Bob Hill
Staff Writer
Tracksideview.com

Most of us refer to the one day in August of each year when Arlington Park, located in suburban Chicago, hosts the Grade 2 Secretariat, the Grade 1 Beverly D., and the Grade 1 Arlington Million as Million Day.  The official name for the day is the International Festival of Racing, but that is a mouthful easily shortened to our reference to the first race to ever offer up a purse of a…

Bob Hill
Staff writer
Tracksideview.com

It is fair to guess that most serious horse players found the final eight races on the Belmont Stakes card frustrating and challenging.  The Pick 6 started with the upset of the best three-year-old filly sprinter by a somewhat improbable filly that got the jump on the field on a day that horses passing one another in the final sixteenth of a mile were as rare as my winning tickets.  From there, the…

Bob Hill
Staff writer
Tracksideview.com

In the pre-race build up before the Wood Memorial the announcers on TVG placed the over/under on the number of lengths of victory for Uncle Mo and eight, and most agreed they would take the over.  Once again the lesson about the sport is that the races are run on the track and not on paper.  If we look at the internal fractions of the race and can suspend for a few moments…

Linda Fraembs
(Special to Tracksideview.com)

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – It’s been a week, and I’m still not over the Breeders’ Cup Classic. But I’m in good company.

That’s the race in which Zenyatta, queen of horse racing, undefeated in 19 starts, was supposed to thrill her fans for one last time with a dramatic win over the country’s most talented boys.

Alas, life is not a Disney movie. Despite an incredible run in the home stretch, Zenyatta lost by less…

Bob Hill
Staff writer
Tracksideview.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mike Smith is brave enough to get aboard thoroughbred race horses almost every day of his life.  It is dangerous business that requires athleticism, strength, courage and skill.  When he broke into tears in the press room following the heart stopping Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs he shed tears for all of us who love the sport he represents.  He realized how close he had been to being part…

Bob Hill
Staff writer

It’s not often that much is reported about $25,000 claiming races, but when a horse wins twice within a span of 68 hours a story is made.  El Real Madrid, a five-year-old son of Boundary, actually raced three times within eight days, finishing second in the first race of the trio on the grass down at Monmouth Park on Aug. 18.  That race, contested at a mile and 70 yards, was a $22,000 claiming contest. …

Bob Hill
Staff writer
Tracksideveiw.com

As I sat in my seat at Arlington Park looking out over the stunningly beautiful turf courses at Arlington Park last Saturday it struck me again what an incredible venue the place is to watch thoroughbred racing.  Having now had the opportunity to visit all of the major racing venues in North America it is a very easy task for me to name the place where the highest percentage of fans have a…

Bob Hill
Staff writer
Tracksideview.com

DEL MAR, Calif. – Del Mar race track justifiably lays claim to being situated in as beautiful a setting as any such venue anywhere.  The famous Mediterranean climate of San Diego County is normally a second ingredient to making a trip to Del Mar spectacular during August.  The setting is quite unchangeable, but on my annual visit to Del Mar this past weekend I discovered that the coastline can be smothered in layers…

Bob Hill
Staff writer
Tracksideview.com

DEL MAR, Calif. – Del Mar race track justifiably lays claim to being situated in as beautiful a setting as any such venue anywhere.  The famous Mediterranean climate of San Diego County is normally a second ingredient to making a trip to Del Mar spectacular during August. 

Bob Hill
Staff writer
Tracksideview.com

I’ve now been a serious thoroughbred racing fan for about a decade.  When asked to name the events that generate the greatest interest for me I have no trouble answering.  For sustained captivation, nothing compares to the five-month build up to the Kentucky Derby every winter and spring.  For pure one-weekend excitement the Breeders’ Cup tops the list and the Arlington Million is a very close second.  When it comes to the one…