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Death of a Racehorse: the results

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by SJ Staff, Aug 12, 2013.

Page 2 of 3
  1. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    And if he worked for Gannett, he didn't do a local reaction story on Air Lift's death with mainstreaming.

    (And I'll echo the others, outstanding work).
     
    Baron Scicluna, Aug 12, 2013
    #13
  2. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    They were both neighsayers.
     
    HanSenSE, Aug 12, 2013
    #14
  3. joe_schmoe

    joe_schmoe Active Member

    Nice work.

    And kudos to the Keeneland library.
     
    joe_schmoe, Aug 12, 2013
    #15
  4. spikechiquet

    spikechiquet Well-Known Member

    Great, now all the yahoos on Deadspin will be flowing over to SportsJournalists.com to sign up....

    ....oh, wait...they're already here!
     
    spikechiquet, Aug 12, 2013
    #16
  5. imjustagirl

    imjustagirl Active Member

    Keeneland is the best.

    Good work.
     
    imjustagirl, Aug 12, 2013
    #17
  6. JR

    JR Well-Known Member

    Tip of the hat to you.

    That is great detective work and belongs in the SJHOF.
     
    JR, Aug 12, 2013
    #18
  7. Riptide

    Riptide Well-Known Member

    I thought the information was a little dated.
     
    Riptide, Aug 12, 2013
    #19
  8. SJ Staff

    SJ Staff Administrator Staff Member

    One of the Deadspin commenters provided a link to the story behind the story of result charts: the chart callers.

    Very good read if you like this kind of stuff.

    http://www.drf.com/news/chart-callers-inexact-science-behind-basic-betting-tool
     
    SJ Staff, Aug 13, 2013
    #20
  9. Huggy

    Huggy Well-Known Member

    Great stuff. That is a terrific story. As an occasional racegoer (my brother can read the ink off a Form) I have always wondered about what in to making up the charts and past performances.
     
    Huggy, Aug 14, 2013
    #21
  10. SJ Staff

    SJ Staff Administrator Staff Member

    Kind of funny. I made many calls to the New York Racing Authority and never heard back, which is why the Air Lift race result came from Keeneland's librarian.

    Well, yesterday the NYRA calls back and directs me to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. They have results dating all the way back to the 1840s.

    A man in the library by the name of Allen Carter was really helpful as I asked about those old results. I thought about Jeff MacGregor, who calls Death of a Racehorse the Gettysbury Address of sportswriting, and I wondered if there was a race card from 11/13/1863 -- when Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.

    "Of course that was during the Civil War so there was a shortage of horses," Carter said.

    I asked "Were there any races on November 13, 1863, or that month at least?"

    Carter pushed a few buttons on his computer and found that yes, Baltimore's Herring Run Course held a few races November 11, 1863 -- 2 days before Lincoln's speech. The bottom of this page also shows racing that day in Louisiana.

    [​IMG]
     
    SJ Staff, Aug 14, 2013
    #22
  11. Huggy

    Huggy Well-Known Member

    Fascinating stuff, horse racing has such a rich history but so little of it is known.
     
    Huggy, Aug 14, 2013
    #23
  12. H.L. Mencken

    H.L. Mencken Member

    You should be writing this for SB Nation, and getting paid, instead of just having it here. Deadspin is making nickels off your legwork. Pitch something to Stout.
     
    H.L. Mencken, Aug 14, 2013
    #24
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