Way back in 1907, Frank Gill won the 40th running of the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. He earned a cool $5,800 for finding the winner’s circle.
Eight years later, Frank Gill’s jockey, Joe Notter, would ride Regret to victory in the Kentucky Derby making that horse the first filly to ever win the Run for the Roses.
In 1907, former Heavyweight Champion Bob Fitzsimmons, a white boxer, decided to finally give the legendary Jack Johnson, a black fighter, the chance to meet him in the ring.
Fitzsimmons was hoping to show the public the superiority of the white race in the world of pugilism. Johnson had other plans as he knocked him out in two rounds.
Only 100 years ago, horse racing and boxing were the most popular sports on the American landscape. Baseball was rapidly gaining, but was still a few years away from the emergence of Babe Ruth and the conclusion of the “dead-ball era.”
Numerous sports have since moved past horse racing and boxing on the popularity ladder in the United States. Despite the national trends, Saratoga Springs remains steeped in tradition and history with the two sports flourishing in the Spa city.
Look no further than the racetrack on Union Avenue and the Saratoga City Center on Broadway for a glimpse at the past.
When you’re rooting on your favorite horse at Saratoga Race Course by day and cheering for a knockout at the Saratoga City Center by night, make a point to temporarily escape the present. Take yourself back 100 years to fully appreciate this amazing city and these two glorious sports that have meant so much to so many people for so long.
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