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Horses

Albany’s John McBain Davidson: Safes, Steamboats & Horse Racing

July 21, 2021 by Bill Orzell 2 Comments

Saratoga Dreams B&B The Saratoga Dreams B&B at 203 Union Avenue gives a modern day traveler, the opportunity to step back into the marvelous past of Saratoga Springs. Climbing the stairs starts the adventure, where you first see the statue of Seabiscuit at the National Museum of Racing next door, and across the street you may catch a glimpse of runners being “tacked-up” in the paddock at Saratoga Race Course.

The large covered porch, typical of so many of Saratoga Springs’ Queen Anne style homes, allows an elevated view of “Tex” Hughlette Wheeler’s fabulous sculpture. Charles S. Howard, Seabiscuit’s owner, commissioned cowboy sculptor Wheeler (who’s unique given name of Hughlette was the surname of the doctor who delivered him during his mother’s difficult pregnancy), to “capture the horse from life,” and had two castings made. Howard’s heirs graciously donated this casting, originally at the Howard’s Ridgewood Farm, to the National Museum of Racing. The other bronze which Howard had cast has always stood in the Santa Anita paddock. [Read more…] about Albany’s John McBain Davidson: Safes, Steamboats & Horse Racing

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Albany, Erastus Corning, Gambling, Horses, Hudson River, Political History, Saratoga, Saratoga County, Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, sports, Sports History, Steamboating, Tammany Hall, Troy, Vice

Horse Racing History: Westchester County’s Bowman Park

July 14, 2021 by Bill Orzell 1 Comment

John Bowman courtesy Keeneland Library Collection The 1920s witnessed a new era of Americans who were at ease committing their hard earned dollars toward the privilege of being spectators of live sport. In horse racing, John McEntee Bowman became the President of the United Hunts Racing Association, an organization of cross-country enthusiasts in 1922.

Bowman was an impressive fellow, certainly one of the best rags-to-riches stories in turf history, from immigrant groom to multi-millionaire owner and track operator, while developing a successful national business brand, the Biltmore Hotel chain. Through his flagship hotel and banquet facilities in New York City, Bowman was able to cultivate the social side of jump racing during the winter months, which increased the sport’s following immensely. [Read more…] about Horse Racing History: Westchester County’s Bowman Park

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: Historic Racetracks Series, Horses, New York City, sports, Sports History, Vice, Westchester County

The Horse ‘Governor Hughes’ & Gambling Suppression in NY

July 7, 2021 by Bill Orzell 1 Comment

Gov Hughes paintingThere was this gentleman named Charlie Ellison, or Charles R. Ellison to be precise, from Chicago. He was involved with the horse racing game in the late nineteenth century, and as the calendar flipped to 1900, began finding great success.

Ellison was famous for his large wagers, and turf writers seemed to revel in detailing his betting successes His countenance was fair, and as he was towheaded, these very recognizable locks earned him a unique sobriquet, the “Blonde Plunger.” The plunger in his nickname implied a reckless speculator or gambler. [Read more…] about The Horse ‘Governor Hughes’ & Gambling Suppression in NY

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Charles Evans Hughes, Gambling, Horses, Political History, Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, Sports History, Vice

NY Islanders New Home Has A Fine Sporting Pedigree; Manice Mansion Once Stood On UBS Arena Grounds

July 1, 2021 by Bill Orzell 4 Comments

Manice Mansion with tower in relation to Hempstead Turnpike courtesy NYS ArchivesUBS Arena, the $1.5 billion multi-purpose facility being built next to Belmont Park race track in Elmont, Nassau County, NY, is expected to be home of the New York Islander hockey in the upcoming 2021–22 NHL season. The location has a storied history.

The Westchester Racing Association raced in that county at both Jerome Park and Morris Park, prior to their move to Long Island. The privately held Westchester Racing Association was able to acquire several farm properties, the most notable being the former Oatlands Estate of William DeForest Manice.

The new racing facility, which would become Long Island’s Belmont Park, was comprised of 400 acres north of the Hempstead Turnpike and 160 acres on the south side. [Read more…] about NY Islanders New Home Has A Fine Sporting Pedigree; Manice Mansion Once Stood On UBS Arena Grounds

Filed Under: History, New York City, Recreation Tagged With: Belmont Park, Historic Racetracks Series, Hockey, Horses, Long Island, Nassau County, sports, Sports History

Belmont’s Terminal Course Survived Dark Days of Horse Racing

June 27, 2021 by Bill Orzell Leave a Comment

Belmont Park Terminal owner/trainer access badge courtesy National Museum of Racing and Hall of FameSteeplechase and hunt racing have long annals in the Empire State, and with more interest recently in turf racing, some long forgotten aspects of this history in New York are interesting to explore.

A dedicated turf and steeplechase venue, known as Belmont Park Terminal Course, operated on the Queens/Nassau County boundary from 1907 to 1927. [Read more…] about Belmont’s Terminal Course Survived Dark Days of Horse Racing

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: Belmont Park, Fires, Gambling, Historic Racetracks Series, Horses, Long Island, Nassau County, Queens, sports, Sports History

Saratoga’s Worden Hotel: A Short History

June 16, 2021 by Bill Orzell 5 Comments

Worden HotelAfter the Marvin House at the northwest corner of Division Street and Broadway in Saratoga Springs was destroyed by fire in 1865, it was quickly rebuilt as the city’s largest hotel. In the early 1880s it was renamed The Arlington Hotel briefly before being purchased by William W. Worden in 1885. He renamed it The Worden Hotel at the request of guests who honored him with a dinner celebrating his purchase. [Read more…] about Saratoga’s Worden Hotel: A Short History

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Architecture, Art History, Horses, Saratoga, Saratoga County, Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Race Track, Saratoga Springs, Sports History

Walking the Sanford Horses to Saratoga

June 9, 2021 by Bob Cudmore 2 Comments

Sanford Stud FarmBorn in 1826, Stephen Sanford worked with his father John and then on his own to create the Sanford carpet mills in Amsterdam. He went to West Point, served in Congress and was a friend of Ulysses S. Grant.

In the early twentieth century, thoroughbred horses owned by Sanford were walked each summer to Saratoga from Sanford’s Hurricana Farm. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Hollie Hughes, who served three generations of Sanfords, recalled the annual trek in Alex M. Robb’s book, The Sanfords of Amsterdam. [Read more…] about Walking the Sanford Horses to Saratoga

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Historic Racetracks Series, Horses, Saratoga, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Race Track

New Water Pump Installed For Charles Baker Forest Equestrians

May 22, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

new well pump and the covered structure that houses itIn partnership with the New York State Plantation Walking Horse Club, DEC recently installed a new well pump to provide essential water for horses at the Moscow Hill Assembly Area on Charles E. Baker State Forest, the core of the popular 100-mile Brookfield Trail System in Madison County. [Read more…] about New Water Pump Installed For Charles Baker Forest Equestrians

Filed Under: Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: DEC, Horses

The Unpleasant Side of Life With Horses in Cities

February 8, 2021 by Guest Contributor 4 Comments

Roosevelt Island HorsesReturn with me to the thrilling days of yesteryear when the automobile was viewed as the solution to transportation noise, fumes and congestion.

The problem: Horses.

A lot of horses. [Read more…] about The Unpleasant Side of Life With Horses in Cities

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Environmental History, Horses, Roosevelt Island Historical Society, Transportation History, Urban History

Slang, Stirrups, Paris in the 20s, and the Invention of the Bloody Mary

November 9, 2020 by Jaap Harskamp 1 Comment

An American Jockey paintingAlthough much remains unclear about the origins of Cockney rhyming slang, there is a consensus that it stems from London’s East End, dates back to the 1840s, and is alive and thriving. One slang expression reads “on one’s tod,” meaning: on one’s own; all alone. The phrase is a shortened version of the original “on one’s Tod Sloan.”

In full, these four words offer a multi-colored mosaic of socio-cultural events involving Manhattan, London, and Paris. [Read more…] about Slang, Stirrups, Paris in the 20s, and the Invention of the Bloody Mary

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Cultural History, Horses, Jazz, liquor, Literature, Manhattan, Music, Musical History, New York Symphony, Social History, sports, Sports History

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