JC / Railbird

Saratoga Archive

The Pair to Beat

With only one day left in the meet, Todd Pletcher has saddled 35 winners at Saratoga; John Velazquez has ridden 34 of those 35. “To their rival trainers and jockeys, the names Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez have been the most discouraging words at Saratoga Race Course this summer.” (New York Times)
Related: “Training Todd’s labor of love” (New York Daily News)

Posted in Saratoga on September 6, 2004

More Like a Nightmare

Matt Graves imagines opening day at Saratoga, 2007: “Smith: ‘We’d also like to introduce you to some of the members of the new team at Saratoga — Martha Stewart, vice president of food and beverage; Ivan Boesky, chief financial officer; Alfonse D’Amato, general counsel and director of parking; Tom Ridge, head of security; and Bobby Hull, chief of promotions. By the way, Bobby tells me we’ll be having ‘NHL Day at the Track’ every Sunday during the meet. We hope to see you all back here on Labor Day.”‘ (Times Union)

Posted in Saratoga on September 5, 2004

One Last Trip to Saratoga

My racing companion and I made one last trip to Saratoga for the season on Thursday. We opened the day with a lovely little win in the first race on Fabulous Peak, a gelding shipped in from Suffolk at the start of August who’s acquitted himself well at the Spa with two wins at the claiming $25,000 level. Our next win came in the third race, a steeplechase, when Tres Touche won at odds of 8-1. Between me and the RC, we’re 3-3 on steeplechases this summer, a record that I must ascribe to dummy god intervention, because neither of us knows anything about hurdles.

Posted in Saratoga on September 3, 2004

Wrapping Up at Saratoga

With a week to go, Bill Finley grades this year’s meet. Todd Pletcher and Azeri earn As; Purge, no surprise, gets a D. (ESPN)
Vans are pulling out of the Saratoga backside loaded with horses bound for Belmont, but trainer Bobby Frankel’s barn is still hopping. (New York Daily News)

Posted in Saratoga on August 31, 2004