Ray Kerrison
The Archive
Longtime Post handicapper and writer John Piesen dead at 80
Thoroughbred racing lost one of its most passionate advocates Tuesday when John Piesen, longtime Post handicapper and writer, died after a brief illness. He was 80. He is survived by...
Monmouth Park to open today
OCEANPORT, N.J. — Dusted off by the state two years ago as a lost cause, Monmouth Park will open its gates Saturday to launch its 68th racing season, poised for...
Paynter romps in Haskell
The brilliant colt that should never have lost the Belmont Stakes snapped back and crackled like a sheet of lightning yesterday to run away with the $1 million, Grade 1...
Paynter has designs on Haskell win
A six-pack of the best 3-year-olds in the country still under tack are set to go in the $1 million Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park this afternoon.It has...
Smith's mistake opened door for Velazquez at Belmont Stakes
Eddie Arcaro, the late immortal jockey, used to say those of his profession, on average, contribute at most about 10 percent to a horse’s winning effort. Rarely, but sometimes, it...
Trainer's Day: Matz, Baffert real stories of Belmont
The Belmont Stakes, stripped of its magic with the loss of its star, roared back to life Saturday with a stretch thriller when Union Rags came back from the dead...
Belmont up for grabs without big favorite
Suddenly, the Belmont Stakes is a whole new horse race. The classic, billed for a hundred years as “the test of the champion” is no longer a test. The champion...
I'll Have Another will not be denied
The last two furlongs of the Belmont Stakes tomorrow will be one of the most enthralling sports spectacles ever staged in New York. Guaranteed. In that short span, lasting maybe...
All-heart champion nwill not be denied
TheE last two furlongs of the Belmont Stakes tomorrow will be one of the most enthralling sports spectacles ever staged in New York. Guaranteed. In that short span, lasting maybe...
Local horsemen want ‘Another’ Crown, but think ‘Union’ may spoil party
The power players in New York racing are rooting overwhelmingly for I’ll Have Another to win the Belmont Stakes and complete the Triple Crown, but a quick backstretch poll yesterday...
Thoro-graph handicapper: Dullahan the bet in Belmont
Horseplayers have four days to shop the Belmont Stakes, to sort the contenders, discard the pretenders — and line up the bets. In search of a professional evaluation, I called...
Woody’s shadow is looming large at Belmont
From now until the end of time, the Belmont Stakes never will be run without recalling the unique exploits of the great classic’s master craftsman, the late Woody Stephens. On...
Atigun may pull Belmont shocker
Two men who engineered two of the biggest blockbuster long-shot winners in the 144 years of the Belmont Stakes are hoping to do it again in Saturday’s run for the...
Trainer’s reputation should not cast cloud over shot at Triple Crown
I’ll Have Another will attempt to wrap up the Triple Crown at Belmont on Saturday against a clamor of alleged rampant drug use in horse racing, centered around the horse’s...
Everyone’s getting behind I'll Have Another in Triple Crown chase
Two down and one to glow! In eight days, I’ll Have Another will attempt to light up the galaxy by adding the Belmont Stakes to his Kentucky Derby and Preakness...
As many will attest, Belmont the toughest jewel in Triple Crown
BALTIMORE — The late Woody Stephens used to tease Californians shipping horses into New York for the Belmont Stakes with the warning, “When you cross the Hudson, those buildings get...
Racing’s newest star heads to Belmont to make history
BALTIMORE — Paint the sidewalks of New York, light up the Empire State and the Statue of Liberty — we’ve got ourselves a Triple Crown bid coming our way in...
Gutierrez-Smith showdown sure to grip Pimlico
BALTIMORE — Horse races seldom boil down to jockey races, but the Preakness at Pimlico this afternoon might be decided in an epic encounter between a superb, wily old veteran...
When betting Preakness, do yourself a favorite
BALTIMORE — Year in, year out, all you had to do to find the winner of the Preakness Stakes was to check the first three or four favorites in the...
Trainer Lukas says he's 'embarrassed' by others
BALTIMORE — D. Wayne Lukas yesterday fired a broadside at three Kentucky Derby winning trainers whose actions, he said, embarrassed him and the sport. In a rare break with the...