News

About 11 months ago, I walked with Alex Solis after he won the Forego to close out the meet. It was one of two wins at the meet for the veteran.

Michael Matz stood at the top of the stairs and pointed to the only moving element after The Saratoga Special. There in the distance, through the rain, through the gray, through the slop, was a solitary figure – shadow roll, white feet, yellow silks – skipping through it all.

John Velazquez stepped off the scales after the Adirondack and shook his head in disbelief. No words needed. Julien Leparoux stepped off the scales and simply smirked, again no words needed.

Get Stormy won, and he knew it, so when Ramon Dominguez made like a rodeo rider and tried to vault back into the saddle after a workout Friday, the Grade I winner cantered off like a bad pony with Dominguez scrambling back into his tack.

Bill Mott thought about his owner, his friend. “It’s just a shame he couldn’t be here to watch her,” Mott said. “I don’t know what happens when you leave this place but I hope he was watching.”

Tom Bush and Charlie Lopresti stood in the pulpit of the clubhouse big screen TV for Friday’s feature. The trainers were separated by a half-dozen viewers – and a chasm of emotion.  

After a tough winter at Penn National, Tamarind Hall took her place in trainer Jeremiah Englehart’s barn at Finger Lakes. And became the running joke.

Jonathan Sheppard posed in the winner’s circle. His former assistant Graham Motion did not. It would have made a nice reunion.

Larry Jones picked up a shank, shook jockey Ramon Dominguez’s hand and walked toward Havre de Grace as the field began to assemble for riders up in the paddock.

Nick Zito bounded into the winner’s circle after Saturday’s Grade I Forego, slapped assistant trainer/exercise rider Carlos Correa on the shoulder and bellowed, “We still got it, we still got it.”