Much Ado About... Saratoga By Patrick J. Kerrison

I Want Another, So Do I or Don't I?

2012-05-30T16:31:50Z

For the first time since Sunday Silence in 1989, we have a legitimate Triple Crown contender. However, due to the black cloud that lingers over its trainer Doug O'Neill, I have conflicting feelings.

Do I, or don't I, root for I'll Have Another?

Yes. I understand this is horse racing and not trainer racing, but one does not win without the other.

Right now the portrait of a potential champion has been discolored based on the repeated violations and the pending 45-day suspension of trainer Doug O'Neill. The latest violation is an excess level of total carbon dioxide following a 2010 race at Del Mar. In O'Neill's defense, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has agreed with O'Neill in stating it may not have been a result of milkshaking (an illegal action which a horse is fed a mixture of bicarbonate, soda and electrolytes with a tube down their throat that is known to enhance performance and combat fatigue).

CHRB's support here is good news.

The bad news is this isn't the first time. It is not even the second or third. This is the fourth time he has violated the allowable levels of total carbon dioxide.

And so, here we stand, a game perpetually troubled to find a new fan base, thrown another knuckleball. We're 10 days away from a Triple Crown bid and a nation is questioning the integrity of the game's most recognized trainer of the day.

We wonder whether or not his behaviors toward others in his barn are on the up-and-up. We wonder is I'll Have Another on the up-and-up? It is nearly impossible for the question not to cross our mind.

O'Neill has repeatedly stated he runs a clean barn and his horses are taken care of very well. Without question, I want this to be true. On a personal level I find him engaging, fun and with a great sense of humor. For all intents and purposes he could very well be a charismatic face of the game. But it cannot be ignored that his past calls into question the present, and the possible future of racing history.

Once again, racetrackers just can't get a break.

So, what do we do? As fans of the game, what do we do?

For starters, let the Racing Officials sort out this mess. Not the media. Not us bloggers. No one other than those whose profession it is to police the game, appropriately. I am not the slightest bit interested in speculation. All I want are the facts when they are said and done.

If O'Neill is in violation as they say, then discipline him but do so justly and without emotion.

If he is not in violation, then jeepers-creepers, good luck erasing that stain. Win or lose this battle, the damage to O'Neill's reputation may have been done.

I am not judging O'Neill. I have not walked a mile in his shoes. But I cannot think that CHRB would levy such a ruling on him without just cause. I would be lying by omission if I didn't say that the alleged actions of the accused have me reeling.

This guy has been known to milkshake his horses - at least three times so far - and this is the same guy who has a horse that is 12 furlongs from racing immortality.

You've got to be kidding me!

We all know it is near impossible for a horse to withstand the grueling demands of the Triple Crown. And yet, here we are, with a legit contender...and the person most responsible for his well being is under fire for mistreatment.

Again I ask, will racing fans EVER get a break?

Sure it is selfish of me but I want things to be clean, done right and damn it, I want a champion.

Is playing by the rules too much to ask for?

I would be willing to bet that most of us have asked ourselves "is I'll Have Another clean?" I would win that bet. Then I would parlay those winnings, plus every dollar I have ever earned, in betting that the answer is "yes."

But that black cloud.

It just hangs there.

Looming above...wearing a checkered hat.

It really does get to me and I don't think I am alone.

But, I may have an answer to my question of "do I or don't I?"

I am going to do my best to remember this is horse racing. Not trainer racing. Let the officials sort the O'Neill mess out and I will focus on one thing: Believing.

Believe this is the year.

Believe in the strength, power, closing speed and heart of I'll Have Another.

Believe in a champion.

Our champion.

And, should the stars align and the Gods grant us this wish, this moment of history, we can look to the heavens in thanks, and do so by looking past that black cloud.

Because that black cloud is not I'll Have Another.

It is, in fact, another.

Go, IHA! Go!

Racing Season Is Over ... But Horses Still Need to Eat

2011-09-23T20:00:41Z

Ohhhh they're so close. I mean soooooooo close. But they need your help!

Hi again folks. I'm gonna step up on my soapbox for a moment if I may. I want to get word out for something I feel is important to the community of Saratoga and for the beautiful horses that have blessed this town for seemingly forever.

I would love it, if you would take a moment to learn more about Van Arnum Farm Conservation Easement.

A friend of mine works at Saratoga P.L.A.N. and recently they were awarded a grant by Saratoga County to protect an 84-acre farm used for growing hay for an adjacent thoroughbred horse breeding operation in the town of Saratoga. The farm boasts high quality soils and is near other productive farms.

The farmland has been in the same family for 90 years. It is P.L.A.N. and the family's shared goal that the property remain farmland and forestland for future generations. They are doing all they can to ensure that this farm will continue to produce timber, food for people and feed for animals.

Thanks to the foresight of Saratoga County and the generosity of the family, our county will reap the many benefits of this protected land: clean air and water, a habitat for wildlife, a scenic landscape, local food production, a land base for the equine industry, and reduced property tax burdens.

But they are in need of your help!

To accept the county grant to purchase the farm's development rights, Saratoga P.L.A.N. is required to raise a match in private funding to make this project a reality. A portion of these funds will cover the ongoing responsibility of monitoring and enforcing a conservation easement on the property, ensuring that it will remain farmland and forest forever.

Here are some of the numbers:

Total Project Cost:                                 $298,000.00
Grants and Private Funds Raised:       $284,310.00
Amount Still Needed to Raise:              $ 13,690.00

So who are these folks? What is Saratoga P.L.A.N.?

They are a not-for-profit land trust. P.L.A.N. has conserved over 3,303 acres of farmland, forests, natural habitats, trail corridors, historic places and water resources in Saratoga County. Saratoga P.L.A.N. helps communities make long-term decisions to sustain the Saratoga Region as a great place to live, work, and visit. For more information on Saratoga P.L.A.N., you can call them at 518-587-5554 or visit www.saratogaplan.org.

You can also find them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/Saratogaplan

Thanks folks.

Thanks for reading through the article. For getting a closer look at all the wonderful work they're doing and also for any consideration you can offer to help.

There's a P.L.A.N. and It Includes You!

2011-08-22T20:14:45Z

So, you've heard that there was this battle here in town about 230-some-odd years ago, right? Some called it the turning point of the American Revolution.

You've heard that this town has more than a few mineral springs, healing waters if you will, too right?

How about the racing game? Know much about it? They like running horses here too. Oldest racetrack in North America is right here in Saratoga.

I guess what I'm saying is this joint's got itself some history and if ever there is a town worth promoting, preserving, sponsoring, and helping, it's this piece of land right here in the Adirondack foothills.

So .. now ... let me ask you this: Are you familiar with Saratoga P.L.A.N. at all?

Saratoga P.L.A.N. is Saratoga Preserving Land and Nature.

They are currently working with a property owner, their neighbors, Saratoga County, and a local town to purchase the development rights on a farm growing alfalfa, clover and grass hay for a thoroughbred breeding operation.

But they want you too. They'd love the support.

This piece of land is an 84-acre piece of property that has been in the same family for 90 years. What they want to do is protect it with a permanent conservation easement, to ensure the grounds will always be available for continued agricultural pursuits.

Unless you've been living under the rocks of these aforementioned foothills, horses have played a pretty big part in the growth of the town, its tourism, its economy ... hell, it's a way of life up here.

What Saratoga P.L.A.N. is working to do in this instance is to secure the land base that the local equine industry depends upon for pasture and hay.

Agricultural fields shape, support, and sustain the region's horse industry and the community's character. If you like racing - standardbreds or thoroughbreds, if you like to trail ride or just dig the serenity of watching horses grazing in the pasture Saratoga P.L.A.N. is hoping you might give them a hand.

Here's the good news. They've raised 94% of the costs for the conservation project of this farm but need just under $20 grand to complete the easement process this summer and summer is running out.

Visit them. Go to their website. Just click Saratoga P.L.A.N. and take a peek for yourself.

You have no idea how much they'll appreciate your support ... not to mention the horses.

Granted, the gratitude of the equine may not come in the form of a thank you note, but next time you're hangin' out near a pasture and a horse looks your way, keep an eye peeled.

It may neigh, it may whinny, it may wink, it may gallop around in circles for you to watch. That's just their way of saying "thanks."

Livin' a Dream!

2011-08-08T22:23:34Z

"Just start with 'Well, I didn't throw up, but I cried like a baby' for your next blog," laughed Paul Morgana.

Actually, everyone laughed when Paul said that at dinner Friday night. Myself included.

So, what the hay. I've tried writing this thing a dozen times and can't come up with the lead. So, here it is.

Well, I didn't throw up, but I cried like a baby.

He is right though. I didn't throw up. I was sick to my stomach, I was as nervous as I've ever been and it was all I could do to keep it together.

It wasn't because of the walk into the paddock I looked forward to. It wasn't just because I am with Stacy. It was because, on paper, he had a shot at this thing. This was a good spot for him. If he breaks clean and runs like he usually does we're going to get more than some of the spoils. Baby, we're gonna get all the spoils.

So, naturally, I was sick to my stomach. BUT, I didn't get sick.

So, Ha! Take that!! Score one for me.

No worries though. I wouldn't let you down. I promise. Because even though I didn't get sick I can report that moments after the race I did cave. I buckled and I crumbled. Not unlike a baby having' it's pacifier stripped from its hands (or worse, a glass of wine out of mine) I bawled I bawled I bawled.

Guess you can take that point back I just scored. Sigh.

"Come on honey, it's time for the win picture," Stacy tells me as I lean on the rail looking out at the track.

I turn and she sees me. My sweet kind woman, always there with a gentle hand and an encouraging line of support sharply reminds me "Alright. Come on. Get it together. We got a win photo to take and you don't want to be crying in it."

Boom. Like that I dried up, stood up straight (maybe a little shaky), got to my place in the winner's circle and for the first time ever had my picture taken there.

42 years. Seven months. Five days. That's how long I have been alive. That's how long I've wanted to be in the winner's circle at The Spa.

Well I got it, baby. I got it!

And I owe it all to the Scelfo family, and Runaway Jim.

* * *

A field of 10 assembled for the mile and sixteenth test on the inner turf at Saratoga Friday afternoon for the eighth race.

After breaking alertly with a little brush at the start, Runaway Jim stalked tepid fractions of 24 4/5, :48 4/5, allowing rivals Duel Citizen and Wishingonadream to carve out the early fractions in a speed duel. When they turned for home Runaway Jim was fanned four wide after a perfect ground saving trip from jockey Rajiv Maragh.

He changes leads. He puts it in another gear.

Maragh lowers himself for the drive, rides chest to saddle, fully extended.

Jim's ears pricked, legs striding, eyes on his business. Whip tucked. One crack on the right shoulder to keep him from drifting out.

With a furlong or more to the finish Jim took command under strong urging.

The favorite, Seattle Mission, was in an all out drive to catch Jim but it wasn't happening. Not this day. This was Runaway Jim's day.

Ridden hands and heels to the wire in 1:42 2/5, his jock came back telling us he wanted to keep going. He could run all day.

All day, baby. That's our Jim. Runnin' all day!

* * *

This race for Jim was different than the others. Not just because he won at the hardest racetrack there is to win a race, but because he had a couple people in attendance he normally doesn't.

First and foremost, the man responsible for putting Seabrook Stable together and running all the less glamorous side of things, Rich Scelfo. He's also my Stacy's Dad.

The bills. The paperwork. The conversations with Tim Hills, the trainer - the fun ones and the hard ones. All the hard work. All the leg work. All the heavy lifting.

As he does all of that, and we enjoy the fruits. But on this day, it was a little extra special because this was the first time Mr. Scelfo got to see his boy Runaway Jim run - live and in person.

Mind you, he's never missed a race ... on TVG. But now here he is, at The Spa, to see the gelded son of his homebred mare Miniconjon. This makes it even more special.

Also in attendance are Mr. and Mrs. James Chatfield. They are co-breeders with Mr. Scelfo and if it weren't' for them getting Miniconjon a midnight rendezvous with Freud, we all wouldn't have been standing somewhere other than the paddock Friday afternoon.

Paul Morgana, a close friend of the Scelfo family for many years, and a co-owner of Jim was there. He also was the life of our dinner party a couple of short hours after the race. Every 10 minutes like clockwork he raise his wine glass toasting Jim. It should be also noted everyone of us welcomed every toast.

Danny Szymanski his wife Alison were also in attendance. So was his buddy and colleague Mike Samples.

The bummer of it all was that there were a few who couldn't make it. Sue DirRenna, a part-owner of Jim and Pauls bride. Randy Johnston, an owner who lives in the Midwest; Ken and Anna Scelfo - Stacy's brother and sister in law who just welcomed a beautiful little baby girl into the world less than three weeks prior; and of course, Patricia Scelfo, - Rich's wife; Stacy and Ken's mom.

Ken, in fact, is the one who is single-handedly responsible for the naming of Runaway Jim. An avid phan of the group Phish (he's been to 75 shows for heaven's sake) he was given the reigns to name him a couple of years ago. Without hesitation the family took to the name like Ken does to a Phish tour and a legend among the family was born.

Of course, Runaway Jim couldn't be more suited to his style, particularly as he looooooooooves to run away from his rivals.

* * *

"So, what was your favorite part of today?" I ask Stacy early on in the 200-mile drive home.

Every day we get to spend a day together it's how we close our evenings, with that question.

"What was your favorite part of the day?"

I turn to my right and catch a glance as she thinks. There it is again. That smile. I never tire of it and I love (selfishly) being responsible for putting it there whenever I can.

"Ugh. There's so many. I can only pick just one?" she asks.

"You know the rules. If you can only pick one ..." I reply.

She thought on it for a while. You can't hurry someone with a question like this after the day we had. And when the answer came to her there didn't seem to be a shadow of doubt as to what it was.

"Standing between you and my Dad when Jim won," she told me. "To be right there with my two favorite men, to share that amazing experience with both of you there. I was so glad you were there with me. I can't believe that my Dad got to be here too. It was just amazing. Yeah. If I had to pick one thing, it would be that."

Awww crapo. I'm gonna start with the water works again. Ha!

"Your turn, honey," she says. "What was your favorite part of the day?"

At first I thought it was that moment I knew Jim was going to win. About three strides before he hit the line, when I knew anyone charging late wouldn't catch him, he'd fend them off. When I knew he was in command. When I knew he was going to win. That moment stood still in time for me and is the first thing I think of.

Then I thought about standing in the winner's circle. Leaning against the rail. Emotional as I have ever been. I figure that had to be a contender for "Moment of the Day."

Then there is the realization of my one dream - to be involved with a horse that wins at Saratoga and get my picture taken in the winner's circle here. That is one thing in horse racing I always wanted and never thought attainable for me.

Not a Kentucky Derby win. Not a Breeders' Cup win. Just give me a nice respectable allowance at Saratoga Race Course and every racing dream will have come true. I need nothing more in the sport. That is MY Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup rolled into one.

All these thoughts rattled through my head. All of them carrying equal weight.

But the truth of the matter is, as much weight as each of those memories carry - the moment I knew he'd win, the win picture, the dream of a lifetime realized - each and every one of them paled in comparison with knowing I had it all ... with Stacy.

Where can there ever be joy in life if it isn't shared with your best friend, your heart, the most important person in your life?

Her endless stream of kindness. The music that is the sound of her laugh. The happiness that resides in those eyes. Her arms wrapped around me the moment after Jim crossed the wire (hell, someone had to hold me up it may as well be her).

Runaway Jim had won. Stacy is in my arms.

THAT was my favorite part of the day.

THAT was my life's favorite racing moment.

To Stacy, her father and her whole family there is a debt of gratitude I will never be able to repay.

You provided me with the greatest moment I have ever experienced in Thoroughbred horse racing.

Ever.

And even though I have no idea how to repay such a gift, I can assure you that you will always have the lifelong gratitude of a blubbering idiot. One who feels no shame in weeping like a child in the Winner's Circle of Saratoga Race Course.

Because, I can assure you, I am aware of its worth.

I am aware of its magnitude.

I am aware that none of this happens without you ... or Runaway Jim.

Go Jim, Go!

Dinner that night. (L-R: Danny, Stacy, Patrick, Rich, Paul, Alison)

Rich Scelfo and Stacy Scelfo

Rich Scelfo with Mr and Mrs James Chatfield - Breeders of Runaway Jim

Mike Samples and Danny Szymanski

Attention Saratoga!!!

2011-08-03T16:29:29Z

Bang the drum! Ring the bells! Sound the alarm!

Open wide the gates to the Land of Anxiety and Idiocy, for your Leader is coming home!!!

It's that time again. All things Saratoga. All things Jim. All things ... nerve-wracking.

Yup. Jim. Runaway Jim. My girlfriend's horse. Not even mine, mind you. Hers. Stacy's. And I'm the one who can't pull it together. Some things never change. Nice. Very nice.

This Friday afternoon Runaway Jim will make his 10th career start; his fourth at The Spa. In his prior nine starts he has earned a check in all but two of them, more than paying his way for sure. He's a New York bred that's won once, ran second once and third three times. On Friday he makes his second start off the layoff and stretches out from six furlongs to a mile and a sixteenth. He drew the six hole, out of 10, in Friday's eighth race.

So, basically, between now and then, it's all I can do to keep from throwing up small children after I've eaten.

So, here's the rub. I don't get it. I don't. I mean, I suppose in some ways I do. I can understand the nervousness leading up to a race. The feeling of walking into the Saratoga Paddock. Watching Jim make his way to the track. Knowing his jock Rajiv Maragh is a great fit. Loading into the gate. Springing the latch. Hearing Durkin call the race. All of it.

But wouldn't you think if you've done something over and over you'd get used to it?

Wouldn't you think that it's like anything else you've done nearly a dozen times before?

Wouldn't you think ...

Then again, this is Saratoga. Unique. Special. Historic. Storied. Glorious.

All valid reasons to feel heightened levels of anxiety.

All valid reasons to feel like a rumbling stumbling bumbling dolt who reverts back to his eight year old year thinking he can one day be a jockey himself.

I'm just a big hot mess and the fact is, I will be worse on Friday.

If you've read these pages last summer then you would know why. When it comes to the game of thoroughbred racing, there's no sport I love more. When it comes to thoroughbred racing in Saratoga, it is nothing short of Paradise on earth.

Add my girlfriend's racehorse into the mix, compounded by the fact that he's fit and well and (dare I say) has a halfway decent shot at this thing, and I'm in a territory I have been in very few times in my 42 years.

In the fall of last year, when Jim won his first race, Stacy and I were not there. I had a work commitment that kept us from going and wouldn't you know it ... he wins. The only race of his that we miss, to date, and he wins.

Figures, right?

But we did watch it on TVG. We saw his burst of speed at the head of the stretch. We saw him keep his mind on his business. We saw ... we saw a professional racehorse coming into his own.

We saw something special and so much more than just a handsome face.

We also heard the call. We heard Tom Durkin.

" .... Runaway Jim has built an insurmountable lead! Runaway Jim, the winner" he bellowed.

I've heard it over a hundred times. So has Stacy. She even wanted to send a Thank You note to him for giving her the memory of a lifetime. I stuck my cell phone next to my computer, captured the stretch call and made it my default ring tone. There's even a handful of people in the Seabrook Stable who have done the same.

We never tire of it.

But to possibly hear a win call from Saratoga would be ... would be ....sigh, I don't know what it would be like.

Until then (should that day even come), I will pray I don't spit the bit from frayed nerves. I will pray my juvenile idiocy, like a bratty kid let loose in a candy store, will be kept in check. I will pray that I keep it together until post time.

But I'll tell you this folks, if he wins ... oh dear God, if he wins ... I'm going to make Roberto Benigni look like Buddah!

Go Jim, Go ... you make life beautiful.

Play Saratoga!!!

2011-08-02T13:22:20Z

I gotta hand it to NYRA.

Horse racing is antiquated in many ways and so many talk about moving forward with the times yet their feet are stuck in quicksand.

Not NYRA.

They have embraced the world of Social Media and recognize its value in reaching out to educate and excite fans - die hards and novices alike. Constantly updating their Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and Twitter pages they are as current as can be and I'm not sure who else in the industry can match strides with them.

Add Play Saratoga to the list.

Beginning tomorrow, August 3rd, The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and Equibase Company will launch the official "Play Saratoga" Facebook game.

It's free, and includes daily prizes, weekly prizes and grand prizes that run through the close of the meet - Labor Day.

Here's what you do: pick the top three finishers of each race on the Saratoga card before post time for the first race. The scoring goes from 175 points for a cold trifecta down to 25 points for picking a horse to run third.

Here are a list of prizes they are offering:

Daily Prize (August 3 - August 17): Saratoga Special Premium Past Performance subscription, courtesy of Equibase
Daily Prize (August 18 - September 5): Past Performance subscription, courtesy of Equibase
Weekly Prizes (Wednesdays through Mondays): $200 gift certificate to Online NYRA Store
Grand Prize (Total Points August 3 - September 5): Choice of two Clubhouse seats to 2012 Belmont Stakes or 2012 Travers Stakes, including airfare and hotel accommodations. Subject to conditions determined by NYRA.

So if you're on Facebook, and lets face it, you probably are go "LIKE" the NYRA and Equibase pages for more details.

I love this. I absolutely love this. It's simple. Its free. Its competitive. It's fun.

Well done, NYRA. Well done, Equibase.

Thanks for recognizing that we're all in 2011, not 1911.

8 Hours? Woo Hoo!!!

2011-07-20T16:58:29Z

I was nothing short of thrilled when I first heard that NBC is offering eight hours of live coverage over seven weekends with their "Summer at Saratoga" series.

Thank God!

Anyone that has read this blog knows I'm a knucklehead from Jersey who loves God, his country, his girlfriend/best friend Stacy, his family and Saratoga Springs NY ... but not always in that order. However, being 200 miles away from the gates of Paradise off Northway Exit 14, I don't get to visit the Spa as often as I'd like, but I do go every chance I get.

The wonderful people that run Saratoga.com have afford me the chance (read: blessing) to wax eloquent, and at times a little stupid, about a passion I have for the town, the racing, the people, the sights, the history, the whatever-the-heck-else-you-can-think-of about the one place on Earth God decided to create that was closest to his Garden of Eden - but with a Pick Four.

How great is that?

So NBC's coverage, in conjunction with their partners over at Versus, will allow me to experience an additional eight hours of coverage I may not have had before.

OK. Not just me. You too.

Now, let me make it clear that by no means is this a shameless plug to promote a TV show. NBC doesn't need my little blogging stories to do that. However, it is written with one item in mind. That item is to hopefully add to the exposure of America's first resort town.

It is a great opportunity to reach folks, wherever they may be watching, so they'll get a piece of understanding of how amazing this town is. How great the people are. How friendly and accommodating all the merchants are. And just how beautiful one place can be.

Because if you haven't been here, and you haven't seen it for yourself, then you need to change that. And maybe, just maybe, these shows will be just the motivation some will need to make the pilgrimage to the Promised Land of the Late Double.

With a bit of luck, I'll see you on TV.

Be a dear won't you and wave hello to me when you're there? I'll be the one on the other side of the television envying you.

Final note: According to the NYRA website, the NBC Sports Group's seven straight weekends of "Summer at Saratoga" begins this Saturday, 5-6 p.m. ET on NBC with live coverage of the Coaching Club American Oaks, a race for three-year-old fillies expected to include graded stakes winners Buster's Ready, It's Tricky, Joyful Victory, Plum Pretty, and Royal Delta.

Oops. I Blinked.

2011-07-19T16:07:31Z

Wait. Wait a minute. What happened here?

It's here? Already?

Holy Moly!

It seemed like only yesterday I was whining like a little boy who had his lollipop taken from him by a big bully - the lollipop being Saratoga Thoroughbred Horse Racing and the big old bully being time.

But we're here.

Holy moly we're here!!!! Three days to go.

With real life constantly getting in the way of daydreaming, writing, fantasizing about the cool Adirondack breeze filtering through the trees outside the paddock I must - I tell you I must - find a way to appreciate the beauty, the perfection, the all out glorious life that is Saratoga Springs, NY.

To those of you who live there, I do envy you.

To those of you who get to be there for opening day, have a blast.

To those of you who spend an entire racing season up there, I'm certain you already know the blessings that come with it (and, I'm sure, difficulties ... but these are rose colored glasses I'm wearing when I write).

Until Friday then, dear friends.

Seven Weeks and Three Days...

2011-06-01T12:37:22Z

So, what is the most magnificent thing about June?

A month from July. A month from the gates of Paradise opening again for the 143rd time.

Sigh. It has been nearly a year, hasn't it?

And yet another year has gone by without me experiencing the beauty of Saratoga Springs, NY in seasons other than racing (i.e. summer). I am ashamed and disappointed with myself. But then again, in early fall I did start a new gig and have been wrapped up in it, all in and fully engaged, since then so I suppose that is one excuse.

Note I said excuse, not viable reason.

With two of the three legs of the 2011 Triple Crown in the books, the Met Mile having been run at Belmont (my unofficial start of summer) and the turning of the calendar to June I can begin to smell the crisp air of the foothills of the Adirondacks.

Seven weeks and three days from the start of the race meet and another visit, and yet I still find myself envious of all of you who call Saratoga you home.

I trust, as long as I am on this earth, I will continue to do so.

Soon, darlin'. Soon.

2011-04-21T21:16:25Z

She's comin. I know she is.

I can tell because its Derby season.

I really think my favorite part of the Derby time of year is simply knowing we are mere months away from the start of a new racing season here.

Not 11 months mind you, but less than six. Just a hair over three, in fact.

Its getting closer and closer.

In a winter where I occupied myself with my Stacy, with work, football, reading and giving serious consideration to exercising at some point I looked up and here came spring.

I look out the window, or walk outside and granted it doesn't quite feel like it yet; but it's on my calendar so I know its true. As a matter of fact, it's on my Official Runaway Jim calendar.

It won't be long ...

On a considerably less than happy note, news around the racing world moved quickly with the passing of Jess Jackson.

According to a NYRA Press Release

"Prominent thoroughbred owner Jess Jackson, whose Stonestreet Stable campaigned Curlin and Rachel Alexandra to five Grade 1 victories on The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit, passed away Thursday at his home in Geyserville, Calif.

Jackson, who was 81 at the time of his death, founded the Kendall-Jackson Winery and was one of the most successful independent winery owners in the world. He was inducted into the Vintner Hall of Fame in 2009."

Rest in peace, Jess. Many thanks to your contributions to racing, and to Saratoga.

The Best Reminder

2011-03-11T15:52:02Z

The best reminder email I've gotten in ... well, a year.

After fighting a few months of snow and rain, gray skies and the cold, an email in my inbox reminding me the Saratoga racing season is coming again.

Sure, it may come every year. Sure we know it'll be here come July and August. Sure, we know it is months away.

But look at the page on Saratoga.com, take a look at the beautiful blue skies, the rooftop spires, the horses running and tell me it doesn't get you excited that summer will be here.

We are nine days from Spring. Three more months from Summer.

The sun. The heat. The humidity. The clothes sticking to us. The newspaper print from the Daily Racing Form getting on our fingers then cursing ourselves that we - without thinking - wiped our hand on our white pants and pink shirt while hanging outside that paddock.

Yup. It's coming.

Thank God!

And thank you Saratoga.com for my email...you made my day.

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Did you ever notice...?

2010-11-12T20:57:27Z

It matters not the time of year, nor the reason why. But any mention of Saratoga and Horse Racing anytime outside the racing season always brings me a feeling of warmth and peace knowing I will return to her.

It may be nine months away, but she remains so close in my heart and I can see her clearly in my mind's eye.

Such an instant occurred when a friend emailed me a link to a segment on last Sunday's 60 Minutes. Veteran newsman Andy Rooney waxed eloquent, as he will and as he might, about the movie Secretariat.

Click here to view the video

An admitted novice at best when it comes to being a racing fan, Rooney talks of how his parents were raised in nearby Ballston Spa. He tells us his visits to Saratoga were annual jaunts for nearly each of his 148 years on earth ... ok, 91 but wow...still...that's more than a few.

In it he talks of how he's seen some of the greats, and for a novice the man has seen the greats.

He's seen Whirlaway, Secretariat, Jim Dandy and Citation. Seattle Slew, Dr. Fager, War Admiral and Man O War.

Then I started thinking...Man O War? Wait a minute. How old IS Andy Rooney anyway?

I looked him up. Born January 14, 1919, he would have been an infant when racing's first Big Red raced and barely two when he showed the world that he could carry 138 pounds and still win.

Then I thought, you know, maybe I oughta cut the fella a little slack. He's forgotten more than I've seen and was blessed to visit the Spa during a time I have only read about. A time when, truly, I would have loved to live. Simpler. No lotteries or huge casinos to stunt the racing fan population. Men knew to open doors for women and tip their hats, as they'd walk by. Gentler. More polite. A time when men would wear a tie and a hat to the races, when please and thank you were common place.

But still, as a writer of The Saratoga Special often says to his friends and writes in his paper, THESE are our good old days.

Let 'em roll, then baby. Let 'em roll.

And Andy, thanks for the warming mention of Saratoga as the chill of winter knocks at our door.

Saratoga Dream Home

2010-09-16T16:18:26Z

The Saratoga Builders Association will begin its 15th annual Showcase of Homes! For three consecutive weekends, the Saratoga Builders Association shows off the area's finest homes built by the Capital Region's best home builders and designers.

I thought this might be an ideal time to write about some of the homes in Saratoga that have always captured my interest year after year.

For ages, health, history and horses have been widely known as the three main attractions to have drawn tourists to Saratoga Springs.

For me, homes, would be a welcomed addition to that trio of attractions.

East side and west, north and south of town, sit some of the most beautiful dwellings one will ever see assembled in one community.

Defining a favorite among them is nearly impossible, however there are those that will make me stop and look a little longer than their inhabitants may be comfortable with.

One such home is on North Broadway.

According to Dr. Hollis A. Palmer's book Saratoga's Great Ladies: Broadway and Franklin Square, this was the home of Susan Dannet Griffith. Built in 1916 (as her obit states) or 1920, Griffith's family made their money in NYC brewing beer (ed. note: Woo-Hoo!)

It was her uncle, Daniel Jones, who started the business and upon his death left equal shares of $10mm to his brother and four sisters. Susan Dannet Griffith was the daughter of one of his sisters, Mary Griffith.

Like many single women of her time she would involve herself in the arts, philanthropy and working closely with charities. Dr. Palmer reports she even donated $100,000 to Skidmore College during the Great Depression.

She broke her hip in 1936 after a slip and fall at one of the new baths in the park. Although she recovered remarkably well she spent the next two seasons at the Gideon Putnam Hotel, leaving the mansion empty. Palmer surmises it may have been due to lack of sufficient help. Griffith unexpectedly suffered a fatal heart attack at the end of September 1938.

Another fact worth noting, in the 1970′s this was the summer residence to Penney Chenery, owner of Triple Crown winner Secretariat.

Prior to Griffith building her home, Palmer also notes a house named Cornwall Manner stood on this land prior to Griffith's home being built.

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An Open Letter to Saratogians

2010-09-07T16:31:34Z

Dear Saratogians,

I don't want to be "that guy" anymore.

That guy who feels all sorts of melancholy when the Saratoga meet ends. Year after year it hits me hard, and year after year I let it.

I'm not gonna do it.

You can't make me.

You're not the boss of me and I'm just NOT going to do it.

Not anymore.

So there!

It's time I quit dreamin' and cowboy up.

Melancholy? You go to hell. There's too much in this town, too much in the capital region to let you stand in the way of me having a blast.

But - and there's always a big but(t) somewhere - I don't know where to begin.

I learned this summer there is so much more about Saratoga I need to explore. So much about Saratoga I need to experience. So much about Saratoga I have to see for myself in the autumn, in the winter and in the spring. Not just in the summer.

But I need help.

Your help.

Where do I go? What do you suggest I do?

When people come to Saratoga for the races folks say you must go to Siros for a drink; if you're the creative type you have to go to the Yaddo; if you have only a two-day stay make certain you breakfast at the track and take the tram tour to the barns.

But what are the "have to's" for Saratoga in autumn?

Where do I have to go to get the most glorious pictures of the leaves turning colors? Where do I have to go to experience all the amazing stuff that the locals refer to as the town's best kept secrets?

What are the traditions of this glorious and beautiful place, rich with history and adorned with charm that I need to learn?

How can I best learn and experience them?

Saratoga, I love you.

I always have. I always will. Thus, I call on you to help me. Point me where I need to go and I will forever be grateful.

I know what you know ... there's so much more to you than the greatest and most competitive thoroughbred racing on the continent.

But I don't know what you know when it comes to life outside of that.

Resigned to your wisdom, anticipating your suggestions, and hoping to understand what all of you have known for years and so many of us don't, I ask for your help.

Please comment here or email me at saratogascribbler@gmail.com

~ Patrick

For Love of the Game

2010-09-05T18:30:14Z

Runaway Jim ran a game second Saturday afternoon and to be frank, neither Stacy nor I would have known the difference had he won.

It felt that good. We felt that proud. And by God I've never seen the woman look more beautiful.

At day's end her handsome gray gelding left her gushing. Absolutely, unequivocally garrulous - not her normal M.O. - and beyond overjoyed.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what the racing experience is all about.

The pride in your horse. The thrill of the game. The bright silks of your stable and family atop your horse, striding perfectly. Running through his bridle and having the time of his life.

It is the undeniable and startling beauty of the Thoroughbred racehorse.

There ain't nuttin' like it no where, now how, no way.

* * *

Stacy and I entered the day vowing, somewhat jokingly, we'd do everything opposite of what we've done before with regard to seeing Jim run. In short, we decided to George Costanza our day.

We didn't rush to tackle the 200+ mile drive to Saratoga.
We relaxed and left our nerves back in Jersey.
We visited Jim at his stall at Horse Haven earlier in the day.
We dressed down a bit, although still Paddock appropriate.
We didn't try to get an owner's box.
We milled about and talked with random people throughout the Grandstand. You can do that at Saratoga.
We made it a point to go to the same tellers, who kindly punched winners for Stacy and were equally as happy to take my money for the bets. Damn, she's played that well, didn't she? She'd have made the most seasoned of horseplayers proud. Just look at 'em laughing at me in the picture! I am thinking I am now "conspired-against George."

Like I said, we took the Costanza approach and I'm here to tell you, baby it worked like a charm.

In three starts at Saratoga Runaway Jim ran 3rd, 4th and 2nd respectively. Each time he earned Seabrook Stable a check.

Some may wonder how in blazes anyone could get so excited about losing?!

Well, we're not. We want to win!

BUT the truth is it isn't about winning and losing when you're involved in racing as an owner; or in my case, the boyfriend of one. You certainly don't enter the fray expecting to make money.

As a horseplayer? Nothing else matters.

But in our case, in this instance, it has EVERYTHING to do with the experience of racing. The stuff you used to hear the late Jim McKay and Jack Whitaker wax poetic about how grand the game is. And here we are, a part of it.

Amazing.

Cliché as it sounds it actually is the thrill of watching your boy, or your filly, running their hearts out.

Although winless in five starts, and earning four checks overall, I assure you Jim has not failed anyone. Ever.

* * *

"Stacy's got herself a real nice horse there," my Dad told us from Monmouth last night.

"He's a real honest horse," he said. "But when they hit the top of the stretch I thought he'd spit the bit."

He started laughing, then continued "I even turned around and told your mother 'he's gonna spit the bit!' But when he came on again and I saw that jock in front of him get into the winner some more, well, that's when I knew. That's a real honest horse they have there."

A real honest horse.

Is there a better compliment?

What, if anything, could anyone possibly want more than that?

So we played him across the board and cashed out. We even made a few bucks for a handful of Stacy's coworkers.

The ride home was different too.

We took Route 9 into Malta to get on the thruway instead of retracing our steps via Exit 14. Why not? After all, "opposite George" hadn't failed us yet.

But if I am being candid, the real reason is I didn't want to drive past the track one more time. I don't think I would have been able to handle it. I didn't want to leave Stacy holding the wheel while her boyfriend turned into a blubbering idiot.

It was partly because Jim had done so well. We asked him time and again to Go Jim, Go! And he did, every time and without complaint. Such a good boy. He (as of this writing) has over 180 Facebook friends!

It was also in part because our Saratoga season ended.

But it was mostly because Stacy had given me more thrills, excitement and happiness at Saratoga than anyone ever has - and I trust ever could - in my adult life.

This woman, this thoughtful and sweet woman, single-handedly turned lifelong childhood racing dreams into my life's new reality.

And all through this life - and this is the 100% truth - I never thought I could love anything or anyone the way I love Saratoga. I'll be dog-goned, that is no longer the case.

She is that good. She makes me feel that proud. And by God I've never seen a woman look more beautiful.

The fact she races a NY-bred ain't hurtin' my feelings either.

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