Monthly Archives: August 2009

Week 3: Sights, sounds, musings

Week 3 brought the first real dose of Saratoga summer weather: little rain, but oppressively hot & humid days. The track was baked, the times were fast, and more than one person referred to the turf courses as “rock hard.” … Continue reading

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Race recap

I came out of the race fine; I’ve eaten up my various feed tubs since; and I couldn’t be more pleased with the result. As predicted, I finished solidly in the middle of the pack: 112th out of 239, with … Continue reading

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Race Day

It is now post time. My Saratoga training began well: like many summer runners, I made the transition from Belmont to Saratoga well, with a series of works showing steady improvement. I familiarized myself with the course, adjusting to the … Continue reading

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Brian’s Pick 4 preview, August 18th

Race 8: $30,000 claimer for 3&up on the inner turf at 1-mile (claiming price $35,000). 1. Ninth Client: We saw on Thursday with Fast Draw that when Lukas drops them in for a tag, they usually run well. This guy … Continue reading

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Focusing on fillies

Last month, I wrote briefly about Sabellina, the New York-bred mare who was a favorite of mine; Matt Lyons, general manager of Woodford Thoroughbreds in Versailles, Kentucky, commented on the post to let us know that Sabellina was at his … Continue reading

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Week 2: Sights, sounds, musings

Week 3 begins today; a third of the meet is gone; prevailing mood is a combination of fatigue and regret. “I can’t believe that only four weeks are left…” In no particular order… Week 2 was a good one for … Continue reading

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Sunday at the Spa

Despite a card of good races, Sunday felt like a letdown. The expectations around Saturday’s Whitney; the double carryover; the incredible weather; the nearly 40,000 spectators—no question that Saturday at the Spa was a Big Racing Day. Sunday started chilly … Continue reading

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The Mig in the Test

The happy ending was supposed to come in the 10th race, not the 9th. Commentator was supposed to win the 83rd Whitney, to join Kelso and Discovery as the only horses to win the Whitney three times. He was supposed … Continue reading

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Emotion in the Test

Earlier this week I wrote in the Saratogian about the rewards and difficulties of researching racing history; Superfecta took an excellent look at the work of archivists following the disastrous flooding at Churchill Downs. Friday, I turned my attention to … Continue reading

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Brian’s Pick 4 preview, August 8th

Two Grade I’s highlight the Saturday card so let’s see if we can shake the 3-out of-4 tag and cash one. –Brian Nadeau Race 8: The $70,000 John Hettinger for 3-year-old fillies at 1-mile on the inner turf. 2. Our … Continue reading

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