People You Should Know
This category, "People You Should Know in Racing," is really a subdivision of Racing 101. The people in racing whose jobs we'll discover are essential to the smooth and safe operation of a racetrack, a Thoroughbred breeding farm and other industry-related businesses. Their jobs are essential--so you should know about them.
But precisely because they're so important, I decided to give them their own category here on Saratoga.com. As you read through the entries and meet these extraordinary humans who go to work every day and make the sporting world go 'round--you may gain new perspective. You will come to respect and admire someone whose very existence was, just yesterday, below your radar.
You may even find your own vocation, your calling.
At the very least, I'll use these pages to introduce you to folks who are so darned good at their jobs that too often they become invisible. Like actors who convince you that they're not acting--these people are so good at what they do, and they move seamlessly through the workday--and most of the time we, the observers, don't notice them.
We hope you enjoy People You Should Know, and that, if you don't already--you come to understand more fully how much it takes to get a horse to the racetrack, and to run that track smoothly. I hope that you will walk up to someone who works in one of these jobs, and that you will thank her or him for performing a vital service. And I hope that you stop and look around the next time you go to the races, and realize that, truly, it takes an entire city, perhaps a small constitutional monarchy--to make this sport happen, day-after-day, week-after-week, year-after-year. (For 141 years here in the United States, so far.)
Please enjoy this new category, and do send in your comments. If you know of someone or a group of someones in racing who should be acknowledged--drop me a line. I'd love to do the research and give kudos to those who deserve it. Your input is valuable to us, as are you and all the amazing people who make Thoroughbred racing happen.
And now, for our first entry in this category, we ask you to hold your buddy's hand, and slip into a hole in the six-ton starting gate. You're about to encounter the Cowboys of Horse Racing. Ready, set--run!
M.E. Altieri
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