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Ray Kerrison

Ray Kerrison wrote for the horse player, vowing to protect the $2.00 bettor.

For decades thoroughbred writers were simply publicists for the tracks they covered, not

investigative journalists. No one kept an eye on its players. Racing officials, trainers, jockeys and

more were never questioned if something was “off.” Everyone inside was protected.

Ray Kerrison single-handedly changed that, and this caused an immediate uproar.

His fellow turf writers detested him. Racing officials were wary, and jockeys and trainers

wanted no part of him. As daunting as each day would be, it never deterred him.

“Ray came from Australia as a news and political writer and was, to my memory, the first

turf writer to hold racing executives to account. He held [it] to a higher standard, which

often drew the ire of his press-box colleagues. He certainly changed the way I looked at the

machinations of racing executives and the state racing board that governed it. His hard-

hitting coverage didn’t make many friends among contemporary press box competitors. I

learned a lot about what it meant to be a journalist from Ray; to be honest in thought,

unafraid to do your job wherever the chips would fall.

John Pricci

Executive Editor, Horse Racing Insider

Newsday’s first Thoroughbred racing handicapper

You know I’ve been thinking about this … was he the best racing writer, ever?

What set Ray apart, was [he was] a true, tireless reporter. He just had ice water in his veins.

He protected the $2 bettors, and he would go after people that were up to no good [at] this

sport and he was not afraid of anything. People got mad at him, and he would take on

anybody. I mean he was absolutely The Giant in the field of racing writers.

Bill Finley

Co-Host Down the Stretch Podcast

Long time journalist covering Thoroughbred Racing

“The word that comes to my mind when I think about Ray is fearless. Because he took on

anybody who would be a problem for the [horseplayer]. He went up against the stewards

at every major track, at every major race. He sided with the bettors. He was absolutely

terrific. He got involved in stories that other people do not get involved in today because

they are afraid of losing advertising or being unpopular. He was the quintessential New

York columnist.

Dave Johnson

Co-Host Down the Stretch Podcast

Race Announcer and Sportscaster“Ray Kerrison was just a wonderful human being. He was a terrific journalist, columnist,

[and] a tenacious reporter who went after stories full tilt. But he was so gracious in the

way he did his business. I used to refer to him as the Fred Astaire of Thoroughbred Racing

because he was the best. He was the classiest guy who ever worked that beat. No one

was better as a journalist.”

Greg Gallo

Former Sports Editor who began working with Kerrison in 1973

Kerrison had come onto the daily racing beat in 1977 and got the scoop of the decade.

He heard quietly that the nation’s most famous veterinarian, Dr. Mark Gerard, had

perpetrated a major fraud. He imported a pair of horses from Uruguay, switching their identities

and pulled off a betting coup at the nation’s biggest racetrack – Belmont Park.

He got the story first, and day after day following lead after lead, putting him a furlong

ahead of the competition. The Post sent him to Uruguay and three NYC Detectives joined him.

While there, he also learned the Vet’s wife was a major player.

A dozen plus columns later, the vet and his wife’s criminal activities were exposed to the

world. The result was that Gerard – who was Secretariat ‘s vet – was prosecuted, jailed, and barred

from the track for life. This was known as “The Belmont Sting.”

Kerrison’s efforts earned him The Page One Award1, the Silurian Award2 and a nomination

for a Pulitzer Prize.

Not long after, he played a key role in exposing the biggest race fixing scandal New York had

ever seen. Some of the nation’s top riders were at the center of allegations in fixing 14 races at

NYRA tracks. When all was said and done, the outcomes were staggering. People went to jail.

Jockeys were banned for life or received severe suspensions. Some continued to ride under a veil

of suspicion. There had never been a racing story of this magnitude ever investigated before.

There have been none since.

From 1977-1984 he would take a yearly trip to France to cover the Arc de Triomphe. While

there he launched a campaign against the Aga Khan, the wealthy French based owner. It was

believed he swindled a couple of Americans in a horse deal with an understanding the French

Jockey Club were complicit in the fraud.

These are just samples of his investigative reporting.

Kerrison began his work as a journalist in 1951 at a small weekly called The Murray

Pioneer. In 1956, by way of London, he touched American soil for the first time. In 1957 he went

to the Kentucky Derby for the first time. He saw three future Hall of Fame horses run 2nd, 3rd and

4th and The Shoe standing up at the 16th pole. He spent most of his early career covering news

across America as a correspondent for Australian newspapers. He was a full-time racing

journalist from 1977-1984 and moved to the front of the paper in 1985. From 1977 until hisretirement in 2012 he covered 32 Derby’s well as most other Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup

Championship events.

Ray Kerrison was a man of unshakable principle who was relentless in keeping the sport

clean. It did not matter who you were. The state of New York. The state of New Jersey. The

State Racing and Wagering Board. Trainers. Jockeys. Racing officials. Stewards. If they were

involved in something that defrauded, short changed or deceived the $2 bettor, and he found out

about it, his investigations began. His work, albeit at times controversial, was always honest and

his readers knew that about him. They trusted him.

All this, and so much more, he did with great humility and equanimity.

Man Overboard

Man Overboard is a novel of reflection on one’s life, prompted by an unexpected circumstance, reminding us we don’t know what tomorrow holds, or if we will even have a tomorrow. 

We are introduced to our protagonist, Patrick ‘Kick’ Kilpatrick as he is treading water in the Gulf of Mexico, wondering how he got there, & why the ship he was on just moments before, sails on without him.

Did he jump or did he fall? Regardless of the answer, Kick spends the better part of 24 hours treading water, working tirelessly to stay alive with every ounce of energy he has. In doing so his life passes before his eyes and he shares it all with us.

Kick questions his life decisions, the relationships he had and has now. He reflects on a life lived with an absentee mother, his sister who gets him and whom he loves (I think) genuinely more than any one else. We learn of the relationship he had with his father, and his thoughtful step mother. 

Man Overboard isn’t about his survival in the water, but more of a psychological reckoning; a mental count of who he is, was and – if somehow blessed with an unlikely rescue   – who he will be. 

Rooney’s story was a transparent look into Kick’s life that I found relatable. It seemed natural for me to think back on my own life and wonder what changes I’d make, if given an opportunity.

Would I make amends where I should? Would those I want to make amends with even want me to do so? Or rather I just move along? Knowing I can’t change the past, how would I live the remainder of my days? Have I learned enough to make sure I live without regrets?

As the reader, we are fortunate in knowing we have that opportunity for reflection and action. But as we read, we don’t know if Kick will have that luxury.

Man Overboard is markedly different from every other novel Kathleen Rooney has published. But in all of them I find joy in her voice. I hear it in all she writes. That genuine and thoughtful voice. The understanding and empathetic voice. It is as witty and knowing as it is clever and thought provoking. 

After I finish a book, I need to give myself a week’s time before rating or reviewing it. Writers go through so much when writing a book, then there’s the publishing process.  It’s a lot. An immediate reaction without thought isn’t (what I would consider) fair.  A numerical rating, no matter what it is, simplifies an extraordinary effort.

Writers don’t deserve that.

So, I am not giving one.  The story was a good one. I felt moments of suspense & genuinely laughed out loud several times. It provoked thoughts of my own life. So, with all that, and Rooney’s voice, I thought it was lovely.

I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

You with the Sad Eyes – A Memoir by Christina Applegate

You with the Sad Eyes - A memoir by Christina Applegate

F**k.

Despite that being the first word of this review, there is no shortage of words to describe this woman. Resilient. Dogged. Fighter. Modest/humble. Survivor. Ostensibly vulnerable, yet never weak. Funny, often self-deprecating with her humor and at times facetious. Most of all, human.

Very human.

So, before you start, I need you to get Kelly Bundy out of your head. It isn’t about her. Don’t get excited about, or look forward to, stories about Samantha Newly (Samantha Who?), Jen Harding (Dead to Me), Veronica Corningstone (Anchorman movies) or even her stint opposite Ricky Schroeder on Silver Spoons (yeah, I had no idea either … apparently Jason Bateman and Alfonso Ribeiro were regulars along with appearances by Matthew Perry, Sharon Stone, Joey Lawrence [whoa!] and Whitney Houston [a month before her first single, Saving All My Love For You, hit #1].

You With the Sad Eyes is not about any of them. This is about Applegate, and not a trip down memory lane with Bud, Peg and Al.

It is a very human story that talks about a less than enviable childhood, being drugged and sexually abused, breast cancer, and Multiple Sclerosis. It is about an angering and heartbreaking period of her life trapped in a relationship which was physically, emotionally and verbally abusive.

That was excruciating to read. It makes you better understand how women – regardless of fame, fortune, influence and appearances – can be trapped and feel unable to escape in abusive relationships for genuine fear of their life, and those they love. If it doesn’t, you’re a psychopath (yes, I know the difference between this and a sociopath).

It doesn’t matter who you are, or your station in life, thousands upon thousands of women live in fear of men who use varying forms of abuse to feel in power. These are small-minded, weak and insignificant little creatures who thrive on making women live in constant fear. Men who deserve to feel unspeakable and indescribable amounts of pain with little-to-no chance of reprieve, for the rest of their days.

As a woman I admire and love greatly once told me, “Forgiveness is God’s job, not mine.”

Applegate never says who he was, but I hope his name will surface one day and his comeuppance will be made public, and well documented.

It was a month before its release that I learned she had a book coming out. I was excited to hear everything about her, and I decided then and there I am going with the audiobook. I wanted to hear her tell me everything.

Well, she does.  So, prepare yourself. I’m nearly certain it will leave you stunned and wordless. I finished this book a week ago and didn’t feel right about saying anything until now.

Yes, the first word of this review began with a swear which began with an “f” ended with a “k,” and wasn’t firetruck. I am aware of this. But it was not used gratuitously to garner attention. It was because it was my first thought, and the first word which passed through my lips, moments after I finished.

Who knows? It might cross your mind, too.

This gets five stars from me but not only because of how it was written and or how well she narrated it (very well, I might add).   But also, because of how raw and exposed she let herself be.

It was staggering.

…and I am not going to call her brave for doing so, mostly because I do not like that word and think it is thrown around too frequently diluting its true meaning.  We are not talking about women and men who work in emergency services or ducking artillery in a bunker.  I will, however, use words like altruistic, enduring and doting – all hopefully received here as the very best of someone. A person whose life story can be a channel for those who come after, seeking help and the support they deserve, yet made to feel by others that they aren’t.

Well, they are deserving.

You are deserving.

… and she wants to make sure you know it.

Dad, and the Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor

Today is December 18, 2025. On December 18, 2022 my Dad died. On December 16, 2025 the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame sent a press release announcing those who’ve been selected for the 2025 Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor.

I do not believe in coincidence but I do find the timing interesting. But above all else, I am bursting with pride for Dad to be recognized in this way. I am also feeling bit of self-pride for being the one who went through the thousands of pages of articles to build a presentation for consideration.

As the son of a writer who loves thoroughbred horse racing as much as his Dad, THIS is the pinnacle. THIS is the greatest professional honor he could receive.

To be counted among the elite, the best the business ever saw, is the most wonderfully overwhelming experience.

(Looking up to Heaven…) I love you Dad. You are, now, officially in the eyes of your peers and racing brethren alike, a legend. I may have always thought it, but this confirmed it for the world to know.