BACKSTRETCH is a story that takes place in the glorious world of thethoroughbred. It challenges the honesty of some of what goes on at the races. Does this book suggest that races are fixed? It does not. In no way does the writer seek to indict the racing industry as being crooked,dishonest or unsafe. Do dishonest things happen? Yes. Does baseball have a drug enhancement problem? Does basketball have a referee gambling scandal? Did college basketball have a point-shaving problem? The answer is yes three times: where money and glory intersect, temptation flourishes. The more the public is informed the better the chance of thwarting temptation. The historical sagas of Secretariat, Whirlaway and Man-of-War should not be blemished in any way. Backstretch is a story, most of it fiction, but, some of it experienced by friends of the author. This murder mystery is intended to give the reader a sense of what goes on in the Sport of Kings, and some of its inadequacies,particularly the grim conditions familiar to the men and women of the backstretch, the bowels of the racetrack.
Before Lt. James went to his office in Mineola he decided to take a walk around the Backstretch of Belmont to get the lay of the land. His guys, O’Reilly, Kary and Murphy, were busy flagging down the people they thought they should be talking to about the murder site. It was funny the way everyone was trying to avoid them. Folks would duck into a barn or get on the other side of a horse they were caring for as the officers walked by. This is going to prove to be very interesting, James thought. There were neat fifteen rows of barns. Each row has forty horse stalls. The end of each row had what looked like an office where the night watchman had a desk and a mattress. The barn area was loaded with people this time of the morning going about their chores. James decided to skip the rows crowded with press, trainers, owners and jockeys. He was content to visit the rows upon rows of less famous horses. As he was walking he couldn’t help but notice that he was being shadowed. Every time he turned up or down a row his shadow would either pause or pretend to be working in a stall. James thought he must be one of the grooms on Shepard’s payroll. That’s fine, now I know I am on the right track. Someone is very nervous. About ten miles west of Belmont, just off of the Belt Parkway close to JFK airport was Aqueduct Racetrack. Lt. Curto and his associate, Sergeant Richard ‘Dick’ Creed, were turning into the security stop just before the rows of barns. Aqueduct is an older and seedier racetrack then Belmont. It has been poorly maintained by NYRA and hasn’t had much invested in it for some time. Hopefully, all that will change now that the law has been changed to allow video lottery terminals - VLT’s – a five dollar term for slot machines, in the clubhouse. The advent of VLT’s in Delaware made the Delaware Racetrack a formidable competitor to the New York tracks. The purses went up and the track started to attract higher-level racehorses. Business improved and racing is alive and well in Delaware. The racing business in New York has been dismal. The average crowd at the track or any of the three tracks is about 3,000 people per day. The track handles 125,000 people during the Belmont Stakes – one day. Imagine running a huge, white elephant the rest of the year. In June, racing moves to Belmont. In August it goes upstate to Saratoga. September brings it back down to Belmont and then it goes back to Aqueduct in October until the end of July of the next year. Racing is all year long, rain or shine, and there are nine races a day. A point of irritation to the average horse owner is that there is a definite status or caste system that is carefully maintained by NYRA in just about all phases of the thoroughbred racing business. Always remember that the bluebloods control NYRA. It comes down to simple things like boarding your horse at the track. If you are of the right background and financial level you most likely will have your horse in the barns in Belmont. Anyone else is offered barn space in Aqueduct. Think of a point system. Using of high-profile trainers has some value. People with connections to NYRA or the Jockey Club, or employment, have other values.
About Stuart Held
Stuart Held, a vetern of the wholesale photographic industry, was one of the key team members - who made 'Nikon' the household brand it is today. Held is an experienced marketer with an engineering background. He has traveled extensively in the international and USA domestic markets promoting photography. Murder in the Backstretch is his third book. Blind Spot his second book and Behind The Yellow Filter his first. Mr. Held is involved in a breeding syndicate and ownership of thoroughbreds. He and his wife of over fifty years - Nina - reside in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York. For more information, visit: www.outskirtspress.com/backstretch.
BACKSTRETCH is a story that takes place in the glorious world of thethoroughbred. It challenges the honesty of some of what goes on at the races. Does this book suggest that races are fixed? It does not. In no way does the writer seek to indict the racing industry as being crooked,dishonest or unsafe. Do dishonest things happen? Yes. Does baseball have a drug enhancement problem? Does basketball have a referee gambling scandal? Did college basketball have a point-shaving problem? The answer is yes three times: where money and glory intersect, temptation flourishes. The more the public is informed the better the chance of thwarting temptation. The historical sagas of Secretariat, Whirlaway and Man-of-War should not be blemished in any way. Backstretch is a story, most of it fiction, but, some of it experienced by friends of the author. This murder mystery is intended to give the reader a sense of what goes on in the Sport of Kings, and some of its inadequacies,particularly the grim conditions familiar to the men and women of the backstretch, the bowels of the racetrack.
Stuart Held, a vetern of the wholesale photographic industry, was one of the key team members - who made 'Nikon' the household brand it is today. Held is an experienced marketer with an engineering background. He has traveled extensively in the international and USA domestic markets promoting photography. Murder in the Backstretch is his third book. Blind Spot his second book and Behind The Yellow Filter his first. Mr. Held is involved in a breeding syndicate and ownership of thoroughbreds. He and his wife of over fifty years - Nina - reside in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York. For more information, visit: www.outskirtspress.com/backstretch.