Sunday, March 20, 2016

HRN: Rebel Stakes Day 2016: A Photo Essay

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blogThese notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

Rebel Stakes Day 2016: A Photo Essay

"As a chilly breeze traveled through the air, the sun peeked through the clouds as it rose above the horizon to offer a sliver of warmth to the dozens of fans that dotted the track apron of Oaklawn Park on the morning of Saturday, March 19, 2016. Not only was it Dawn at Oaklawn – an event held on Saturday mornings for fans to enjoy and learn more about morning training – but it was Rebel Stakes Day.

One of the highlights of Oaklawn’s Racing Festival of the South, the Grade II Rebel Stakes has been an important stepping stone for a countless number of Triple Crown race winners – most notably American Pharoah, the hero that just last year ended the 37-year Triple Crown drought. With a $900,000 purse up for grabs this year, the Kentucky Derby prep race attracted a full field of fourteen – but it was not the only notable race of the day. Also on the card were the Grade III Azeri Stakes and the Grade II Razorback Handicap. . ."


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Friday, March 18, 2016

HRN: Racing's Future: Sidney Boots

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blogThese notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

Racing's Future: Sidney Boots

""Racing’s Future" is a Q&A series in which I aspire to help everyone in the industry. In addition to shining a spotlight on youth who plan to have a career in horse racing, I hope that the opinions expressed in their responses will offer industry leaders insight into what a younger audience believes the sport should improve upon.

Meet Sidney Boots


Sidney Boots, a 19-year-old from Alexandria, Kentucky, has been a fan of racing her entire life. She currently works as a BETologist at Keeneland and is an officer in the University of Kentucky’s Horse Racing Club. She is an Agricultural Education major at the University of Kentucky and hopes to use that degree to work as an advocate for the racing industry in the future. . ."

Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.

Friday, March 11, 2016

HRN: Racing's Future: Cassidy Jackson

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blogThese notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

Racing's Future: Cassidy Jackson

""Racing’s Future" is a Q&A series in which I aspire to help everyone in the industry. In addition to shining a spotlight on youth who plan to have a career in horse racing, I hope that the opinions expressed in their responses will offer industry leaders insight into what a younger audience believes the sport should improve upon.

Meet Cassidy Jackson

From central Florida, 14-year-old Cassidy Jackson has been a fan of racing for as long as she can remember. With aspirations to become a veterinarian, Cassidy also enjoys photography and takes pictures of racehorses at sales and farms. Most of those pictures are featured on my Instagram photography account, @puresouthernphotography. . ."
Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

HRN: Racing's Future: Acacia Courtney

Each time I post a new article on my Horse Racing Nation blog, I post a notice on this blogThese notices include an excerpt from the beginning of that article and a link to the piece. My latest Horse Racing Nation article is. . .

Racing's Future: Acacia Courtney

""Racing’s Future" is a Q&A series in which I aspire to help everyone in the industry. In addition to shining a spotlight on youth who plan to have a career in horse racing, I hope that the opinions expressed in their responses will offer industry leaders insight into what a younger audience believes the sport should improve upon.

Meet Acacia Courtney


Originally from Connecticut, 23-year-old Acacia Courtney currently lives in New York City. Although she only recently became involved in horse racing, she is a lifelong horse lover, having grown up riding and being trained in hunter/jumper and dressage disciplines. While her family has always watched the Kentucky Derby for as long as she can remember, it was when she started working with off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) that she became hooked on the sport. Acacia is the founder and president of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Racing for Home Inc., which is dedicated to re-purposing OTTBs for new careers after the racetrack. Trips to the Suffolk Downs backside led to a full-fledged passion for racing and an enhanced love and appreciation for equine athletes, and about two and a half years ago, Acacia dove in to the industry headfirst. She has been blogging for America’s Best Racing for a year, and recently joined the Horse Racing Radio Network team full-time as an analyst after working as the paddock/winner’s circle commentator and interviewer for the Derby, Saratoga stakes races, and Breeders’ Cup. She is the co-host of the Xpressbet Radio shows, covering live racing from multiple tracks with with Anthony “The Big A” Stabile. Aside from her involvement in racing, Acacia was Miss Connecticut 2014 and a top-15 semifinalist in that year’s Miss America pageant, and graduated from Fordham University with a major in Communications (Journalism concentration) in December 2015. . ."
Click here to read the rest of my newest Horse Racing Nation article.