JC / Railbird - Saratoga

Saratoga

A Well-Deserved Rest

Owner Jess Jackson said on Sunday that it is unlikely Rachel Alexandra will race again this year following her Woodward Stakes win:

“She had a campaign since winter, this is the fall. She’s raced more races in two years than most fillies ever run. She’s done things that no fillies have ever done. She deserves a rest.”

After Saturday, who could argue? This campaign needs no embellishing:

I haven’t watched the Woodward replay yet. Like Maryjean Wall, I’m still in “a dreamy state” brought on by being at Saratoga to witness such an amazing display of heart, talent, and speed. I’ll surely watch the replay soon (the better to comment on the race and what it means), but for now, I want my memories of Saturday only to be of her in the lead and the crowd rising and roaring as the field streaked down the stretch, as I saw and felt those intense seconds.

Rachel Alexandra in the Woodward stretch

9/7/09 Addendum: More from Jackson on the likelihood that Rachel Alexandra will not race again this year: “She needs, I think four or five months off.”

Posted in Racing on September 6, 2009 / Tagged Distaffers, Great Horses, Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra, Saratoga, Woodward Stakes

The Real Story

Commenter John S., who knows more than a bit about superb turf writing, made a point on an earlier post that deserves repeating:

EJXD2 and the rest of you are missing the real story here: CLAIRE NOVAK IS ON FIRE!!!!!!

So true. Reporters aren’t usually the story, but this one deserves to be. Over the past year, writing for ESPN and elsewhere, Novak has emerged as one of the best turf writers working, with a particular flair for features and profiles. She’s a storyteller, attentive to detail and dialogue, as in these pieces:

– Old School: “Once, the legend sat down to critique the rookie’s technique. He watched the field come down the lane, the rookie whipping right-handed, his runner flying past them in the stretch. Switch sticks, go to your left hand, thought the legend. And as soon as he thought it, the rookie did it. That’s when he knew this kid was good.”

– Birds of a Feather: “It hits him again and again this morning, as reporters cruise by the shedrow and racing paparazzi set up their shots and fellow horsemen stop by with handshakes and admiring remarks, but it still hasn’t quite sunk in.”

– Two Months Later: “It is picture-perfect, might as well be a postcard scene. But something in the idyllic freedom of it all taunts Rene Douglas.”

And she’s a solid beat reporter. Saratoga doesn’t lack for daily coverage and commentary from a top turf writing colony, but Novak’s Albany Times-Union articles, whether about Da’ Tara finishing last in a race in which his trainer expected better, the introduction of more humane whips, or substance abuse among jockeys, have regularly stood out this season (as have the vignettes and opinions she’s been posting near-daily to an ESPN blog). On fire? She certainly is, to the good fortune of readers, racing fans, and turf journalism.

Posted in Media on August 23, 2009 / Tagged Claire Novak, ESPN, Reporting, Saratoga, Triple Crown, Turf Writers, Writing