Saratoga Lost

[richiebee]

Saratoga\'s 2016 race meet opens on July 15, approximately seven months hence,
but I must admit that some of the usual anticipation is absent for me. This has
nothing to do with the much discussed monetization/modernization of the
venerable facility, or the fact that Saratoga racing is more and more an
extension of the downstate product, where the quality races are dominated by
short priced runners from two or three barns (call it \"TAPstock\" or
\"Chadapalooza\").

My tempered enthusiasm has more to do with the fact that I find that a trip to
the Spa no longer serves as an \"escape\" or a needed change of pace from a
hectic and harried urban existence, living in a cultural backwater and
commuting to work in the middle of the world\'s largest tourist trap.

I find myself online investigating transportation and lodging alternatives in
Fort Erie, Ontario and Franklin, Kentucky, planning my equine themed summer
escape.

Again this has nothing to do with Chris Kay and his overcompensated cadre of
minions wanting to transform the Saratoga facility into a theme park, but
rather that the City of Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County have been the
fastest growing city and county in the state (based on population growth
between the 1970 Census and the 2010 Census). Further growth is anticipated. A
new Embassy Suites popped up near Congress Park. Reliable (though eccentric)
local sources, the old guys I call Bartles and James, proprietors of a produce
stand/nursery on the south side of Rte 9, have told me that two more lodging
facilities are planned along Rte 9, I would imagine on the property once
occupied by a succession of failed restaurants and on the property where now
sits an abandoned driving range/miniature golf course (a weed choked miniature
golf course presents some fascinating photographic opportunities).

The challenge for 21st Century Saratoga is to make itself into a viable
destination eight or nine months out of the year rather than four or five, and
without sounding like a Chamber of Commerce sound bite, there are numerous
attractions in the area not related to thoroughbred racing which will make this
possible. More restaurants, more nightspots, and, for better or worse the
almost inevitable expansion of the thoroughbred race meet to at least eight
weeks.

SARATOGA LOST

I have an acquaintance who has told me, pointedly, never to begin a sentence
with the words \"Back in the 1970s...\". Said acquaintance is more or less my age
and the words \"back in the 1970s\" (usually uttered wistfully) probably make him
feel ancient. Keeping this in mind, let me say that the Saratoga of 40 or so
years ago featured a real sense of racetrack community. With the limited number
of restaurants and watering holes, it was possible and probable that racing
fans would run into trainers, owners, jockeys, grooms, hustlers and touts over
dinner or drinks, or shopping at a local market. I recall seeing John Piesen of
the New York Post at breakfast, head in hands staring into his coffee
after having no published winners for three straight days. I remember a night
long drinking adventure in a dive bar with a couple of good ole boys from
Kentucky who turned out to be members of the family who owned Golden Chance
Farm, which campaigned decent stakes runners such as Dust Commander and Run
Dusty Run. I will never forget seeing a prominent jockey devouring a huge meal
at Lillian\'s, one of the few upscale restaurants in Saratoga at the time, and
then \"flipping\" the meal in the parking lot a few minutes later.

This sense of community was strengthened by the fact that back in, sorry, 40
years ago, the only way to experience Saratoga racing was to be in Saratoga (or
in a cramped and depressing downstate OTB). The community was privileged to be
watching and wagering on four weeks of racing which was, at the time, far
superior to any racing in North America.

It is highly unlikely that Saratoga racing will ever return to the lofty perch
it occupied in the mid 20th Century. Racing has become decentralized in that
there are graded stakes with big purses run all over the country now. I have
always held the opinion, oft stated here, that the diverse geographical nature
of the trainer colony made Saratoga racing strong and unique. Trainers from
California, the Midwest, the mid-Atlantic region, Canada and Europe and jump
(not jump up) trainers all joined New York regulars upstate. Now, with the
aforementioned decentralization of racing and the unnecessary and politically
driven proliferation of New York bred racing, it is highly unlikely that the
trainer diversity which made Saratoga unique will ever return.

Am I abandoning or boycotting Saratoga? Never. I would never forgo the
opportunity to renew old acquaintances, to visit the old haunts, to hear the
echoes of and see in the shadows great moments of the past, moments which will
always be connected to my (possibly misspent) youth. The words \"bucolic\" or
\"rustic\" will probably never be applied to the Saratoga of the 21st Century,
and it is likely that the new Saratoga will feature traffic jams and crowds,
overpriced and overrated restaurants, and uncomfortable lodgings (there is no
place like home).^*

From a horseplayer\'s point of view, Living Room Downs provides a very viable
alternative to a trip upstate. Extensive coverage of the meet is available on
the internet, including Frank D\'s regular communiques. HD TV is a big
improvement, and there are far fewer distractions than at the Spa.

Is Fort Erie or Kentucky Downs the new Saratoga? Nyet, but it is likely that
either one might provide a peaceful week of \"Escape from New York\" that
Saratoga once, but no longer, could be counted on to provide.

------------
* Tried AirBNB for the first time this past summer. Rented a decent room in a
beautiful old house off the main drag. There was a small framed picture on the
dresser in the room I rented. When I looked closely at the framed photo, I was
surprised (terrified?) that my host had somehow found and downloaded a picture
of me when I was about 10 years old; that picture and I spent a few sleepless
hours staring at each other.

[Edgorman]

Ah, back in the 1970\'s.
What a treat it was to go to Siros for post races cocktails.  Me, and maybe the 17 other people hanging out there.

[moosepalm]

Richie, might I be so bold as to suggest, as an alternative to Saratoga, you check out Finger Lakes Race Track, conveniently located off the NYS Thruway, and a short drive from all the charms, wonders, wineries, micro-breweries, distilleries and bucolic charm of the Finger Lakes, themselves.  You will not be gouged by overpriced restaurants nor miss a dinner reservation because you couldn\'t find a parking space this side of Ballston Spa.  And, best of all, you\'ll never have to worry about handicapping \"off the turf.\"

Seriously, that was a marvelous elegiac piece, to which I completely agree and could add nothing of any substance.  I have only been going to the Spa since the 80\'s, but my friends and I agree that more than a small piece of its soul and charm has been traded down for hotel chains and mall stores.  We now stay about fifteen minutes north in a strip motel that time forgot, and will dine in Glens Falls or Ballston Spa, at perfectly fine restaurants, where there is no \"scene\" for us to be out of step with.  We spend Sunday nights in town, when it is not bumper-to-bumper traffic on the sidewalks, and we can catch a meal and some music without having to make a reservation six weeks in advance.  

But, we will never stop going to the Spa until we can\'t, or until they pave over the backyard to make way for a Dunkin\' Donuts and an Abercrombie & Fitch.  As long as I can still find a patch of dirt on to which I can unfold my lawn chair and secure my cooler, I will be there, peering out to Union Ave. and pretending that behind me, Mack Miller, Woody Stephens and the Chief are still saddling horses under the trees.

[magicnight]

Great stuff, Richie! You really don\'t know what you\'ve got \'til it\'s gone.

NYRA says the Spa opens on July 22, but I had to force myself to insert a mere fact check in response to that. Nice \"Shining\" reference in the footnote.

[TGJB]

My comment about the 70\'s referred specifically to bars, with younger people around, who usually have no idea how old we are.

Having said that, I\'m getting tired of being asked if I was at Woodstock. No, MF, I was not.

Glad Bob got the Shining reference, I was scratching my head.

Nice job.

[Mathcapper]

Richie - great piece. I had a bit of the same feeling this past meet, exacerbated by the launch of NYRA\'s terrific new HD feed at Living Room Downs that you noted.

After the meet was over though, I ended up feeling pangs of remorse over the few weekends that I did miss this year (the first such in over three years), like that final weekend in the backyard when Belmont3, Sean D, Uncle Bill, and Topcat were all harmoniously cheering home and subsequently celebrating TGAB's $56 analysis winner Maggiesfreuddnslip.

As you mentioned in a post yesterday (thanks for the kind words btw), I'm fond of telling my own "back in the 1970s\"(late70s/early80s for me) story about how my Dad and I would drive 40 minutes after I got out of school every day to the Hoosick Falls OTB, and often straight through along scenic Rte 9 to the Saratoga Harness simulcast facility, to check the Will Pays in the last race. At the time, I'd be hopping with excitement over the thought of watching another easy "smart-money" winner cruise home at double-digit odds.

What I didn't realize until many years later, but which I think my Dad knew all along, was that it was never about the race.


It was all about the ride.

[PapaChach]

Mathcapper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
 
> What I didn't realize until many years later, but
> which I think my Dad knew all along, was that it
> was never about the race.
>
>
> It was all about the ride.

I, too, sometimes miss the way the Spa used to be; personal golden age ran from about \'87-\'99. But your quote reminded me of the drive home from this year\'s Travers, during which my about-to-turn 17 years old son, still jazzed about what he had witnessed, kept saying to me, \"Dad, I\'ll never forget that as long as I live!\"

[Boscar Obarra]

Back in the 70\' Travers day was TOO CROWDED for me.

 I sympathize.

[miff]

Affirmed/Alydar 1978 Travers.....insane crowd/atmosphere.

[belmont3]

My early racing days and misspent youth were largely spent at Sufferin Downs in East Boston. In those days , we all thought Joe O\'Shea\'s 3yo star Rise Jim would trounce Spectacular Bid LOL.
During the summers, if The SEVENS Pub proprietor Jack Kiley was willing, we would jump in his Cadddy and head north to the Saratoga of New England: Rockingham Park.....where we would feast on the gourmet offerings of the Track Kitchen.(open to the public).
JK would treat his busted out gang to Clubhouse seats and unlimited Heinekens.
I thought this was horseplayer heaven.

Thus, I was a wee bit tardy getting to Saratoga. It wasn\'t until I relocated to Pennsylvania circa 1981, that I would pull onto a Nelson Avenue front lawn and park my 71 OLDS hung over from a wedding reception the night before.

Unlike my date from the previous evening, it was an instant love affair. My fling that weekend only lasted 48 hours but I would be forever Hopeful.  And I would keep coming back.

Bob

[fasteddie]

My first trip to the Spa was the \'78 Travers. Being a 24 year-old, I had the stamina to get up at 4am, pick up my uncle in South Philly, drive up and spend the day, get lost driving home, and arriving back at 2am!

It was love at first site, and I have been going back ever since. Yes, it has changed, but there is still nothing on God\'s green earth like mornings at Oklahoma, or on the backstretch. The best thing I ever did was get into a NYB partnership, as my wife & I (BTW, we eloped up there!) look forward to seeing our girl\'s (Invading Humor & Distorted Beauty) in their stalls, enjoying the surroundings.

Saratoga forever!

[trackjohn]

Richie:

 Great piece,,,very eloquent!  My first trip was in 1984...owned >10 that ran in Saratoga between 1992-1996...5 of them won and even though the purse back then was the same as Belmont it was infinitely more gratifying winning up there.  Unfortunately times/things change

  You are 100% correct in the \'flavor\' of the town. Even as little as 5-6 years ago I couldn\'t wait to get up there...not anymore.  While I have not missed a trip in 35+ years, it is NOT what it was...BUT neither is Monmouth...Such is the price of \"progress\".

John

[Niall]

Hot off the press, it was announced this week that Mortons Steakhouse will anchor the new racino hotel and that another steakhouse is opening (Salt and Char) and will be run by the former chef at Lespinasse. The Spa ain\'t what it used to be for sure, but it ain\'t bad either...

[miff]

Agree Niall but between NYRA increasing prices every way they can and the ridiculous in town hotel prices,its getting priced out for many regular people.

[Deadrockstar]

A family friend, John Jude Cassidy, was the first bartender at Siro\'s in the summer of 1978 I believe. It was a single bar and bartender and the crowd maxed out at less than 100. I recall a board atop two tall barrels as a bar and drinks were like $2.

Jack said he new Affirmed had run down Sensitive Prince in the Jim Dandy by the roar of the crowd. After died a few years back we gathered for breakfast at the track and an exercise rider spread some of his ashes on the track.

The best thing for the Spa meet would be to shorten it back to 5 weeks, but alas that obviously will never happen. When I go these days I watch from the seats, which are plentiful now that they\'ve jacked up the prices so much.