Opinion

And finally Tuscalee gets in the Hall of Fame. The 37-time jump winner will be a commensurate line at the end of most stories about the Hall of Fame. Of course, rail-skimming Kentucky Derby scion Calvin Borel will garner the most lines of type, the most minutes of ovation. Greased-lightning miler Lure will get his … Read more

Here at the Special, we’ve weathered the storms ­- literally and figuratively. A hurricane that cancelled the races, power outages from New York City to Saratoga, kids getting sick, kids going back to school, golf cart accidents, clashes with security guards, typos, factual errors, employees who run off the tracks, advertisers who stick us, trainers who … Read more

Edgar Prado paused and let the comment hang in there. Said with good intentions, it could have been received with a smile or a snarl. Prado split the difference. “Where did I go?” Prado said. “You said, ‘Nice to see you back.’ Where did I go?” The 46-year-old Hall of Fame jockey didn’t smile or … Read more

Fast forward another 10 years. If you’re following along, we started this mini-history tour through some milestone catalogues from Fasig-Tipton sales of the past.  First came 1963, a little musty but classic and clean and weighty. And full of legends from the past. Then came 1973, a sale which featured a future Kentucky Derby winner … Read more

“How long have you been writing about this place?” The question came out of the crowd, at the races, just after interviewing John Velazquez about winning the Vanderbilt. I turned and a perfect stranger, under the brim of a Yankees hat, was staring at me, from under the tree near the jocks’ room. “How long … Read more

It’s 1973, Fasig-Tipton yearling sale in Saratoga. Forty years ago. The catalogue is right here on my desk, fished out of a bin back in Fair Hill – smells, feels and looks different than the 1963 version (and no spiral binding). The sale lasted four nights, Aug. 7-10, and listed 264 yearlings for sale. I … Read more

The first time you saw him, you knew he wouldn’t last. The talent was there, natural and omnipresent. The work ethic was there, hell, he grew up in Bill Mott’s shedrow, you learn about horses and about work all at the same time. He had hands of gold and a long leg to match. He … Read more

It’s the moments that make the meet. All together, when put together, they complete another endless summer. Good and bad, harrowing and fulfilling, depressing and elating, they come at you, hard and fast. So far… Walking up to the window to bet Miss Lamour because she’s pretty and hearing her number being called out at … Read more

The book is 50 years old. The front cover shows a healthy-looking yearling standing by a white fence on a dimly lit evening, waiting its turn. The back cover pays tribute to 100 years of racing at Saratoga Race Course with a familiar-looking oval logo. There are no markings, but a few pages are dog-eared. … Read more

Cot Campbell says he gets over defeats in 90 seconds. In a minute and a half, Dogwood’s founder processes the loss, puts it away and devises a plan going forward. That’s fast. How long does it take you? I’ll admit, it takes me longer. Way longer. I had almost forgotten what it felt like to … Read more