Features

Horacio DePaz smiled with Happy Farm in the Saratoga winner’s circle Monday, his third win at the meet, accepted congratulations and departed quickly to catch a plane back to Maryland later in the day. (Originally published in Aug. 17 issue of The Saratoga Special.)

Ron Moquett’s shedrow in the Clark Stakes Barn between the paddock and Siro’s stays plenty busy during the Saratoga Race Course meeting.

Friday morning on the backside, trainer Graham Motion was organizing workers (horses for the turf at Oklahoma and workers (a somewhat reluctant 14-year-old hotwalker) and faced a question about a Stable Tour from The Special’s Joe Clancy.

David Donk took a realistic approach into the Belmont Park spring-summer and Saratoga Race Course meetings, knowing his barn didn’t include any major stakes winners like Awad, Ordway, Incurable Optimist, Pennine Ridge, Hessonite and King Kreesa.

Rudy Rodriguez hopped aboard a chestnut filly, departing his barn at the corner of East and Union Avenues on the Oklahoma Training Track late Monday morning. With his son Rudy Rodriguez Jr. on a pony by his side and two other chestnuts, the group made their way to the track for turf training, galloping around the track in a blue and yellow blur. They returned to find Rodriguez’s main owner Michael Dubb and bloodstock agent Kim Valerio passing out peppermints to the stable.

Things are looking up at Blue Heaven, trainer Phil Serpe’s oasis of a barn area just beyond the outside rail of the main track near the five-eighths pole. The cats walk on the roof and lounge on the chairs, the director’s chairs host visitors, the grass looks green and lush – and the stalls are full of quality horses again.

Jeremiah Englehart hit the sales grounds a little midway through Saturday morning, scouting future prospects after he wrapped up training of several current prospects he’s excited to run later in the Saratoga meeting. (Originally published in the Aug. 6 issue of The Saratoga Special.)

Christophe Clement strolled into Barn 80 on a quiet Friday afternoon for the stable while a grey colt bucked and rolled in the round pen as other horses went quietly around the walking ring shaded by willow trees. (Originally published in the Aug. 5 issue of The Saratoga Special.)

Milestones? Al Stall Jr. won his 1,500th race Saturday afternoon when Behavioral Bliss won a 7-furlong maiden early on Whitney Day. Off to a fast start at Saratoga, Stall is 3-for-8 so far. (Originally published in the Aug. 7 issue of The Saratoga Special)

Jimmy Toner walked from one end to the other of his 18-stall barn behind the main track at Saratoga. Under the trees, with a bustling pedestrian (equine and human) crosswalk in front of it, the barn is quintessential Toner – straw pillows outside of the stalls, JJT initials, orange and white webbings, a solid batch of turf horses behind those webbings. For a change, Toner pointed to one of his horses in each stall of the barn, as opposed to about 75 percent with a few visitors at one end. (Originally published in the Aug. 4 issue of The Saratoga Special)