Tag Archives: Saratoga 09

Holy Egregious Oversights, Batman!

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. And profuse thanks to reader BrooklynSaint, who pointed out two unforgivable omissions in my wrap-up post from yesterday. Brian Nadeau: thank you! Brian started writing Derby preps last winter, and he continued handicapping … Continue reading

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Saratoga wrap-up

On Friday, August 14th, steeplechase trainer Janet Elliott became the first woman trainer elected to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame. On Saturday, September 5th, Rachel Alexandra became the first filly or mare to win the Woodward. And … Continue reading

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Closing Day

Labor Day is Backstretch family day at Saratoga; members of the extended clan head to the track, armed with coolers and sandwiches and cans of beer, to spend closing day at the races, unencumbered by any obligations other than those … Continue reading

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For the early birds

Seth Merrow of Capitol OTB’s Call to the Post and the website Equidaily has invited me to join him and co-host Jeff Carle on their final show of the Saratoga ’09 racing season. Broadcasting from the backstretch, the show starts … Continue reading

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Rachel Alexandra, at the Spa, making history

Sunday morning on the Saratoga backstretch was quiet. Yesterday’s heroics in the books, the feeling of the end of the meet is undeniable, and many, it seems have packed up and left: the sparse crowd at the backstretch coffee stand … Continue reading

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The Big Day

It is the morning of which Saratoga dreams are made, and the racing gods ensure that everything’s perfect.At 6:30 am, the sun is peeking over the trees, but bathing the track and the horses working out over it in golden … Continue reading

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Brian’s Pick 4 preview, September 5

Race 9: The Grade I, $300,000 Forego for 3&up at 7 furlongs.1. Pyro: Made a nice return earlier in the meet when his patented late rally fell just short in a minor stakes. Eligible to be much tighter today as … Continue reading

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Week 5: Sights, sounds, musings

And so it begins: the final week. 30 days of racing done, 6 to go. A look back at week 5… On Friday, Naughty New Yorker made his second start of the meet in the Funny Cide Stakes for New … Continue reading

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Raising money for Anna House

On Wednesday, August 26th, the Belmont Child Care Association held its annual benefit in Saratoga at the Gideon Putnam, and as usual, the racing community turned out in full force to support the work of Anna House. The event was … Continue reading

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Travers Day, Part II

As good as Sara Louise and Music Note were in the Victory Ride and the Ballerina respectively, they might have been overshadowed by Vineyard Haven in the King’s Bishop even if he hadn’t been disqualified from first to second. Vineyard … Continue reading

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