TAKING CHARGE OF THE SARATOGA EXPERIENCE

Will Take Charge winner on the Travers Stakes 2013

Legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas won the Travers Stakes with Will Take Charge, an Unbridled Song colt, ridden by Luis Saez.  The day was hot and the crowd hard to deal with.  That being the basics out of the way, I promised to deliver some different experiences this trip.
I opted to go up on Thursday for the hurdle race and come home after the Travers on Saturday.  Usually I spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the track.  Alone, I could do as I pleased, and wanted to take it easy on the betting.  Travers Day the gates opened at 7:00 a.m. and there were 14 races to lose money on.  I was shaking with excitement just getting into my dress, you would have thought I was running in the race myself, while Will Take Charge was quietly resting in his stall.

The Turf Writers Steeplechase 

Italian Wedding in the Turf Writers Steeplechase

Italian Wedding winning, ridden by Berard Dalton, jump jock style. 

My plan to be in town early on Friday morning enabled me to join the National Museum of Racing's tour at the Oklahoma training facility over the road from what is now the main Saratoga racetrack.  The original site that is 150 years old, and where War Admiral ran, is actually the sacred grounds of Oklahoma.
Places are what you make them and horses make them better.  It was a perfect morning, sunny with the buzz of racing in the air.  I could hear the thunder of hooves galloping in sets as we, the group of tourists, approached security.  The sound of shoes clipped on the road in front where some horses crossed en rout to the main track, grandstand side.  The smell of caballo caca bothers many people but I can inhale it like Channel no. 5.  In the roadside barns a groom stirred a huge pot of barbecue simmering for later in the day and it's inviting aroma wafted over the air too.  Wow, party on the backside, that means a BIG race day.  
Our guide explained  the rules and we immediately had to stop and give right-of-way to horse and rider, it was Rosie Napravnik.  I didn't think the top guns came to track-work all that much and wasn't expecting to see many out with such a full card of important races scheduled.  On the hour-and-a-half walk we saw Rajiv Maragh and Jose Ortiz and, Rosie zipped past again driving a golf cart and talking on her cell phone; going to jump on another.  At the races jockeys will stop and sign autographs on their way back to the jock's room, but it's thrilling to spot them at morning work; like seeing a movie star in the grocery store.

Rajiv Maragh

The grass track of Oklahoma was open for breezing and other than the races themselves nothing is more exciting, especially for people who have never seen it before.  It's wonderful that NYRA allows the tours in the midst of such bustle.  It means a lot to a true racing fan and I met many devoted horse lovers this weekend, people who came for the horses and not just the betting.

I've been on a few backstretches, even Churchill Downs, but none so far came close to Oklahoma, Saratoga, which makes my eyes water.  All I could do for the last five days is shake my head and say, "amazing."  The beautiful old barns had walking rings in front of them and buckets on stands for the horses to drink from as they cooled off at the hands of hot-walkers.  There were hanging baskets decorating the shed-rows and folded horse blankets on the doors that were open with stall guards in the barns' colors keeping the horses in.  Hay nets were strung on the outside so the horses wouldn't get hooked up in them and  feed tubs and ball toys dangled from the opposite sides.  Bandages for leg wraps dried over rails as guys cleaned tack swinging from bridle hooks.  I'd heard the name Saratoga, growing up in Australia but I could never have imagined what it was really like, racing in other countries is different.  A whole track community here just sets-up business for the summer and it blows my mind; the barns of famous trainers, owners, and horses, and the workers who make it all possible.  The track riders and pony-horses alone are astounding and what a hell of a job New York and visiting jockeys do.  I will let my photos show some of what I mean and highly recommend if you are a fan that you tour an American backstretch--Oklahoma Saratoga would be the ultimate. You really can't appreciate it until you see it (bucket list for sure).

This summer saw the opening of the new Whitney viewing stand track side at Oklahoma and anyone can go in to watch horses at morning workouts.  I didn't have my big lens with me but got some of the best shots I've taken.  The light is so much better than the main track because the sun is behind you and, it was fast-work morning on the grass, when trainers let some of their horses show what they can do.  Horses don't gallop at top speed everyday or they would soon burnout and breakdown.  I look at professional photos of race finishes in thoroughbred magazines until I'm numb but when I capture the action myself (an amateur) it feels like winning enough to be at the IRS window.  They flash past so fast the only way to see the competitiveness, determination and courage of the herd animals in their body language and facial expressions is to freeze frame it in a photo.  

People who love the track really love the track and a trip to Saratoga is a good way to find out if you do and anyone else too.  A young couple on our tour got engaged right there, he got down on one knee and purposed at the bottom of the stairs to the viewing tower.  I missed it of course, I was shooting workouts. The guy grew up in Saratoga, loves the races and thought it would be the perfect place when he heard it was being built.  That's starting out on the right leg and I have to say, I was a bit sad nothing that romantic ever happen to me.

Racegoers were trailing into the track with their fold-up chairs and coolers as the tour wrapped up. Although tempted, I was determined to skip a day's racing and visit Old Friends at Cabin Creek, the thoroughbred retirement home I'd heard so much about from Richard Migliore on Raceday.  Two previous Travers winners live their now, Will's Way (1996) and Thunder Rumble (1992 Travers and Jim Dandy winner), who was ridden by The Mig.  These happy old guys have nothing to do now except enjoy their pastures and beg for mints and carrots from visitors.  It's lovely to see them like this and people get so much pleasure from the close contact.  Our guide on that walk-around, Mary, had driven two hours to volunteer. Like me, she is a fan who finds it best to drive by herself all over the country just to see big races and great horses.

Red Down South and Zippy Chippy lapping up the attention and treats from visitors.

Will's Way 1996 Travers Stakes winner smooges a mint

Mary our guide and Moonshadow Gold, the first horse to retire at Cabin Creek

Thunder Rumble, 1992 Travers and Jim Dandy winner.

On my way back to town I picked up a couple of bottles of the collector's labeled wine celebrating the 150th anniversary of Saratoga racing, from The Saratoga Winery.  They have a nice array of equine art on their bottles but they were out of Thunder Rumble who was my new best friend.  Luckily the winemaker, Rich Nimmo, heard me ask for it and very kindly gave me a bottle from the cellar.  I'll never drink these wonderful wines they are for my extensive racehorse label collection.  Mostly port, some of which dates back to the seventies in Australia and even includes a match race bottle between two champion pacers, Pure Steel and Satinover (1980).  It all started with a bottle of  Yalumba: Without Fear 1976.
Finally it was time for a stroll down main street and an early dinner before the track emptied out.

Photos by Annie Wade