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Tom Law 
We’re out of the weeds – a little bit – settled down and ready for a monster day of racing highlighted by the return of champion Tepin. The mid-September edition of Saturday Special presented by Pin Oak Stud, home of Alternation, Broken Vow and Cowboy Cal, previews all the action from Ayr to Woodbine, Albuquerque to Newmarket and Charles Town to Listowel.
Some horses are born with it. The “it” to which I’m referring is the ability to soar. It is mystifying how a 1200-pound mass of pure muscle and bone can leap through the air, looking effortless while doing so, but some horses just have the ability to seemingly fly. Much to Nicolette Merle-Smith’s liking, her new OTTB, Blazing Beryl, is one of those naturally gifted horses.
It’s about 11 p.m. the Friday before Travers Day and The Saratoga Special crew is still in the office.
The book closed on the 2016 Saratoga Race Course meeting Monday afternoon and with it another memorable summer of racing action in upstate New York.
In honor of the final edition of The Special for 2016, we bring you the “Little Guy” Stable Tour. We scoured the grounds, searching Horse Haven, Oklahoma, the main track, the stakes barn, Clark’s Cottages, Gridley Street and even discovered barns inside the training track on the harness side to bring you the trainers and horses who might not have made headlines this summer, but plied their trade and earned respect. (Editor’s note: Originally published in Sept. 4 issue of The Saratoga Special.)
In terms of odd combinations, trainer Jimmy Toner and Facebook might rank right up there with mustard and pizza, Felix and Oscar, and A-Rod and the Yankees.
But throw in a 14-year-old with a serious racing pedigree, and you might just have the perfect blend.
Every Travers day, the most valued piece of real estate at Saratoga Race Course is a picnic table in the backyard. About 8 feet long, all 850 of them are snatched up within minutes of the gates opening at 7 a.m., by people who have been waiting in line since the wee hours of the morning for the chance to run like hell to the backyard and plant a flag – sometimes literally – at a favorite spot and spread out food, drinks, and past performances.
Training hours were finishing up on the main track as the final horse to train out of Phil Serpe’s barn Thursday morning cooled out in a walking ring under a sign that reads Blue Heaven and hangs high on a telephone pole. (Editor’s note: Originally published in Sept. 2 issue of The Saratoga Special.)
Eddie Kenneally stood in the shedrow of his Saratoga barn in the middle of last month, outlined preliminary plans for Bradester and guessed that by waiting for today’s $600,000 Woodward Stakes he might avoid the heavyweights of the handicap division who tangled a week earlier.
Even though it’s only a short walk away from the main track, Jim Bond’s private barn off of Gridley Street feels miles away from the bustle of Saratoga Race Course. (Editor’s note: Originally published in Aug. 28 issue of The Saratoga Special.)
