January 24, 2013
Many in my generation go back to musical groups like the Mamas and Papas and enjoy recalling their greatest hits. Many of us remembered the lyrics. That’s probably why I got to trying to create a line similar to one of my favorite Mamas and Papas hits, Creeque Alley, when I was on the way home after the Smarty Jones Stakes on Monday. It goes something like “Everyone’s Hearing Facts, ‘cept D-W-L.” Read More
January 17, 2013
Oaklawn only started racing in January in 1991. Except for two years, 2000-2001, the track has scheduled January racing days each year since. Initially Oaklawn took on January dates as an accommodation to horsemen who were already here, getting ready for the live meet. The horsemen and Oaklawn became partners. The horsemen helped support gaming in this area, to fend off the competition of Tunica, and Oaklawn opened in January. It was a compromise the kind of which never happens in Washington, D.C. Read More
January 09, 2013
It has been a month since I have had the chance to write in this space and so much has happened and so much is about to happen that I have way more to write about than this blog has space. Read More
December 04, 2012
These days, as I walk across the Oaklawn parking lot and look at the racetrack, I am enjoying watching the horses on their morning exercise. There a very few involved in serious workouts. Instead they are jogging and simply enjoying the time out of their stalls. In short, they are horses being horses. In older times horses were customarily given this time off between the Fall and Spring racing seasons. The economics of the sport changed that some time ago and many are kept on their toes for competitions to which they will be shipped from their Oaklawn homes. The Indian summer weather conditions of late November and early December have allowed them the luxury of getting to the track on a daily basis and that has been good for both man and beast in this area. Read More
November 20, 2012
There are a number of reasons to be especially happy about this year’s Thanksgiving. As usual, in this location, the basis for this happiness can be traced to action on the racetrack. Read More