By Mike Farrell Medina Spirit was set to come east Saturday to headline the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx Racing. He would have arrived with a whole lot of off-track baggage. Now he’s s...
By Mike Farrell The squirrels in the Northeast are frenzied as the mature acorns come showering down and the first wave of leaves are off the trees. Fall is just around the corner, as any racing fan c...
By Mike Farrell Breezed into Saratoga for closing weekend. Left with a lighter wallet, and a heavier waistline. Hey, that’s the Spa experience. As we claw our way back to normal, it was important to...
By Mike Farrell Essential Quality took another step on the road to Horse of the Year. Firenze Fire turned savage in the Forego (G1), and Bob Baffert came up smelling the roses on both coasts. It was q...
By Mike Farrell The road to Horse of the Year is wide open for Essential Quality as he heads into the $1.25 million Travers Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Saratoga. Many will say it’s premature to crown...
By Mike Farrell Todd Pletcher, the freshly minted member of racing’s Hall of Fame, sends out top contenders in both of Saturday’s leading Grade 1 stakes: Dr Post in the Pacific Classic (G1) at D...
By Mike Farrell There is an old quotation, often attributed to Damon Runyon, that best summarized the major developments in the racing world last Saturday. “The race is not always to the swift, nor ...
By Mike Farrell Get ready for another big weekend of coast-to-coast racing action. It seems like we make that claim every weekend at this time of year… and it’s all true! Consider the lineup for S...
Jimmy Jerkens is a New York guy, through and through. Like his late Hall of Fame father Allen Jerkens, his heart and soul are in New York racing, especially Saratoga. So, it comes as no surprise that ...
By Mike Farrell Bill Shannon, the late baseball historian and the “Dean of Official Scorers,” lived by this credo in the ballpark: Always pay close attention because something might unfold that yo...