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Some call horse racing the most exciting 2 minutes in sports. But attention spans seem to be shrinking, don't you know. (Note the brevity of this blog post.) So how about betting on an extremely exciting 17 seconds or so? That's about the time it takes for a barrel racer to complete a dangerous, challenging barrel racing course in a rodeo. 

Think it's easy? Think again. It takes one tough cowgirl and one pretty amazing horse to get good enough to race for a championshiop. And barrel racing is becoming so popular that it's supplanting bull riding in many stops along the rodeo circuit.

It's such a phenomena that some in the horse racing game are considering bringing barrel racing to the track. In Florida, horse bettors are discovering barrel racing joints as a pretty crazy and very attractive alternative to hanging out along the same old rail. 

This report from NPR tells the tale. Give it a listen and ask yourself this: Are you ready for these rough-and-tumble cowgirls to bring barrel racing to a PA racetrack near you?  If you have an opinion one way or another, click on over to our Facebook page and share your thoughts. 

Yeehaw!

In a season of thanksgiving, here's a story that really warms our hearts. Lori McCutcheon has been rescuing animals - including 2000 horses - for 20 years. It all started when she was 14 and convinced her folks into buying a horse that was almost certainly headed to the abettoir. The Philadelphia Inquirer has her story in depth and it's well worth a looksee. Today, she runs the Last Chance Ranch, a 35-acre haven for poorly treated horses, plus goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, dogs and the ocassional iguana. According to the Inquirer piece, a turkey and a guinea hen also reside at the Last Chance, and Lori swears that they are "madly, inspeparably in love."

Wanna see for yourself? Lori welcomes humans to the ranch, too. Tours are available 6 days a week (closed on Sundays) and you even arrange to adopt an animal who just might be your soul mate. Check out Lori's amazing tale online at her brand new website. At the very least, it's a heck of an excuse for a racetrip roadtrip next time you're heading to or from Parx. 

On behalf of all us TrackPackers, thanks to Lori McCutcheon and all her folks at Last Chance Ranch. And thanks to the Philadelphia Inquirer for publishing this great story written by Emilie Lounsberry, with such great pictures by April Saul.

Our first horse tattoo gallery was a big hit, so we're at it again! We really enjoyed all the tattoos we found, so there's no "Good" or "Bad" sections. As our burnout cousin would say: "It's all good, man."

Got any tats of your own? Or a link to something wacky? Hit us up on Facebook or Twitter! 

So often we refer to the world of horse racing as an “industry.” Granted, its economic and commercial qualities are industrial by definition, but is this label a hindrance to the growth of the sport?

We recently stumbled upon a Business Day article focusing on a similar issue. 20 years ago, horse racing was the only form of legal gambling in South Africa. Today, it’s an industry unjustly grouped under the same regulations laws as casinos and slot machine operators- something the American horse racing is all too familiar with.

 

"It needs to be taken into consideration that the sport of horse racing employs 24 times more people [per million of gross gambling revenue] than casinos, so there is room to say we need to look at this differently from a mathematical gambling machine."

Rian du Plessis, chief executive of Phumelela, Africa’s largest horse racing betting company. 

We’ve interviewed people in every facet of the sport- owners, drivers, jockeys, announcers, trainers, handicappers, etc. There's a familial quality to horseracing that takes it beyond the label of Industry. And, more often than not, that closeness and intimacy extends to the voracious fanbase. This distinction, we believe, is one of the driving factors behind the passion enthusiasm that makes this sport so great.

Here’s to the Sport of Kings.
 

Women are pack creatures. We like to have our close group of girlfriends to enjoy Sunday brunch with, catch up on the latest gossip and keep us grounded. Any guy who’s ever tried to stomach an entire episode of Sex and the City understands this need women have for female camaraderie. See, Carrie Bradshaw and her gang had the Upper East Side of New York as their stomping ground. And yet, despite having a huge selection of posh bars, fancy restaurants and shoe stores at their disposal, the gals were missing one thing – a horse track.

As my girlfriends and I discovered over the course of the summer, the track can be an 

excellent alternative to any bar or nightclub. Why go to the same old bar and listen to a bad 80’s cover band when you can grab a bite to eat at the track and share a few drinks with your friends while betting on the ponies?

My friend Holly and I headed down to Harrah’s Chester this past Sunday. Upon arriving at the track, we bought some burgers and beer and sat down to a hardy lunch. We decided to get a table outside because it was a nice day and we wanted to watch the horses before we bet on any races. The thing about the racetrack is that you and your buddies are never bored. Even if there is a lag in conversation amongst your group, there is so much to do and see at the track that it’s impossible for anybody to even consider yawning.

Holly and I went back to the bar and got a few more drinks. We then started chatting about doomed relationships, our plans for the winter, and clothes.

You can enjoy brunch and great conversation with your friends anywhere. But you can only talk about great shoe sales while betting on horses at the track. That’s a lot more than Carrie can say about the latest night club in NYC.

Stepanie Weaver is a TrackPackPA correspondent who showed remarkable restraint in not making a "Sarah Jessica Parker looks like a horse" joke. Be sure to check out her personal blog! 

On Monday, the intrepid TrackPackPA crew took a trip up to Harrisburg to visit the Standardbred sales. After devouring some delicious burgers at Jackson House, we headed over to the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex- a site to see in itself. You couldn’t even tell where the thing ended, it just went on into the mountains.

Upon entering, perused some of the horse swag they had for sale. Sulkies, rider outfits,and every accessory you could imagine. They even had horse jewelry. Not jewelry for your horse, but, like, necklaces with horses on 'em. It’s pretty obvious that Hanover is king when it comes to Standardbreds. Their orange-and-blue regalia covered a good percentage of the enormous complex.

Little stations were set up, filled with folks staring intently into screens. They were observing a horse’s prerecorded gait and pace: 

We picked up some Black Books, which are the thick catalogs filled with meticulous stats for the hundreds of horses for sale during the week. Our guide walked us around the backside of the compound, allowing us some face time with many of the potential superstars. It was funny walking around and saying "excuse me" to a horse. We rubbed many-a-noses.

We took a seat in the stands just in time for the bidding of Some of the Beach, who was rumored to bring in big bucks (even just as a yearling). There were some pretty good auctions up to this point, but nothing quite like this. The ticker couldn’t keep up with the bids. The air was sucked out of the room. No one wanted to accidentally place a bid and owe a couple hundred thousand. After a prolonged silence, the gavel came down at $430,000. Everyone cheered with a mixture of relief and elation.

The guys getting pat on their backs were the Cancelliere brothers, natives of our border state New Jersey. Turns out these guys were looking to put together a horse farm dream-team. Take a look at the video of their record-setting bid for Detour Hanover- full brother of 2008 Horse of the Year Somebeachsomewhere.

$825,000- shattering the previous Standardbred yearling record sale of $650k.

The Standardbred Sale runs till Saturday at the PA Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA. We’ll be sure to keep you updated with any more record-setting sales!

Oh, and make sure to enter in our Racetrip Giveaway while there's still time!
 

There’s a lot of murmuring about this year’s Eclipse Award. The trophy, which recognizes the Horse of the Year, has been more of a clear-cut decision in years past. And yet, one name keeps popping up through all the hubbub: Havre De Grace.

She recently topped a poll over at NTRA for HOTY, despite finishing fourth in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic. Gary West of ESPN wrote a glowing article on her, stating: “clearly nobody has had a better campaign than Havre de Grace.”
 

What do you guys think? A glance at her record for the year makes us think Mr. West may be onto something. But, is that enough? 

Throw us some of your picks on our Facebook and Twitter! 

After sleeping in till a comfortable hour, get on I-95 until you see a billboard for something enticing, let’s say: Parx Racetrack.

The trick is to not crash your car when you’re taking a picture of an awesome vanity plate:

Now, if you’re a true PA Racing fan, you’ll know by heart which tracks are running every day of the week. Today’s Wednesday?

• Penn Nat’l? 6PM.
• Pocono Downs? 6:30PM.
• Meadows? 6:55PM.
• Harrah’s Chester? 12:40PM.
• And, of course, Parx at 12:25PM. 

No one at the track gives a damn if your jacket’s covered in dog hair (which mine was). Dress comfortably and warmly. It’s perfect hoodie and boots weather. Chicks can rock boots, too. 

Personally, I enjoy listening to jazz music at full blast while at the track. Makes everything seem like a Woody Allen movie. Although, you do end up looking like this:

Remember: It’s okay if by yourself, as the track is the perfect hangout for people playing hookie. It’s like the 7-11 parking lot behind your old high school, but much more fun and you don't need Kevin's older brother to buy you beer.

If you’re more of the gregarious type, feel free to chat up a jockey when they’re coming off the track. You’d be amazed at how calm and collected they are after being in such a high-adrenaline situation. Here are some pics I snapped of jockeys Eriluis Vaz and Kristina McManigell (who, was rated in the 10 hottest female jockeys by BleacherReport). 

There's always good conversations popping up at the track. I heard a triumphant female trainer proclaim: “When your energy is good and you’re feeling positive, everything will be right.” I turned and said “Amen,” but she didn’t hear me. I said it again, but too much time had passed and I looked like I was just preaching for no reason.

Bet lightly on every race. You're bound to see a great one and get swept up into the energy of it all. We here at TrackPackPA wish you the best of luck, and hope you spend all your sick days with us. We'll leave you with a video of me practicing my "Yips!" 

Breeders' Cup action starts at 4PM on Friday, so duck out of work during you're lunch break and join in on our live-tweeting of all the action! 

ESPN just posted a fantastic piece on esteemed trainer Bob Baffert, who has entered 10 horses in this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup Races. It may seem like an unorthodox move to enter such a large group, but maybe that’s just because no one else can pull it off. It seems like grandiose gestures such as this is an indicative snapshot of Baffert’s career as a whole.

You wouldn’t be able to take a quick glance at his past performances, as the list goes on for about 86 pages. But if you did, you might see that he was a nose away from winning three consecutive Kentucky Derbies. Or that he took home the prize in the world’s richest race in Dubai.

In a sport whose crux is money, Baffert still finds the fun in it all. With level head and a great attitude, he is a perfect example of what the sport of kings is all about.

Check out the article here and stay tuned all week long for updates on Breeders’ Cup action!
 

Why doesn’t anyone sing about horses anymore? Seems like it was recurring motif that got phased out by songs about G6’s and shufflin’ (kids these days).

We here at TrackPackPA revere horse-tracks of ole. It's not that we’re horse-crazy, but we feel like they’re a powerful and beautiful subject matter. Plus they’re relatable. Who doesn’t wanna run free like a horse? (I should really start jogging more.) Anyway, here it is- 20 tracks of riding wild, and wild riding!

TrackPackPA Presents: Horse Tracks!

Music to Get Your Giddy Up

Listen to it on YouTube or on Spotify now! 

America - "A Horse With No Name"

John Lee Hooker - "Two White Horses"

The Beatles - "Dig a Pony"

Van Morrison - "Slim Slow Slider"

Rolling Stones - "Wild Horses"

Paul Simon - "One Trick Pony"

The Byrds - "Chestnut Mare"

Jethro Tull - "Heavy Horses"

Bruce Springsteen - "Ponyboy"

The Osmonds - "Crazy Horses"

Iggy Pop - "The Horse Song"

Johnny Cash - "Tennessee Stud"

Michael Martin Murphy - "Wildfire"

U2 - "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses"

Bob Dylan - "All the Tired Horses"

Johnny Cash - "My Old Kentucky Home"

The Cardigans - "A Good Horse"

Neil Young - "Cowgirl in the Sand"

Aerosmith - "Back in the Saddle Again"

Randy Newman - "Rider in the Rain"

KT Tunstall - "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" (Thanks Karen K!)

George Jones - "The Race is On" (Thanks TJ B!)

Feel free to shoot us some of your own personal favorites on Facebook or Twitter - we'll be sure to add it on the list with a special thanks!