JC / Railbird

Santa Anita

Racing in the DPLA

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 platform Glitch that tweets racing items from the DPLA. Follow along @racingpix.

Posted in Racing on March 10, 2018 / Tagged Archives, Bots, Digital Public Library of America, Libraries, Photography, Santa Anita

#BC16 Links, Etc.

Breeders’ Cup 2016 is here! And I have links: First, to the big HANA Monthly Breeders’ Cup issue (PDF). Stats, Q&As, and my Distaff pick (clue in the photo above). Then, to the Hello Race Fans BC Friday picks grid. Look for HD replays of every BC race on the 2016 Breeders’ Cup YouTube playlist. Replays should be up within minutes after each race.

I’m hanging out on Twitter and Instagram this weekend, live from Santa Anita.

11/5/16 Update: And Breeders’ Cup Saturday picks are up.

Posted in Racing on November 4, 2016 / Tagged #BC16, Beholder, Breeders' Cup, Distaffers, Santa Anita

Two Champions

The Vanity Mile Stakes was never really a contest. Mike Watchmaker on how Beholder handled 3-year-old filly champion Stellar Wind on Saturday:

Stellar Wind ran extremely well. She was dead game, and she is very, very good. But Beholder absolutely toyed with her. Toyed with her. Anyone who watched the Vanity knows the difference between Beholder and Stellar Wind on Saturday was far greater than what the result chart suggests.

Beholder earned a Beyer speed figure of 100 for her 17th career win, her 10th Grade 1 victory. After the first three quarters in 1:12.53, she ran the last two furlongs in :11.46 and :11.98. “I thought we would go in sub 23, 45 and change for the second quarter and I thought the final time would be under 1:34,” said jockey Gary Stevens. “Twenty five is legit, 49 is legit, but I think that’s the fastest last three eighths I’ve ever run in my life.”

Posted in Racing on June 5, 2016 / Tagged Beholder, Santa Anita, Stellar Wind, Vanity Stakes

Behold the Sure Thing

The easiest 10 cents you could make in racing on Saturday:

It was such a certainty that Beholder would win the $300,000 Grade I Zenyatta Stakes that by the time she had cruised to a 3 1/4-length triumph over second-place My Sweet Addiction at odds of 1-9, Santa Anita was figuring out how much money it had lost. There was a $75,708.52 minus show pool and $4,750.12 minus place pool. Beholder returned $2.10 to win, place and show after finishing the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:42.83.

I cannot wait for this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Posted in Racing on September 26, 2015 / Tagged Beholder, Distaffers, Favorites, Santa Anita, Zenyatta Stakes