BloodHorse.com

August 2008 - Posts

Horse of the Year Crowd Falls Short

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All week long, NYRA officials and Saratoga fans looked forward to seeing Curlin race in the Woodward. In one sense, at least, the Horse of the Year got the job done....

Wedding Bells Ring

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Saratoga had its second Sunset Racing card of the meet, featuring a winner's circle wedding, a key to the city presentation, and two stakes races....

Goat Patrol and Just Goats

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Guys make a living at the racetrack from redeeming empty cans for a nickel apiece. The guys picking winners for the newspapers aren't as assured of the same success, as the "First Lady of the Steeplechase" and D. Wayne Lukas score with hunch bets. ...

Yankee Doodle Dandy

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"Proud to be an American" day featured a red, white and blue-clad musical group and the 9-year-old Belmont Stakes singer of "New York, New York," as Saratoga unveiled another promising Darley Stable juvenile. ...

Closing Out

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Big plans are being made to end the Saratoga meet, as Curlin's anticipated appearance in Saturday's Woodward spurs on a wide-reaching marketing push that includes commemorative posters and banners on Broadway....

Some Tips Worth Nothing

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Tipping is a way of life in all corners of the racetrack. Some people are better at it than others, not including the professionals that fans depend on....

Dream Day Afternoon

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Favorites fell with alarming persistence, as Colonel John shows that he, too, is persistent in a memorable Travers. Gov. Paterson of New York takes credit for his State when little is due while presenting the trophy to WinStar Farm....

Lawn Jockeys

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Saratoga's lawn jockeys are becoming an endangered species, soon to pass the way of the Cottage List. The leader of the secret Mohican Society maintains his blue and green shamrock silks for the sake of the Curragh....

The Real Colonel is Coming

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Colonel John, an interesting contender for the Travers, jogged on the track, as his Winstar connections awaited another Colonel John. A superfecta pays a number so big it won't print out on the tote board....

Throwing Money Around

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Tin Cup Chalice remains unbeaten and pockets a $250,000 bonus for winning the Big Apple Triple. Away from the track, A-list guests dig deep to raise money for charity....

Heading into the Dark Day

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Once-in-a-lifetime feats happen twice in the same day, as trainer Linda Rice saddles the first four finishers in a stakes race and the jockeys finish strong and beat the state troopers in softball....

Long-sleeved Tee-shirts

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Sunday's attendance numbers swelled past 65,000 as the sun shone, NYRA rewarded its paying patrons with a long-sleeved tee-shirt, and Summer Patriot won the John's Call Stakes......

The Evolved Gender

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The day began with a race -- more specifically, a 5K through the streets of Saratoga Springs. It ended with two graded stakes at the racecourse, including the meet's best to date....

Against All Odds

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Everyone has a way of picking winners, and watching the odds-board is one of them. Some horses figured, and others didn't. ...

Turning Up the Dial

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With the scent of barbecue and fried dough surrounding him, a sartorial broadcaster hosts a radio show. Four turf races are switched to the dirt, creating opportunity for also-eligibles....

Second Chapter, Similar Verse

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A woman reads books instead of bets, another saddles two winners in sprints, and a third chases down a runaway horse, as the second half of the season begins....

Hellvelyn of Troy, Saga of the Wouldn't Horse

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Sheikh Rashid's horse remains a mystery. McLaughlin scratches him from an overnight stakes, even though NYRA cards its feature race earlier on the card than usual to beat the rain....

Light and Water Shows

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A desire to turn Saratoga's fountain into a spectacle not unlike that found in front of the Bellagio while Mother Nature puts on a water and light show of her own. ...

Bull and More Bull

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It may have been the first Saturday in nearly a century that a significant stakes didn't grace the program. But 31,497 fans jammed the track's hallowed grounds to bet a whopping $5.2 million. ...

Heaven Sent

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Carol Homersham and Joan Proctor of Barrie, Ontario were the most stunning women at breakfast in their custom-made hats. It was Homersham's first visit to a racetrack, but she looked like a Kentucky Oaks fashionista in her black mesh chapeau with a big bow. ...

Traditions Trump Jumps

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Saratoga will be celebrating traditions this weekend, but generosity continues to be the Spa's overarching tradition....

All Aboard for Hidee Ho

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Saratoga was still stirring from Michael Vincent Magnier's $2 million winning bid on a Storm Cat colt at the yearling sales when Amtrak's Adirondack arrived on Wednesday morning an hour and a half late from New York. Trains departing Penn Station are usually on time. The trains coming down from Rutland, Vermont or Montreal, Quebec heading south are the problems. ...

Busy Day

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In the morning, the National Museum of Racing enshrined six new members into the Hall of Fame. In the afternoon, the track came alive with lucrative longshots and people watching. Fasig-Tipton Company held the first of two evenings of yearling sales when twilight descended. How much better can the sport entertain?...

Missing Persons

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It’s not only the thousands of fans that are missing each day from the racetrack that has Saratoga troubled. That some Saratoga mainstays are missing persons is also a concern....

I'm So Lucky, Susan Lucci, Sam the Bugler

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The trusting souls, who didn't let the threat of inclement weather keep them away from the racetrack, were treated to a grand day of Thoroughbred sport. ...