As expected, the Women’s Day Expo lacked the sexy elements that Gentlemen’s Day included last weekend, and as expected, it was located all the way at the back of the track, near the Big Red Spring, while the Gentlemen’s Day exhibit was placed just inside the main gates off of Union Avenue. While the men…
At the paddock rail, a woman to her young daughter: “No, sweetie, most of the jockeys are boys. Channing Hill is the only jockey that’s a girl.” When told that Channing is in fact a boy, she says, “No! Have you seen those eyelashes?” Puddles and raindrops, lots of them… …and a variety of Saratoga…
On Monday morning, after several torrential downpours (what’s new?) overnight, I stopped by the barn of Dominick Galluscio to wish good luck to Early Response (by Hook and Ladder—clever, yes?), a two year old bay colt making his first start in yesterday’s seventh race. Four of the ten state-bred entries would be on the track…
I love the Yaddo. A quintessentially Saratoga race, it’s named for the artists’ colony that lies just east of the track, so close that residents can (allegedly) hear the race calls. While the mansion is off limits to the public, visitors can wander the grounds and the gardens free of charge. I’ve whiled away many…
What are we fretting about these days? Rain. A lot of it. Every day. On turf or off? Who’s scratched? How am I supposed to bet this race? My feet are wet again. We’re grumbling about too many turf sprints and not enough older horses. We’re bemoaning the lack of horses who can capture our…
Photo credit to Jessica Chapel at Railbird A year later and a few inches taller, the 6th grade Texas Titans, an A.A.U. basketball team who brought a 75-5 record to Saratoga, made it 76 – 5, beating the jockeys 49 – 32 in a game that for three quarters was much closer than the score…
Indian Blessing (part of her, anyway) and John Velazquez, before she demolishes the field in the Test. Any Limit and happy Cornelio Velasquez, following their underdog win in the Honorable Miss. If you’re keeping track, that’s two Allen Jerkens winners as the longest price in the field. Evening Attire, working out on Sunday morning. At…
First of all, thank you so much to everyone who wrote, commented, and wished me luck in my OTB TV appearance yesterday. I think that I made it through without making an utter fool of myself, and I definitely made it through without throwing up, so I figure that’s a success. Thanks, too, to Seth…
A few weeks ago, when I compared Diva Day at Belmont with Women’s Day at Saratoga, commenter John S. responded with the following: Might I suggest “Men’s Day”? A long table, right next to the bar, where I canbuy a variety of after shaves, cigars, porn mags, power tools, handguns, fishingrods, handcrafted whiskies and also…
Last night Lost in the Fog showed at the Saratoga Film Forum in its first non-film festival engagement. Fresh off receiving the audience award for best documentary at the 2008 CineVegas film festival, the film played to a nice-sized audience, some members of which were racing fans and some of whom, it seemed, had never…
Brooklyn Backstretch 