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Jack Etzler waited 85 years to make his first visit to Saratoga.  The dapper senior citizen spent the morning on the backside Thursday after a long day of wagering, imbibing at Siro's and dining at the Olde Bryan Inn.  Despite an early wake-up call, Etzler seemed spry as a two-year-old colt.  There's no telling if he'll feel that ...

''Run Like a Girl'' is the slogan that NYRA marketing officials are using to promote Rachel Alexandra's appearance in the Woodward Stakes on Saturday. Attendance and handle are slightly down and the superstar filly represents the last hope that the track has for getting even on the year with last year. The unofficial over/under on the ...

Dawn broke murky and gray but by noon the sun had peaked out from behind the clouds and Saratoga Racecourse returned to usability.  It was the second Sunday without a give-away; next Sunday prepare to line up for knit winter caps.  Yet, a decent gathering pitched tents in the backyard and business carried forth briskly. Travers Day ...

The usual place on the agenda for a steeplechase is the first race.  But in deference to the lofty status of the $100,000 grade 1 New York Turf Writers Cup, the jumpers were moved down the card a bit, thus moving up, in fact.  The 2 3/8 mile fixture over fences went forth as the third and, wouldn't you know it, a 20-1 shot upset the ...

Sam the Bugler played ''Oh, Suzanna'' as the seven fillies entered the track for the Alabama.  He might as well have played ''O Canada!'' when they exited. Careless Jewel, the recent Delaware Oaks winner that came from Woodbine with trainer Josie Carroll and jockey Robert Landry, was a magnificent winner of Saratoga's premier race for ...

There was crazy talk Friday morning following a published piece in The Saratogian newspaper.  Writer Paul Post reported that former state Racing and Wagering Board Chairman John Van Lindt predicted that daily purses at the Spa Course will reach $1 million once the Aqueduct racino starts up.  The Phish concert was held at SPAC ...

Each morning, an attendant at Bunbury's Pub, the new tented simulcast restaurant in the backyard, sets out 18 tables.  On most days, all but a dozen and a half are taken.  ''Business is a little slow today,'' said Eric Harris, a former Siena College basketball player on the school's MAAC championship team, now serving as a waiter, ...

There was a Women's Day Expo on the outer fringes of the Saratoga Racecourse backyard.  NYRA officials promoted the event by reminding the press that nearly half of the track's attendance is female. Meanwhile, across Union Avenue, in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, attention was cast upon Chip Woolley, Jr. - a ''man's man,'' ...

There was an assortment of topics on the tips of peoples' tongues as the meet reached its halfway mark.  Somewhat surprisingly, none of them had to do with the state's off-track betting crisis or the fact that an operator for the Aqueduct racino hasn't been identified yet. At top of mind, horseplayers are scratching their heads over what to ...

The artist Greg Montgomery is saying that this year's Travers poster is selling like gangbusters.  Montgomery has produced a Travers poster every year since 1985, making his series the longest continuing series of sporting art in the world.  When he began the series, he never expected the string to last this long.  The first poster ...