Nearing the Start …
I was in Saratoga this weekend and spent more than an hour wandering over the grandstand and backstretch. The place was buzzing with preparations — groundskeepers touching up paint, workers moving massive piles of United Tote boxes, newly-hired mutuel tellers training. In the barn area, I saw the new security accomodations. Fencing, screened on the front to block sight of the track, was up around a couple of barns and the tents that will be used to hold horses on race day. When I read about these tents, I was skeptical, but I have to say they looked solid, with steel frames and heavy covering. I’d guess that after a week, horses and horsemen alike will be used to the compound.
