Saratoga Daytrip
I couldn’t stay away. Early Wednesday morning found me making the drive from Boston to Saratoga for the afternoon’s races. I was rewarded for the hours in the car with a nice win in the first race and the thrill of watching an upset in the eighth race.
The racing gods were smiling on me for race one, a steeplechase affair. In the mood to start the day with a bang, I bet a trifecta box: Shahrahere, Major Hero, and Brinton Bridge, passing on the favorite, Sharp Face. He did look good on paper, but he offered little value. Brinton Bridge had odds of 10-1 even though he’d turned in a couple of decent performances over hurdles at Saratoga in 2003. He was very much a contender. Being contrary worked. Brinton Bridge won; the trifecta paid $388. With a win like that, what happened the rest of the afternoon little mattered. A good thing, because I only cashed two other tickets. One was for race eight, where Chowder’s First turned in an impressive performance in the final furlong to defeat the heavy favorite, West Virginia, paying $15.00 to win.
