The Morning Nine
Breaking down the nine-horse field for the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes.
View ArticleNo Politics, Just Our Preakness Picks
The Rail's contributors and a guest picker make their Preakness selections.
View ArticleHours Before the Race, Tension and Buzz Are Building
As Orb, the Preakness favorite, awaited his shot at the second leg of the Triple Crown, excitement was rising both inside and outside his barn.
View ArticleOxbow Derails Orb’s Crown Quest With Win in Preakness Stakes
Oxbow won the 138th Preakness Stakes, spoiling the Triple Crown quest of Orb, the race's overwhelming favorite. Jockey Gary Stevens, who came out of retirement, won his third Preakness.
View ArticleHow a Change of Pace Helped Decide the Preakness
In contrast with the speedy start to the Kentucky Derby, a slower pace at the Preakness favored Oxbow and created traffic problems for the other horses.
View ArticleThe Rail’s Scoreboard
How The Rail's contributors are doing with their predictions through the first two legs of the Triple Crown.
View ArticleThe Rail Bookshelf: A Few Page Turners to Pass Time Between Races
A few nonfiction books that would appeal to casual horse racing fans and people who already love reading about the sport.
View ArticleExploring the Business of Horse Breeding on ‘Real Sports’
A segment on horse breeding called "Out to Stud" will be part of the 194th edition of "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel," which debuts Tuesday at 10 p.m. Eastern on HBO.
View Article1963 Kentucky Derby: Chateaugay’s Big Day
In 1963, a horse named for a small upstate New York town led the field under the wire in the 89th Kentucky Derby.
View ArticleVideo: Horse Racing’s Good Guys
The horse racing industry has more than its share of harsh critics, but there are still people who truly care for the animals, and they deserve recognition.
View ArticleOrb Looking Good, but Belmont Status Still in Question
The Belmont Stakes is a little over two weeks away, and the big question is whether Orb, the impressive Kentucky Derby winner who faltered in the Preakness, will compete.
View ArticleCentury-Old Racing Columns Still Quicken the Pulse
Part gossip, part handicapping, part pure racing fandom, W. C. Vreeland's columns made horses into celebrities and readers into racing insiders.
View ArticleWith Orb, It’s Still Wait and See
The trainer Shug McGaughey is still gauging whether Orb, his first Kentucky Derby champion who finished a disappointing fourth in the Preakness, should compete in the Belmont Stakes on June 8.
View ArticleRacing’s Public Persona and Quiet Ambassador
Those who don’t follow horse racing closely may not be aware that as much as D. Wayne Lukas has been a public persona and a terrific television interview subject at major events, Lukas also serves on a...
View ArticleThe Rail Bookshelf: ‘One Book at a Time’
At the age of 34, Michael Courtney opened Black Swan Books in Lexington, Ky., which specializes in Kentucky authors, military history, literature and cookbooks. Now 63, he said he built the bookstore...
View ArticleThe Ghost of Smarty Jones
Smarty Jones's failed Triple Crown bid in 2004 raises an interesting question: does preparing a horse to win the Crown put the animal in such a state of excitement that he can’t run properly in the...
View ArticleWorkouts Continue as Belmont Field Swells
There is a little more than a week to go before the Belmont Stakes, and many of the contenders completed workouts this week. In all, 16 horses are under consideration for the race, which is the maximum...
View ArticleThe 1913 Belmont: A New Look and a Dubious Upset
Fans noticed a new Belmont at the opening of the 1913 season; renovations had altered the familiar plant.
View ArticleFar From Track, Millionaire Racehorse Keeps Up Winning Ways
Nothing could shake Dry Martini. Not the dogfights of horse racing, where he won more than $1.4 million dollars, and certainly not foxhunting and jumping, where he dashed through the wilderness of the...
View ArticleFor the Jockey Gary Stevens, the Ride’s the Thing
The jockey Gary Stevens discussed his victory in the Preakness Stakes, roles in the film “Seabiscuit” and the HBO show “Luck.”
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