As Saratoga Race Course celebrates its 150th anniversary, racing figures look back on their favorite memories and share what the track and city mean to them.

Julie Krone, Hall of Fame jockey

Saratoga is not just a race meet, it’s such a mix of people really honoring summertime. You acknowledge that the days are long, and you can enjoy the lake and the parks and each other. Everyone’s so convivial, and Saratoga just shows the best of everybody. Once I ended up at the racetrack in the middle of the night, and in those old wooden stands, you can feel ghosts in the grandstand. You can see horse spirits race by, and you can hear the announcer and see the hats, and you can smell the cigars and the pipes. It was just spectacular. You could feel it, a lot of presence in the emptiness.

Continue reading at the Daily Racing Form…