The race meet is running out and its overall success is hinging on the final Saturday.
On that day Rachel Alexander is scheduled to go to the post in the Woodward Stakes in her quest to become the first of her gender to take home that trophy. If she's successful, she will also inherit the forerunner spot for Horse of the Year honors. But the thing that makes racing so magical is no matter what the odds say you have to break from the gate and win the race. Seven foes have entered the race in hopes of taking home the lion's share of the $750,000 purse. The queenly filly is in for her sternest test as she faces older horses for the first time.
NYRA is banking on Rachel and her star stature to draw a crowd large enough to bring the meet up to par.
The Travers took a hit when only one of the three Triple Crown race winners hit the entry box and took another literal showering when the rains came to deliver a virtual sea of mud to the race course. In consequence the handle and attendance for the Mid-Summer Derby was the lowest seen in 30 years. Up to that date the meet was defying the industry plight of down numbers across the country. Rachel only carries 118 pounds to the post; her larger impost is to bring people through the gates to wager heavily.
We have only to look back one year and to another champion to understand just how much we're asking of racing's number 1 draw. Last year NYRA employed a robust marketing campaign to attract people to Saratoga Race Course to see Curlin compete in the Woodward and close the gap on Cigar's all-time money-earned record. Downtown Saratoga joined in the campaign, lining Broadway with banners and placing "Curlin Celebration" posters in store windows. Mayor Scott Johnson gave keys to the City to trainer Steve Asmussen and assistant trainer Scott Blasi. Those same connections will place the tack on Rachel on Saturday. Let's hope that the promise of good weather and the uniqueness of this superstar filly will be enough to better the crowd numbers that 2007 Horse of the Year and eventual repeat HOY was able to deliver. That nice September day saw just 22,000 pass through the turnstiles, just about 50,000 shy of the record attendance of 72,745 set on August 11, 2007.
The truth is the old adage of Saratoga being the August place to be rings true when it comes to racing and it would be less than shocking to see that even the great Rachel cannot significantly alter that reality. This is in spite of the fact that the filly is creating a large stir and hosts every reason to deserve record attendance. She is stunningly exciting and may posses more raw talent than ever before seen by this writer. Rachel's star power can be judged by the number of people that gather to see her early morning work-outs. To draw that kind of a crowd in the pre-dawn hours is truly remarkable when you consider that she trains on the Oklahoma Training Track which is off-limits to all except credentialed people.
The wish would be for a huge throng of people to get out and see this filly run. There is no better catalyst for attracting new fans than to first-hand experience the thrill of seeing an extraordinarily talented horse run. Merchants should consider closing shop and heading to the track for what could be a thrill of a lifetime.
NYRA is banking on Rachel and her star stature to draw a crowd large enough to bring the meet up to par.
The Travers took a hit when only one of the three Triple Crown race winners hit the entry box and took another literal showering when the rains came to deliver a virtual sea of mud to the race course. In consequence the handle and attendance for the Mid-Summer Derby was the lowest seen in 30 years. Up to that date the meet was defying the industry plight of down numbers across the country. Rachel only carries 118 pounds to the post; her larger impost is to bring people through the gates to wager heavily.
We have only to look back one year and to another champion to understand just how much we're asking of racing's number 1 draw. Last year NYRA employed a robust marketing campaign to attract people to Saratoga Race Course to see Curlin compete in the Woodward and close the gap on Cigar's all-time money-earned record. Downtown Saratoga joined in the campaign, lining Broadway with banners and placing "Curlin Celebration" posters in store windows. Mayor Scott Johnson gave keys to the City to trainer Steve Asmussen and assistant trainer Scott Blasi. Those same connections will place the tack on Rachel on Saturday. Let's hope that the promise of good weather and the uniqueness of this superstar filly will be enough to better the crowd numbers that 2007 Horse of the Year and eventual repeat HOY was able to deliver. That nice September day saw just 22,000 pass through the turnstiles, just about 50,000 shy of the record attendance of 72,745 set on August 11, 2007.
The truth is the old adage of Saratoga being the August place to be rings true when it comes to racing and it would be less than shocking to see that even the great Rachel cannot significantly alter that reality. This is in spite of the fact that the filly is creating a large stir and hosts every reason to deserve record attendance. She is stunningly exciting and may posses more raw talent than ever before seen by this writer. Rachel's star power can be judged by the number of people that gather to see her early morning work-outs. To draw that kind of a crowd in the pre-dawn hours is truly remarkable when you consider that she trains on the Oklahoma Training Track which is off-limits to all except credentialed people.
The wish would be for a huge throng of people to get out and see this filly run. There is no better catalyst for attracting new fans than to first-hand experience the thrill of seeing an extraordinarily talented horse run. Merchants should consider closing shop and heading to the track for what could be a thrill of a lifetime.
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