Opinion

“We have to hire her.”

That was my response to Tom Law, after we talked about Annise Montplaisir in May. Montplaisir, 19, found us somewhere and emailed us, looking for a spot at The Special this summer. She sent her resume, which included the lines, “official clocker, North Dakota Horse Park 2014 race meet,” and “journalism intern at Canterbury Park.”

See why we had to hire her?

It’s the rhythm of the backstretch.

Rob and Phyllis Griffo took their annual tour of the Saratoga backside Tuesday morning. Rob is a war veteran, Phyllis used to ride horses before a couple of hip replacements, they own a few retired horses, near Finger Lakes. Rob works on a crisis hotline, he had a guy on the line for two hours last week, pills and alcohol supposed to ease the pain but causing more. I’ve written about them before.

Which trainer saddled a horse to win two races at the meet first? Pletcher, Mott, Brown, Clement, McLaughlin? No, no, no, no and no. The answer is Steve Klesaris, who has 18 stalls filled with mainly claimers under the trees just beyond the main track’s 5-furlong pole. 

It was a simple question, asked to fill space, small talk on a sweltering afternoon at Saratoga.

“How long has it been?”

“Eight, 10 years…” Jimmy Foulk said. “No, maybe 20.”

Gail Foulk set it straight.

“Jimmy, it’s been 40 years.”

John Nerud called Angel Cordero Jr. Three months ago, the 102-year-old Hall of Fame trainer called the 72-year-old Hall of Fame jockey, asking him to come see him at his house on Long Island. Cordero didn’t hesitate. When he arrived, Nerud handed Cordero a photo, it was Cordero’s 3,000th winner, Cordero had inscribed it to Nerud.

It was 2003.

Mike Hushion suggested we write a story on John Nerud, the man who trained Dr. Fager, Gallant Man, Delegate, Intentionally, Ta Wee and countless others.

“Oh, the stories,” Hushion said. “The other day he was talking about Ben Jones, Pancho Villa, Dr. Fager…you just want to listen. Getting to know him over the last few years is one of the best things that’s happened to me in this sport.”

It rains differently in Saratoga. Louder, longer, more vertical, as if it comes from a higher sky. Tuesday, it fell long and steady, a wet soundtrack to a morning that came too soon after a long, late newspaper deadline. 

So I listened. And thought.

You’re holding a breakthrough edition of The Special. The first double issue, a Wednesday/Thursday paper. That’s part of the breakthrough, the physical act of combining two days into one paper – two days of previews, two days of handicapping, two days of Name of the Days, one Cup of Coffee.

Saratoga, you have a new fan.

The most captivating woman in racing met the most captivating town in racing. It was love at first sight.

Australia’s Gai Waterhouse ventured to Saratoga this week – a high-energy town for a high-energy woman, a stylish town for a stylish woman, a racing town for a racing woman.

Sometimes you have too much story for one story. Especially, when a horse like Honor Code wins the Whitney in the last jump and especially when it’s midnight and your deadline has long since past. When my brother hovered in the doorway of my office Saturday night/Sunday morning and said, “Come on, Ernest,” I knew I needed to land the plane. But it’s tricky, when you want to land a full plane.