Winner's Circle - Every horseman wants to win at Saratoga

You have no idea how excited I was to see this place. We were stabled at Monmouth Park and on that first trip got up very early in morning. We arrived in time to look at several sales yearlings. We borrowed someone’s hotel room to change clothes for the races. Later, we borrowed someone else’s hotel room to change clothes to go to the sales. After the sales we came to town and just before midnight, hit the road. We arrived back on the Jersey Shore before the first set was on the track. The trip was worth losing a night’s sleep; we had seen Saratoga and been to THE RACES!

Saratoga still excites me. I fully understand the owners and trainers who pine for a win in Saratoga like no other. For the month of August the saying “If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere,” should be changed to, “If you can win in Saratoga, you can win anywhere.” The importance of this meet, both for the sake of prestige and to add value to your horse’s catalog page is unprecedented.

Something people really appreciate about Saratoga is that the City of Saratoga is part of the appeal. When you race in CA or even in KY the crowds dissipate to a larger circle. I think one of the biggest hopes the racing crowd has, is that Saratoga will continue to be an accessible, interesting, and warm kind of place.

Going to the races this year is going to be more expensive for a lot of people. In reviewing the pricing, it is my observation that the only thing NYRA did not raise the price for is the $2 bet.

They did, however put in a food court which features inexpensive items furnished by local restaurateurs. This is a nice addition for the casual race-goer and a good advertisement for the represented restaurants. I applaud everyone for the effort it takes to provide food efficiently in limited space and a crunched timeframe. NYRA is not taking a profit from these vendors and it’s questionable that the restaurants will make any money either. The water vendors charges as much for a bottle of water as the bottom line food item in the food court and it is not Saratoga water to boot. Perhaps some adjustments are in order.