Suffolk Downs’ Final, Final Finale
Jessica Chapel / Railbird - Thoroughbred racing news and notes
by JC
4y ago
If I had to choose a moment to remember from the last weekend of racing at Suffolk Downs what would it be? It could be T.D. Thornton’s final call: “They approach the quarter pole in the grand finale and they turn into the Suffolk Downs homestretch for the final time … 84 years of history behind them, half a furlong to the finish, and it’s all Catauga County, by seven on the line. Admiration was second, Shiloh Lane was third. Wow! What a long run it’s been, what a wild ride since 1935. Thanks, Suffolk Downs, for a lifetime of great memories!” It could be paddock analyst Jessica Paquette’s heart ..read more
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2019 Derby Prep Schedule
Jessica Chapel / Railbird - Thoroughbred racing news and notes
by JC
4y ago
It’s 10 points towards the Derby gate for Mind Control, winner of the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct on New Year’s Day. With the start of the 2019 preps, the big Kentucky Derby prep schedule and results spreadsheet — which includes charts, replays, and speed figures — returns for another season ..read more
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Things I Read, 2018 Edition
Jessica Chapel / Railbird - Thoroughbred racing news and notes
by JC
4y ago
Let’s not call this a list of bests — head down in archival literature and grad school for most of the year, I didn’t read as expansively or widely about racing in the past 12 months as I might have in past years to make that kind of claim. These are the stories, and writers, that stuck with me in 2018. Read: 1. Kit Chellel’s profile of Bill Benter, his algorithm, and almost a billion dollars won: The gambler who cracked the horse-racing code (Bloomberg) 2. When Gronkowski (the human) went to Belmont. The details in this story are fantastic! I won’t spoil the fun: A tale of two Gronkowskis, an ..read more
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Sports Betting Is Here
Jessica Chapel / Railbird - Thoroughbred racing news and notes
by JC
4y ago
Anticipated as it was, Monday’s Supreme Court ruling killing the sports betting ban rocked a lot of players across the gaming industry. I wrote something for SB Nation about horse racing and its flashy new legal competition. If you’re looking for something else to read, I’m bookmarking some of the more interesting/informative stories I’ve come across about sports betting, racing’s reaction to the ruling, what might happen next in Massachusetts, and the opportunities for sports media: Find the links on Pinboard ..read more
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Derby ’18 Links
Jessica Chapel / Railbird - Thoroughbred racing news and notes
by JC
4y ago
It’s that time of the year again — it’s Kentucky Derby! Hello Race Fans is out with its cheat sheet for the 2018 field, and J.J. Hysell’s capsule ‘capping of each contender will get even the most casual Derby fan up to speed on this Saturday’s starters. (The cheat sheet’s perfect for Derby parties.) For handicapping: The historical criteria spreadsheet is back and updated with the 2018 draw. Don’t forget the Derby prep results spreadsheet: Get the charts and watch the replays for each of this spring’s Derby points races. Beyer and TimeformUS sped figures are also included. Need historical Derb ..read more
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Racing in the DPLA
Jessica Chapel / Railbird - Thoroughbred racing news and notes
by JC
4y ago
Double Trouble at Santa Anita (Los Angeles Public Library) Depending on how you search, there are anywhere from 3,000 to more than 5,000 items in the Digital Public Library of America related to horse racing, such as the photo above, which depicts: a beautiful black horse, identified as Double Trouble, and a man that may possibly be a trainer or handler. The man holds the horse’s rein with his left hand, and is holding a large, fluffy cat next to his chest with his right hand. Because the web can always use more cats, more horses, and more racing, I remixed a bot at the community app building ..read more
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2018 Derby Prep Schedule
Jessica Chapel / Railbird - Thoroughbred racing news and notes
by JC
4y ago
Last Saturday’s Sham Stakes at Santa Anita, won by McKinzie, was the first Kentucky Derby points race of 2018, and that means the big Derby prep schedule and results spreadsheet is back for another season ..read more
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No Change: 2017 Multimedia Eclipse Results Stand
Jessica Chapel / Railbird - Thoroughbred racing news and notes
by JC
4y ago
After sending the matter back to the judges, the “questions that were raised” about the 2017 audio/multimedia Eclipse-winning work, Barbara Livingston’s “Chasing Man o’ War’s Ghost,” published on Daily Racing Form, were deemed not to warrant a disqualification. The Eclipse Awards steering committee released a statement on Sunday that this year’s award results would stand. The full statement regarding the decision is on the NTWAB site: The Eclipse Awards Steering Committee on Wednesday, January 3 became aware of a question regarding the winning entry submitted by Daily Racing Form (DRF) in the ..read more
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Putting Up the Inquiry Sign
Jessica Chapel / Railbird - Thoroughbred racing news and notes
by JC
4y ago
12:50 PM: This post has been edited to include a response from DRF regarding the 2010 Man o’ War piece. It has been four days since it was announced the Daily Racing Form won a 2017 Eclipse Multimedia Award for a piece primarily created by photographer Barbara Livingston, and four days since I pointed out the apparent reuse of a 2010 blog post about Man o’ War by Livingston in the 2017 multimedia piece. In that time, the DRF has made no comment about the award situation. The Eclipse Awards steering committee is discussing the matter. A sidebar to the question of the recycled text is the relate ..read more
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Media Eclipse Controversies, Then and Now
Jessica Chapel / Railbird - Thoroughbred racing news and notes
by JC
4y ago
Pedigree expert Sid Fernando has a deep memory and a willingness to publicly recall past, less-than-wonderful, episodes in recent racing history, qualities that make him a good source for adding context to current, less-than-wonderful, episodes in racing. Late last night, Fernando was bringing some perspective to the questions about Barbara Livingston’s 2017 Eclipse award for a multimedia piece that reused copy from a 2010 blog post by referring to the controversy over Eclipse media award rules after author Laura Hillenbrand won a 2001 Eclipse award for an excerpt from her book “Seabiscuit” th ..read more
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