Joe and Sean Clancy began their horse racing odyssey early. Both worked for their dad, Joe, a successful flat and steeplechase trainer in the Mid-Atlantic, putting themselves through school by walking hots, galloping horses, going to the races and landing weekend betting coups from Far Hills to Fair Hill, Saratoga to Stoneybrook, Rockingham to Rolling Rock. Most kids went to ball games in the city, they went to point-to-points in the country.
Joe dabbled as an amateur rider but always knew it was a lark while Sean started riding pony races early and set his sights on being a steeplechase jockey.
Mom and Dad always said go to college and Joe and Sean listened, graduating from the University of Delaware five years apart. Joe left with a communications degree, a journalism minor and his future wife. Sean graduated with a very useful degree in history and a free pass to make it big as a jockey.
The brothers began their writing odyssey in 1994 when they started Steeplechase Times from Joe’s basement in Newark, Delaware. Sean was riding races, Joe was working as a sports editor for a local newspaper. They wanted a project and knew the game needed a publication. The brothers added The Saratoga Special in 2001, the Thoroughbred Racing Calendar somewhere along the line and have continually grown the company and their writing to include different projects, publications and clients. Got an idea, they’ll listen.
Saratoga native Tom Law came on board in 2013 after his longtime employer, Thoroughbred Times, went bankrupt. Tom and Sean had joked for years about the day Tom needed a job. The day has come and now Joe, Sean and Tom have teamed up to bring you the best in horse racing journalism.
So, the timeline in racing journalism for ST Publishing, Inc. (call that the corporate parent of all this, not that it's corporate) starts with Steeplechase Times, moves to The Saratoga Special and now adapts to thisishorseracing.com – a website we hope you’ll read often and take part in regularly. In addition, the team can be found editing/writing for Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred magazine and other projects for ST and others.
As for particulars, see the Contact link on the home page. Joe lives in Maryland with his wife Sam and three paperboys. Sean lives in Virginia with his wife Anne and one paperboy. Tom is returning to Saratoga in April to finally put year-round boots on the ground for The Special.
Who are we? That’s a start. You’ll find out more as we go along.
