say it will be sorely missed but as you have written here it has seen better days. I was fortunate to go to it once and that was back in the spring of 1988. My wife’s company was transitioning a dept. from New York city to Phoenix AZ and since my wife was going to be part of that dept. her company sent a group of them from Phx to help with the move. Since the move was going to take about six weeks, her company had a policy letting spouse’s go to visit (at company expense transportation only) if they were to separated more than 30 days. So I flew out there the last 10 days of her time there staying with her in the apartment they rented for her. Since I had never visited New York city I planned for several sites to see ( Statue of Liberty, Yankee Stadium, the ill fated Twin Tower, Broadway show and of course horse racing and it happen to be Aqueduct at the time). The day I went to Aqueduct I went by subway (my wife apartment was located about 2 short blocks from the Waldorf Astoria ) and on the subway ride to the Big A I struck up a conversation with one of the subway attendants. She asked me were I was coming from and I told her that I was visiting my wife and I was from AZ today I was on my way to the Big A . When she found that out she reached into her pocket and pulled out a ticket for free admission to the track that day. That was the beginning of a ” very profitable ” day at the track. When I arrived at the track about an hour before first post it started to rain which I did not mind since at the time I had become astute at winning at the horses on “off” tracks ( thanks to reading books by handicappers Andy Beyer Steve Davidowitz and Chuck Badone). When I walked into track I took a tour of the place and just like you said the smell of beer, hot dogs, cigars filled the air aahhh ,.. I knew I had made it to bigtime racing. When the day was done as I had put my “off” track betting skills to work and came away a winner that day of over $450.
Again thanks for the memories, Steve .
On other notes I am so far “not” overly impressed with the winners of latest 3 derby preps ( Los Alamitos Futurity, Gun Runner and Remsen ) nice wins but I am looking for more.
Looking forward to Santa Anita’s opening day tomorrow. It could turn out to be the Bob Baffert show. With many of his horses expected to be favorites in several the races. And the jockey colony will the best of the best … very exciting.
In the big race “the Malibu Stakes” Baffert has 5 of the 10 runners and one of them is Barnes. I looked at his latest workout which he did with his stablemate Cornucopia and it was a very spirited and competitive work. I think he is ready for a big race but it will tough one. Also will also anxious to see if Nysos progresses after his big win in the BC mile.
On another note was very impressed with “Representing” latest workout which was a 6 furlong in 1:11 and change. I like his action and stride and he has really filled out nicely. If he turns out to be a runner and wins a GRADE 1 race Zedan will make his money back 10 fold with that pedigree.
That is all for now… Everyone enjoy tomorrow as it should be a good one !!!
Not one of the five horses from same barn could warm up Sovereignty.
They don’t have to worry…. he didn’t show up.l!!!
Thanks Down for stating what I already am aware of. Then again,you’re continually the know all- be all.
That’s right Mike and don’t you forget it !!!
Sure you are. Lol
That is the absolute truth, Mike. I can’t wait to see how Bob will dodge him all year, ha ha!
Correct Sov. We know his deal now is stacking his horses in short fields in CA.
Mike,
You are so out touch with reality!!! It more of reflection of the sad state horse racing in California.
Your hero worship is always through the roof.
Sovereignty is very good, but i doubt his 3 or 4 starts will be that hard to dodge.
He’s better than any from the other barn.
Thank you for all the memories.
2026 is one of the most anticipated, for first crops….Flightline, Life Is Good, Jack Christopher,Golden Pal are only a few, there are many more….I’m old enough to remember 1976—and the first foals, from Big Red……
Keep an eye on Envision, a long striding 2yr old gelding by Into Mischief out of Dreamologist, by Tapit. He’s a LNJ Foxwoods homebred that won at first asking in the 5th race at Turfway Park today, going 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:18.08, drawing off by 2 3/4 lengths. Judging by the way he fought though a tight squeeze in the deep stretch, he has all the appearances of a true street fighter. His 2nd dam, Dreaming of Anna, earned over $2 million, mostly in graded races. Suffice to say, Envision’s pedigree is loaded with speed, class and stamina.
I’ll be anxiously awaiting Envision’s next start.
He was impressive. Big and long striding; distance should help. It was interesting to gepd him that early. Must have thought he could make his money as a racehorse.
Are there any You Tube videos of Capossela calling a race? I know all the horses, but not the voice.
Thanks.
Yes, there are, Ann. Go to You Tube and in Search, type in Fred Capossela Race Calls. You’ll be able to listen to his unique squeaky voice with matter-of-fact accurate calls for the New York racing fans. Cappy’s legacy is intact.
I’m glad you found that, Dewey. I wanted to help Ann, and I googled videos of several New York stakes from that era. I was shocked to find that they all had narrators that drowned out Fred Capossela’s calls. That’s a travesty. I thought Cappy’s voice would be everywhere–it certainly should be.
Season Greetings to all !!!
Busy week for me!!! Will have more to say tomorrow…. Big day of racing at the Great Race Place this Sunday.
All have a great day today !!!
It’s so sad to see many racetracks across the country closing down. Part of me wants to see Belmont Park the way it used to be but time moves on. I’m sure it will be a new experience enjoyed by many racegoers.
Happy Holidays,Mr. Haskin.
Thanks Mike. Same to you.
Great read. Too many great memories. Remember catching the Pioneer st Flatlands and East 105th Street.
50c admission as a juvenile.
Chicken Noodle soup with my dad on March late winter days.
Seeing Jacques Who break his maiden.
Need to make a 1700 mile visit before it’s gone..
Ty Steve
105th. You were way out there. I caught mine on East 57th street. Yes their soups were great. I loved the Manhattan clam chowder.
Jacques Who. Cordero said he could do it and he did. How many exactas did I hit playing him for place.
I really can not put as eloquently as you Steve. But I can share some stories of the Big A. When I was little, my father told my mother he was taking me to the zoo. Little did I know where I was really going. Off to the Big A. I was maybe 7 or so. When the ticket agent asked my father if I was a little young to be going to the track, he told him I was a jockey. Dad thought I would be more interested in the jets (it was the infancy of the age of jet travel) landing at JKF. They passed over the grandstand so low, you could see Goodyear on the tires. We had to get there early so to save our seat as you mentioned with the back pages of the Tele and get the first order of the sausage and peppers at the cafeteria. My father liked his sausage crisp. He would rent binoculars, leaving his license as collateral, which was so worn from leaving it every Saturday. And we watched all nine races when the 7th race was the feature. Listening to the immortal Fred Caposella. And back then, they had postcards that you could fill out and the track would pay for the postage. And when we left, there would be taxis and limo drivers screaming, anyone want to go to Yonkers. Well that day I had 6 winners picked by sheer luck and made $54. I was hooked. I walked in the house and proudly showed my mother my winnings. I think my father slept on the couch that night. So many great race horses that I can’t remember them all. And the great jockeys, Cordero, Vasquez, Bobby ussery, Eddie Maple and Jorge Velasquez. I cried when autobiography broke down. I snucked out of school to see Secretariat parade when he retired. I could go on and on. Some fathers took their sons to ball games. My father took me to the track and I have him to thank for a lifetime of memories. Aqueduct, I may not have always walked away a winner, but I always left with my father and I couldn’t wait until next Saturday.
That was so great and with so much humor. your father sounded Iike quite the character. What wonderful memories he gave you. Thank you for sharing that. A fun read.
He was quite the man. Gave up many demons and then followed horse racing. But always a $2 bettor. There wasn’t a track we missed, Atlantic City, Monmouth, Liberty Bell, Keystone, Bowie, Penn National, Hialeah, Calder, Arlington Park, Tampa Bay Downs, and who can forget, Green Mountain after Secretariat lost in the Whitney. When I laid him to rest, I put a Daily Racing form, a couple of winning tickets, his transistor radio that he would listen to Pack on the Track on WNBC-AM for the results and his trusty KelCo calculator that he sweared by in his coffin. He is probably turning over in his grave watching the demise of his beloved sport.
I’m sure he would register high on the Kelco Class Calculator.
Thank you. Very kind of you to say that.
Loved your story, Christopher, especially the part when your dad told the ticket agent you were a jockey. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks.
Steve, I really enjoyed your eloquently written tribute to Aqueduct. The track reflected the heart and soul of New York racing and gave us many thrills with the biggest names in the sport during its heyday. For me, an enduring memory will be that of the unique race calls of the legendary Fred Capossela. Freddy presented horseracing at its best and he is my all-time favorite announcer.
Happy Holidays, Steve, and thank you for the gift of your writing. Yours is the gift that keeps on giving.
Thank you very much Dewey. I appreciate it. Happy Holiday.
Caposella was the best. So many announcers just want to hear themselves talk. Dave Johnson followed in Cappy’s footsteps. Actually enjoyed Marshall Cassidy’s sermons. And John Imbrial was underrated.
I was lucky enough to see both the ’85 Breeders’ Cup and when Easy Goer ran a hole in the wind in the Gotham at Aqueduct.
My favorite Big A story, though, is from a Brooklyn girl who was a colleague in Manhattan. Once she found out I was a racing fan, she sheepishly admitted a cherished family story about her father on his deathbed.
Once it became clear that he didn’t have much time left, he motioned his wife over to his bedside and whispered the words only a wisened trackdog could share: “If you leave now, you can still make make the double at Aqueduct!”
Lol. I can believe it.
“But at the laste, as every thing hath ende..”.
Chaucer, mid 1300’s, was the origins of “All good things come to end”.
And so it is with the closing of Aqueduct, the end of an era, the end of “glory days” that will never return.
Sadly, there are too many good things that are coming to end now all of which play on our emotions and make us sad.
As always Steve, thank you for yet another trip down memory lane.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you “Happy Holidays”, Merry Christmas” and a “Happy New Year”. By the way 2026 is “The Year of The Horse”.
Thank you, Lynda. I echo your sentiment in wishing everyone here in Steve’s merry group of horseracing aficionados happy holidays and a merry christmas.
I wish I was born in the Year of the Horse but, unfortunately, I was born in the Year of the Rat. Yet, I’ve never snitched on anyone, go figure!!! lol
Happy Holiday Lynda.
Lynda, your quoting Chaucer brought a big smile to this fan of medieval literature! Wishing you, Steve, and everyone here Happy Holidays and a good year next year.
Love the quote from Chaucer, Lynda. May all your Christmas wishes come true!
This column brought tears–for Aqueduct, of course, but also for an era that is no longer with us–for Fred Capossela’s unforgettable voice and for Kelso, whom I considered the soul of Aqueduct. I’ve never been there, but I used to read the New York Daily News every day and they had amazing coverage of the Big A–detailed entries and charts for every race, photographs, selections, news stories, and columns. It wasn’t quite like being there but it was close. And if we were lucky and the Mets game didn’t last too long, we got to see the Saturday stakes on TV with Win Elliot doing the coverage. Aqueduct had the best jockey colony in the country, and it was easy to follow your favorites because to a large extent they stayed put. It was a time like no other.
This column brought to mind a scene from the TV movie “Alex: The Life of a Child” about the sportswriter Frank DeFord’s daughter, who had a terminal illness. The family was watching the Ruffian match race, and Alex asked her father, “If Ruffian dies, will she go to horse heaven or to people heaven?” He said, “She’ll go to people heaven. That’s where the racetracks are.” I’m afraid way too many are headed in that direction.
Thanks jiffy. That was great. And i loved the mention of Win Elliott. What a class act.
Thank you. Merry Christmas to you and your family and to everyone here and best wishes for happiness and blessings in 2026.
Steve: once again, you’ve beautifully brought me back to my early days at the track. My journey began in the early 70s (probably’72), where we’d leave Brooklyn College for the Big A. It was paramount to schedule our classes in the early a.m. so to either make the double, or head to the taxi fleet to make the 4:00 shift. Those were the days…..hadn’t a clue about handicapping, but bought the Telly, rented binoculars and bet all 9 races. I did have John Henry to win in his first NY appearance and his subsequent victory this time on the turf. I am still a huge fan of the game and get my info from multiple sources, and play mainly on weekends. Also, thanks to MyRacehorse, I’m also an owner of 7 horses. I too will miss the Big A, but having been in Arizona for more than 30 years, I most of my play is online save for the occasional visit to Del Mar and Santa Anita, and the rarer visit to Saratoga. I very much enjoy your trips back in time and hope you plan to continue your writing.
Thanks for sharing your memories Jay and good luck with My Racehorse.
Jay,
You sound a lot like me except I am a Illinois/California transplant.
Freddy Caposella, Judgeable, Personality , Hitchcock, Autobiography, Eddie Belmonte, John L Rotz, Bobby Woodhouse, On and on so many of my early memories of hanging with my father at The Big A. The jockey murals on the second floor by Peb! Time moves along. Not so much for the better it seems.
My kind of namedropper Dan. Thank you.
Having lived my entire life on the “other” coast, I’ve never had the opportunity to visit Aqueduct and my life has taken a turn making it all but impossible to visit the Big A during it’s final season. But, a girl can wish.
Just another sad loss, like Hollywood Park … thanks for the memories, Steve.
Steve, I never got a chance to thank you for last weeks post. I do believe you probably would of made an excellent intel officer! Happy Holidays and a sincere Thank You.
Thanks Derek. Same to you.
What a great wrapup of a track I’ve never see a race at. Thank you for sharing your fantastic memory and stories!
Thank you Mr. Haskin, thank you so very much. Your ‘thoughts’ one minute had me smiling, the next closer to water on my face, bit of anger in between, bit of joy and your very last paragraph ‘racing fans of today and tomorrow will never know’ is truth. I had not been to Rockingham in years because of living ‘out west’ was so sad to see those living accommodations build for humans. Yes sarcastic, I know. Anyway, this is a wonder article and I thank you every time you write. For me, the last 30 years, has been the best, looking after the no longer wanted in need of a home – several grandchildren and great of those mentioned several times in your writing. And, I am rambling once again. You must never stop writing your stories – please.
I was there at Aqueduct to see Chateaugay win the Belmont!
That was the year I got interested in racing, and Chateaugay was my favorite horse. I wasn’t at Aqueduct for the Belmont–I saw it on TV–but it’s a race I’ll never forget. I’m glad someone else has fond memories of it as I do.
Steve, you got Bob Hope singing ” Thanks for Memories” in my head again! All those treks on Saturdays for the Remsen and spring treks for the NY Derby Trail ( The suicide route) and of course the 85 Breeders Cup. I still remember when coming into Aqueduct the sign for the exit had graffiti painted on it ( the Darkside). Easy Goer”s Gotham win and the Wood when I was at the winners circle when they took the photo for the back page for the Daily news and I got cropped out of the photo by one person. I still got that framed on my wall. The suicide route is now entering hospice and euthanasia and the Darkside will fade to Black but I can still close my eyes and see all those wonderful days!
Steve, this is a wonderful reminiscence of how Aqueduct and the incredible races you experienced there transformed your life. It’s sad that another historic track will soon be gone, but no one can ever take our memories of horses such as Damascus, Hoist the Flag and Secretariat away. When you write about them, I’m back in my childhood living room, watching the afternoon light fade into shadow at Aqueduct, having seen a spectacular race by one of these long-ago greats. Thanks so much for including us on your journey.
Thanks Ms B. Beautiful imagery.
I enjoyed reading of your indelible memories of Aqueduct. As you said, the impression is much larger when you see the horse and the race in person. I never visited Aqueduct, but i remember watching the saturday feature race each week with Frank Wright, Charlsie Cantey, and Marshall Cassidy. It was just winter inner track racing, but at the time it seemed big to me. Most of us have lost favorite tracks over the years; mine was Atlantic City. The new tracks aren’t the same, and many of the older survivors have transformed into racinos. The track that i’ve recently experienced retaining a little of the old time feel is Tampa Bay Downs.
What a beautiful, heartfelt column. As I read the opening paragraphs, I sighed, remembering my own heartache at losing first Arlington Park and then Golden Gate Fields not long after. Such places, like Aqueduct, are irreplaceable.
It would indeed be wonderful if the final runnings of the Gotham and Wood turned out to be as memorable as the final running of the Preakness at “old” Pimlico. Here’s hoping.
Great read! Happy Holidays, Mr. Haskin!