Lou Smith

There's an iconic hairpin turn cut into the side of Spirit Mountain on the Mohawk Trail in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, and some 50 summers ago this steep, white-knuckle  portion of Route 2 is where my Dad, hauling a one-horse trailer with the family station wagon, had an agitated Thoroughbred kick open the back door and leap to a near-certain death over the edge of the precipice. As dusk and state police cruisers descended upon the scene, my father, Paul, asked a trooper to have the dispatcher phone nearby...

The grandstand at Green Mountain Park, a former southern Vermont racetrack that last hosted Thoroughbreds in 1976, was completely consumed by flames in the overnight hours of Sept. 16-17. Authorities are calling the blaze in the vacant structure "suspicious" and deeming it a total loss. At least 10 fire departments from Vermont, Massachusetts and New York all responded to battle the flames starting at 10:45 p.m. Wednesday, and some firefighters remained on the scene Thursday morning containing hot spots. No injuries have been reported. Fire officials told WCAZ-TV in Vermont...