The awards offer a chance to relive a few brief shining moments of 2021 that might have been overlooked or underappreciated during what overall was a tough year for the sport.
Sports Columns
Running for the first time at the classic distance of 1 1/4 miles, Knicks Go led every step of the way to win Saturday’s $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar.
Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit will be favored in the Preakness Stakes, but trainer Bob Baffert also is entering the highly regarded Concert Tour.
Saturday’s $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga, usually the next big thing for 3-year-olds after the Triple Crown, this year lands smack dab in the middle of the series.
Richard Goodall and wife Sally will compete in the National Horseplayers Championship beginning Friday at Bally’s, just days after his induction into the NHC Hall of Fame.
Belmont Park will offer eight Grade 1 stakes featuring top horses in virtually every division on Saturday’s card, in addition to two lesser stakes.
The Stronach Group hires a new head of its entertainment division to “engage the next generation of horse racing fans,” but sports betting fans present a much bigger opportunity for the sport to begin rebuilding its fan base.
The John Sadler-trained colt has asserted himself as the best horse in training at the classic distance on the dirt, but much could change in the eight weeks remaining until the World Thoroughbred Championship returns to Churchill Downs.
