A contrarian might find reasons to be disgruntled about Saturday at Saratoga: Bustin Stones scratched from the Vanderbilt; there was a little too much adolescent behavior in the backyard; yet again, there were periodic deluges that soaked anyone not under cover (and clearly we are not going to be permitted to go more than forty-eight…
The Travers might be the biggest race of the Saratoga meet, but today is billed as the biggest day, with three Grade I’s and a Grade II on the card: the Diana, Whitney, Go for Wand, and Vanderbilt, respectively. All four are “Win and You’re In” races, with the victor in each gaining a berth…
Yesterday’s running of the Sanford Stakes may well not go down in history; scratches reduced to the field to four, and while there was plenty to like in Desert Party’s victory, I’m not sure that many of us are stretching towards his Derby bandwagon, and who knows if we’ll even remember his name a year…
A laudably cheerful race fan commented about opening day and my photos on yesterday’s post: Nice dry photos !! We went to the track (drip) and signed up for NYRA Nation.What the heck (drip) played a few races (drip) and all set for the late posttime tomorrow at 1:35p.m. (drip). Saw the Thorofans and decided…
The first Thoroughbred meet in Saratoga took place in August of 1863, on the site of the old trotting course, across Union Avenue from the current track. Known as Horse Haven, just south of the Oklahoma, portions of the old track still exist (pictured below), though parts of it have been paved over and it’s…
In response to requests from Jessica and Winston: An audience member asked about the possibility of Trackus coming to New York. Trackus, also known as dancing Chiclets (OK, maybe only by me), allows viewers to see the order of horses throughout a race by displaying saddlecloth-colored squares at the bottom of the televised (on- and…
The annual Saratoga preview, held last night at the National Museum of Racing in the Hall of Fame, was standing room only, with racing fans turning out to hear the thoughts of trainer Nick Zito, jockey Alan Garcia, NYRA president and CEO Charles Hayward, and Glens Falls Post-Star writer/handicapper Kyle Brownell. Though the room had…
I’ve never been up in Saratoga for the Sunday open house, so I cruised over for an hour yesterday afternoon. The best thing that I can say about it is that, having now been once, I will no longer feel the compulsion to go away. Great for kids, and the Jump Start steeplechase/ fundraiser event…
Arrived at Belmont at 11:15; greeted by three fire engines (not, as it turned out, a harbinger for the Hook and Ladder first-time starter who finished fourth in the second race) and a mess of people hanging outside the clubhouse. We were nearly instantly cleared to enter the building; a transformer fire had knocked out…
Published in Friday’s New York Daily News: Season passes for the upcoming Saratoga meeting, which starts on Wednesday, areon sale at Belmont through Sunday, closing day. The passes are available at theCustomer Service Center and cost $35 for the grandstand and $75 for theclubhouse. A friend and I make an annual pilgrimage to Belmont on…
Brooklyn Backstretch 