Editor's Note: So many of the tributes in Sunday's TDN to our late colleague Ben Massam mentioned what a brilliant writer he was. We thought that it would be fitting today to share some of what his coworkers considered his best work, starting with his celebrated love of Monmouth Park.
Monmouth Matters
by Ben Massam, May 12, 2017
Everyone who grew up on horse racing in New Jersey can name the thing they love most about Monmouth Park–a reason why Monmouth Park matters: a fleeting memory, perhaps, a formative experience, a family tradition. For me, it's the paddock. Year after year, I love standing in the ample shade of the enclosure's stately beech trees on warm summer Saturdays as horses circle the walking ring before making their way to the track. If I hadn't taken a trip to the track with my family at the age of 10 and lingered beneath those trees–admiring the magnificent equine athletes, observing the care and community of connections and track employees, feeling an immediate connection to the stories playing out before me–I likely would not be sitting behind a desk at the TDN 18 years later with a career in the industry. Needless to say, not everyone who loves Monmouth Park ends up with a job in horse racing, but I safely speak for friends, family, and acquaintances in saying that there are many who care deeply about the future of the track and, by association, about racing in the Garden State. Click here to read.
Placing the Pegasus: Historical Perspective
by Ben Massam, January 22, 2017
It was 1955, and Gulfstream Park was hitting its best stride. Rescued from insolvency just over a decade earlier by successful Scottish-born florist and entrepreneur James Donn, the beautifully landscaped South Florida racetrack steadily grew in popularity, routinely attracting record crowds for increasingly glamorous racing events–none more so than the Florida Derby.
The Mar. 26, 1955 running of the race christened the “Run for the Orchids”–a derivative of the storied “Run for the Roses” held at Churchill Downs six weeks later–featured Nashua, champion juvenile colt of 1954 and the de facto division leader after a win in the Flamingo S. at nearby Hialeah Park to begin his 3-year-old season. While much excitement surrounded the appearance and eventual victory of the celebrated colt, the festivities planned by Donn and his chief of staff Horace Wade extended far beyond the race itself. Click here to read.
Colonial Downs Revival Adds Latest Hoofprint to Storied Virginia Legacy
by Ben Massam, August 7, 2019
For many, the impending return of structured racing to Virginia at Colonial Downs in New Kent evokes stirring memories of a horse culture firmly embedded in the Commonwealth's history. On a personal level, I cannot help but harken back to my days as a track and field athlete at the College of William and Mary in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg, when I would routinely pair 18-mile training days with evening trips to a musty OTB down the road in Hampton to bet Penn National and Charles Town. I'd often drag my teammates with me in hopes of sparking their interest in a game I developed a passion for early in life. Click here to read.
Rescued from Slaughter, Champion OTTB Makes Most of Second Chance
by Ben Massam, April 18, 2018
A quick glance at the race record of the Louisiana-bred mare Queen Satin shows she won three times from 18 starts and earned just over $36,000 during three years competing in low-level claiming races in Louisiana, West Virginia and Michigan. In a sense, the fact the bay mare was able to win a single race was remarkable, considering the fact she suffered from skittish tendencies and ongoing health issues that led to neglect by her handlers and eventually ended her career in 2013.
In the ensuing months, Queen Satin was passed off from person to person on a path that culminated with her arrival at the Sugacreek Livestock Auction in Ohio, where horses are frequently sold for slaughter. The mare was abused and beaten on her face while awaiting her fate in the auction pens, according to her current owner Alexa Lee, who arrived on the scene at exactly the right time. Click here to read.
Bright Future for Sunny Ridge
by Ben Massam, November 12, 2015
As the advisor to the New Jersey Throroughbred Horsemen's Association , Dennis Drazin is very much an integral player in the Thoroughbred industry in the Garden State. Dividing his time between his personal-injury law firm and ongoing efforts to restore stability to racing in the state while also maintaining a racing and breeding operation of his own, Drazin has pre-entered his homebred 2-year-old Sunny Ridge (Holy Bull) in the $1-million GIII Delta Jackpot at Delta Downs Nov. 21.
The Jason Servis trainee recently took command at the head of the stretch and held on valiantly to finish second behind Greenpointcrusader (Bernardini) in Belmont's GI Champagne S. Oct. 3. According to Drazin, the Jackpot was the best fit among a number of options for the Jersey-bred's next start. Click here to read.
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