With the 2021 Saratoga meeting all wrapped up, I’ve had some time to reflect on the opportunity given over the past two years at The Saratoga Special. I’ve never written a column before, but I hadn’t written a race recap before this summer either and things seemed to work out well.
To regular readers of this column it will come as no surprise that I know far less about horse racing than you do. A good chunk of our readership, after all, is active in the sport in one capacity or another.
A group of dedicated racing enthusiasts assembled on East Avenue each morning last year to soak in what little bit of horse racing they could outside of the Oklahoma Training Track. Though the views were limited, the same group of more than a dozen fans and photographers lined the fence each day without fail, thrilled to talk horses for a while instead of the usual pandemic discourse. This year, the view is different for the East Avenue crew, and so are the circumstances that bring them together.
In 1921, a headline-grabbing soap opera began in the racing world when Playfellow, a 3-year old full brother to Man o’ War was sold for $100,000, roughly $1.5 million in today’s money. The buyer was oil-baron Harry F. Sinclair, who later became notorious for his central role in the Teapot Dome oil scandal.
The Maryland State Fairgrounds at Timonium plays temporary host to nearly 600 horses in training this summer, and the community is welcoming the change.
In my short life I have been fortunate enough to travel all across the country. I’ve gazed upon the alluring and untamed wilderness of the Northwest. Walked the arid desert sands of the Southwest. Left my imprint on warm beaches in the Southeast and had theirs left on me. Submerged myself in the dark salty grasp of both oceans and call the seemingly infinite miles of prairie in the central plains home. Yet, none of my travels or experiences prepared me for the sublime experience of the Northeast.
