Your tribute to the Spa brought back quite a few wonderful memories that I have of Saratoga even since Susan and I were first introduced to it in 1990 (the day when Go For Wand won the Alabama).
I especially remember spending a truly enjoyable time with you and Patty. Since then my grandson Tyler has grown up and I have more grandchildren that I hope to introduce to the joys of horseracing and the nuances of handicapping. They may not have any more interest in it than Tyler did, but who knows - it is a grandfather's duty to expose them to things that captivated our attention even as they find their own activities and interests.
You asked how long ago that meeting was. I couldn't remember so I looked it up the only way I knew how. The feature race that day was the Woodward and
I remember that you and Patty cashed a very nice win ticket on Alpha at something like 7-1. You called me "wise", but I wasn't smart enough to listen to you and picked someone else....... Anyway, according to NYRA records, that was 10 years ago in 2013. I'm not even sure that the Woodward is still part of the Labor Day weekend program.
Don't know whether I'll be able to make the trip this season or not. One way or the other, I will be tuned in on Opening Day when the announcer gets the crowd to chant "And they're off at Saratoga."
There are several new stakes races on this season's schedule. One that gives me lots of pleasure is a stakes races named after Harvey Pack. I enjoyed his droll commentary for many years and can still recall his wise advice - "Don't bet a horse as the favorite when it is doing something that it has never done before." Oven the years, that advice has save me more than a few dollars.
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