Growing up in Saratoga Springs, Tim McCoy spent a lot of time at the track. He spent most summers working there, starting out in 1976 by working in the linen room and handing out uniforms, tablecloths, and napkins.

By 1989, he’d moved on from linens to security, working as a Pinkerton. On the night before the Travers that year, his sergeant brought him to trainer Shug McGaughey’s barn, sat him in front of a stall, and told him, ‘Don’t let anybody [mess] with this horse.’

The next day, that horse, Easy Goer, won Saratoga’s signature race.

“My sergeant told me the horse’s name, but I didn’t really know anything about him,” said McCoy. “The next day, I looked him up and said, ‘Hey, I should put a few bucks on this horse.’”

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