Jay Hovdey

Jan 30, 2025 | thoroughbredracing.com | Tom Pedulla |Jay Hovdey

Tom Pedulla canvasses opinion amid recent suggestions that racing’s days might be numbered at Florida’s premier venueWhen a statue of the mythical winged horse Pegasus battling a fire-breathing dragon was erected to lord over Gulfstream Park in 2014, racegoers were not quite sure what to make of it.

Jan 14, 2025 | thoroughbredracing.com | Jay Hovdey

Our popular series continues with the ex-Argentine performer whose star flashed briefly in the US firmament during a brilliant three-race unbeaten spell – in the process leaving an indelible mark on at least one writer and his familyCandy Ride was a shooting star, seen briefly streaking across the Southern California sky in just three public appearances, ending a slim, unbeaten career that came and went before you knew it.

Jan 11, 2025 | bloodhorse.com | Jay Hovdey

The Earth spins on its axis at a speed of about a thousand miles an hour. Sometimes, for us mere mortals, it seems even faster. On the afternoon of Jan. 5, the filly Look Forward stepped up to win the Santa Ynez Stakes and promptly put herself in the thick of the West Coast 3-year-old division. She was ridden by Mario Gutierrez, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby (G1) who had not won a graded race in more than a year. Then Jan. 7 his house burned down.

Dec 29, 2024 | thoroughbredracing.com | Jay Hovdey

Our series continues with a warm-hearted character-driven racetrack comedy out of step with the times in which it arrivedLet It Ride (1989) directed by Joe Pytka; starring Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Jennifer Tilly, David JohansenThe director had never before shot a feature film. The screenwriter hid her credit behind a pseudonym. The studio had no idea how to market a good-natured, character-driven comedy when the movie public was being bombarded by Indiana Jones, Batman, and a little mermaid.

Dec 17, 2024 | thoroughbredracing.com | Jay Hovdey

Jay Hovdey’s unmissable series listing his personal favorites continues with the popular champion filly who found her true metier on turfLike a princess born to a life of royal duties, her fate seemed sealed. Both her sire and damsire were champions who never touched the green stuff, save for the occasional graze. She was quick on her feet and handy, blessed with the kind of whiplash speed that turns dirt races into gold. If she had been able to read – and who is to say she couldn’t have learned?