Sean Clancy

Garrett O’Rourke received a lot of letters. He screened a lot of calls. He ignored a lot of e-mails. Juddmonte’s farm manager had a big decision to help make and everybody knew it.

Call the Chamber of Commerce. Blue skies, jacket until noon, sun hat for the afternoon. It’s Saturday morning in Saratoga, beginning of sales week, everybody’s in town. The coffee’s strong, the air is crisp, the conversation vibrant.

Four trainers. One stakes. One morning.

A day at the races. It’s rare I get to the races for the whole card. Usually, it’s office all afternoon, scamper over for the stakes and the nightcap, rush back to give words to horses.

There used to be National Steeplechase Day at Saratoga. Schooling at Oklahoma, fans lined up to watch. Two races, usually including the Lovely Night Handicap, made up the afternoon festivities. The steeplechase crowd mingled with the flat crowd. It was a special day, a day to celebrate THOROUGHBREDS racing over jumps and THOROUGHBREDS racing on the flat.

It’s the mornings. The VIP room of Saratoga. Anybody can go racing in the afternoon, it’s the mornings that make Saratoga. The furthest waking moment from deadline, it’s the only time The Special laughs, talks or is allowed to drift for a moment. Afternoons and evenings are pressure. Morning is release. Yes, they hit quickly … Read more

It’s time for the Belmont Stakes

So, you want to be a farmer. Mountain views, wildlife, peace and tranquility. And snow. Three feet – and counting. I own a snow shovel. That’s all. But I’ve learned; I hire a local farmer to plow our driveway. Piece of cake, $80 per hour, and well worth it. I’ll sit inside, sip tea, scan … Read more

My friend Jay Hovdey calls this the Making of the Eclipse Award article. You know the drill, it’s an HBO thing. Hit movie . . . then the sequel . . . another sequel . . . then the movie on the making of the movie. All a means to making money. Unfortunately for my bank account, the residuals and the royalties of an Eclipse Award started and ended long ago. But as my wife reminds me, I didn’t become a turf writer to get rich now did I?

ST profiled the steeplechase champions in its December edition and will re-run those articles here.