by Natalie Voss|12.25.2022|2:22pm Barn Buddies Presented By Dapple Up: Jeffrey The Goat Goes Where He Is Needed Given a large enough shedrow, it’s not uncommon to come across a racehorse who’s a little less self-assured than the rest. Sometimes they’re just a nervous personality; sometimes they have a particular trigger that makes them uneasy, like a recent move or a neighbor they can’t stand. Whatever the reason, these types often can be […]
by Natalie Voss|10.28.2022|5:03pm Barn Buddies Presented By Dapple Up: While Danner Travels The Country, Feline Assistants Keep Palm Meadows Base Running As any follower of this series knows, it’s not uncommon (but is nonetheless delightful) for a racing barn to have a barn cat or two on duty. Among those of us who are particularly drawn to a good working cat though, trainer Kelsey Danner is social media famous. She doesn’t just have one; she has […]
by Natalie Voss|09.13.2022|2:03pm Barn Buddies Presented By Dapple Up: Saratoga’s Little Celebrity With Labor Day weekend come and gone, the Saratoga race meet is over for another year. The barns are probably already a little emptier, the grandstand is mostly quiet, and the traffic on Broadway is finally lighter. However, just because the tourists and racegoers are gone, that doesn’t mean the work of Upset is done. […]
by Natalie Voss|08.29.2022|10:34am Barn Buddies Presented By Dapple Up: A Different Form Of Rodent Control With horses comes grain. With grain comes mice and rats. It’s a universal truth battled by horsemen in many ways through the years, from sturdy bins to cats to a Jack Russell Terrier named George. Trainer Amira Chichakly has a different solution. They require an oversized plastic cage, and often confuse her toddler’s toys for […]
by Natalie Voss|08.15.202208.16.2022|2:06pm10:15am Barn Buddies Presented By Dapple Up: I Went To Saratoga And Met Johnny Depp Despite his obvious popularity, I almost failed to notice Johnny Depp both times I walked by the barn at Saratoga. Once he was sitting casually in a chair, ruminating over a cup of coffee with Conor Foley. The other time he was brooding under a tree in that way only the most handsome can brood, […]
by Joe Nevills|06.02.2022|5:13pm Barn Buddies Presented By Dapple Up: The Delta Downs Infield Is Marty’s World If you’re a horse racing type with a Facebook account, you’ve probably seen the video. An alligator is seen ambling across the dirt path that goes through the infield at Delta Downs in Vinton, La. A nearby horse is understandably unsure what to make of the reptile, ultimately deciding to spin around as the handler […]
by Natalie Voss|08.10.2021|11:57pm Barn Buddies: Like His Namesake, Firenze Kitten Is Full Of Fire Summer at Saratoga is heaven for the writer of a series on barnyard companion animals. Kitten season has just happened, people staying in town bring their dogs to morning barn walks, and there are bound to be goats. Each summer has its star, and this year’s star is bright enough that I couldn’t resist a […]
by Natalie Voss|10.01.201910.02.2019|11:21am4:17pm Barn Buddies: Saratoga Kittens Ensure The Best Monday Ever Although Saratoga closed several weeks ago, its reputation as a cradle of top juvenile talent will continue to build as impressive Spa 2-year-olds move toward the Breeders’ Cup. But this year’s meet was also the site of precocious youth of another kind. Saratoga has always been home to a particularly fine collection of barn cats […]
by Natalie Voss|06.14.201906.14.2019|10:33am10:53pm Barn Buddies Presented By Cosequin: Creatures Great And Small There was something different about one of the shed rows in the stakes barn area at Pimlico on Preakness weekend this year. The aisle was neatly raked, uniform stall guards were up, a fan was quietly humming away in the early afternoon. Horses turned away from their open doors, cocking one leg while dozing. But […]
by Natalie Voss|05.09.2019|5:16pm Barn Buddies Presented By Cosequin: Every Barn Needs A Goat The Churchill Downs backstretch on Kentucky Derby week is a bustling place, fairly bursting at the seams by Wednesday or Thursday. Exercise riders and security guards navigate seas of visitors who never seem to quite realize they’re on horse paths. Grooms steer bikes through the chaos, sometimes stopping to gape at the scrum outside Bob […]