Take a quick glance at Transparent’s past performances, and you might wonder why a horse that took six starts over five months to break his maiden is running in the Travers. Ask trainer Kiaran McLaughlin about it, and he can’t wait to explain. “That,” he said Wednesday morning, “is a very good question,” taking out…
On August 17, 2012, a two-year-old filly named Heading to Toga lived up to her name, making the first start of her career at Saratoga Race Course. She won by five lengths; a horse named Fantastic Eyes finished fifth. Bred by Anthony Bonomo’s Brooklyn Boyz Stable, owned in partnership with his wife’s MeB Racing Stables,…
Saturday, August 17, 6:31 am, barn 62, Oklahoma training facility Ed Stanco is at Todd Pletcher’s barn with his son Adam and Adam’s wife Kate. Mike Tyburski, a long-time Stanco friend and a partner in King of Prussia Stable, is there, too. “There’s nothing more to say, really,” says Stanco, petting Princess of Sylmar. “Marty…
Last week, the Breeders’ Cup announced that for the first time since 2007, its headline race for fillies and mares will once again be called the Distaff, rightly consigning to the rubbish bin the Ladies’ Classic. It’s unfortunate that there will be five winners of the race who will forever be saddled with that name…
While the topics at this year’s Saratoga Institute on Racing and Gaming Law were similar to those at other industry meetings this summer, the tenor of the presentations and perspectives of the panelists were not. Two days after The Jockey Club Round Table conference, at which chairman Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps declared that the organization…
In this historic summer at Saratoga, it is de rigeur to recall the memorable moments at the Old Spa: Man o’War losing the Sanford. Jaipur and Ridan’s Travers. Onion upsetting Secretariat. And of course, Rachel Alexandra. Her Woodward tops many lists, especially for those too young to remember some of those other races, especially for…
Some children want bicycles. Some want skateboards. Michael Straight wanted an Equicizer. Growing up in East Greenbush, about 40 miles south of Saratoga, Michael and his twin brother Matthew were obsessed with horse racing. Brought to Saratoga Race Course by their parents as children, they became instant fans. “We fell in love with the track,”…
Arising early last Saturday morning, I thought about August 3, 1863. I thought about what might have been going through John Morrissey’s mind on that summer morning 150 years ago, about how the guests in the downtown hotels might have prepared for the races, about the horse and carriage traffic jam that might have taken…
In the late 1980’s, I worked for several years in the sales office during the Saratoga sales. In those days before computers were widely used, I painstakingly recorded the details of each sale in a ledger: hip number, consigner, buyer, sales price. I lived in fear of making a mistake. That anxiety aside, it was…
A mostly chronological listing of what’s going on in Saratoga this summer, to be updated regularly, and linked on the menu above for easy access. Scroll to the bottom for weekly or ongoing events. If you have an event you’d like featured, please e-mail me or leave a comment, and please note that preference is…
Brooklyn Backstretch 