See, I told you they were relaxed! This filly, Silent Street, just felt it was time for a flop-down after her morning work. Her nickname here at the barn is “Diabla”, Spanish for “Devil” because, believe it or not, she has horns.
OK, they’re more like nubs really, but teeny bumps of horns she has. She also likes to buck as she walks down the shedrow, just for kicks (ha ha) and it usually doesn’t matter what’s in the way. She’s a bit of a loose cannon, but can also be a lot of fun to be around.
Donkey update: Donkey breezed today. That is, he had a vigorous workout at 80-90% race speed in preparation for his race on Saturday, if he gets in. He did very well and was “brave” in the words of his rider, Ian’s wife Tracy. With Donkey, bravery is a step up from his normal, fear-based, approach to life. He is so content here it’s amazing. At Churchill he was getting a little uptight and it’s wonderful to see him here relaxed and calm and brave.
By “get in” to his race, I meant that racetracks take entries for each race several days before the event. If there are more horses than there are slots in the starting gate (I think it’s 14 at the Spa), then the track picks the entrants at random.
In American racing, field sizes tended to be very good until recently. In recent years, fewer horses have been entered generally, much to the chagrin of handicappers. Bettors like larger fields because the odds tend to be better – shorter fields usually equal shorter “prices”, meaning lower odds on more horses and less money returned.
Thoroughbreds don’t race as often as they did in the past, partly because they may well be more fragile than they have been historically, so they tend to get injured more. Also, purse structures have stayed relatively flat, meaning the amount you get for winning races, generally, is more or less the same today as it was years ago. Personally, I also think owners and trainers tend to be more conservative now than in the past. Just a feeling on my part. There are also probably more reasons I’m not aware of.
Saratoga, however, is definitely not part of the trend with shorter fields. A trainer told me one time that he was taking a string of horses to Saratoga for the meet when he knew full well that none of them had a chance to win. Thing is, his owners wanted to go – so many just want to run a horse here. This meet is very much a see and be seen affair, much like being on the Backside Derby Week is at Churchill Downs.
And, the six weeks of racing here is the finest in the country, its closest competitors being Del Mar in California and the spring and fall meets at Keeneland. And I love Keeneland dearly – the few weeks they run are my most favorite of the year, apart from Derby Week at CD.
But, there is just something about Saratoga. Maybe I’ve written this before, but it’s very easy to see how a person who loves these animals and this game could get lost here – just come here and never leave (forget about winter for the moment). Saratoga is like this Wonderland for horse people. The peaceful ambience just gets into your bones, human and equine alike. Zoe’s even felt it, I think. The feeling is the same as ones we all probably had when we were kids. Imagine getting that one thing you wanted more than anything in the world, whether that was going to Disneyland, scoring a goal in soccer, getting that X-Wing fighter toy complete with R2D2 (I was so about that), getting a puppy or a kitty for your birthday or Christmas – that feeling is what you get here every day.
And, don’t get me wrong, the horse business is not for the lazy. Imagine working non-stop for 6 straight hours, getting pulled in totally different directions several times throughout the morning. And, most of what you’re doing involves animals that can go ape on you at any moment. It’s physically brutal work and, most days, when you get done with the morning, you have a few hours before you come back in the afternoon, either to help feed horses or to race or, Heaven forbid, both.
And yet, if racehorses are in your blood, you just do the work. It’s not so much work, but more like a lifestyle choice. The hours do wear on people and many quit to do 9-5 and have free weekends (there are no weekends in this game). But, other people stay because they love the game and, trust me, when a horse wins who’ve you’ve spent months helping get ready, the natural high, the rush, the elation, is unsurpassed, it’s electric. Other people stay because it’s all they know, but I also know a good number of folks, including some in our barn, who do this just because it’s deep within them to. They, like me, just have to be around these animals.
OK, they’re more like nubs really, but teeny bumps of horns she has. She also likes to buck as she walks down the shedrow, just for kicks (ha ha) and it usually doesn’t matter what’s in the way. She’s a bit of a loose cannon, but can also be a lot of fun to be around.
Donkey update: Donkey breezed today. That is, he had a vigorous workout at 80-90% race speed in preparation for his race on Saturday, if he gets in. He did very well and was “brave” in the words of his rider, Ian’s wife Tracy. With Donkey, bravery is a step up from his normal, fear-based, approach to life. He is so content here it’s amazing. At Churchill he was getting a little uptight and it’s wonderful to see him here relaxed and calm and brave.
By “get in” to his race, I meant that racetracks take entries for each race several days before the event. If there are more horses than there are slots in the starting gate (I think it’s 14 at the Spa), then the track picks the entrants at random.
In American racing, field sizes tended to be very good until recently. In recent years, fewer horses have been entered generally, much to the chagrin of handicappers. Bettors like larger fields because the odds tend to be better – shorter fields usually equal shorter “prices”, meaning lower odds on more horses and less money returned.
Thoroughbreds don’t race as often as they did in the past, partly because they may well be more fragile than they have been historically, so they tend to get injured more. Also, purse structures have stayed relatively flat, meaning the amount you get for winning races, generally, is more or less the same today as it was years ago. Personally, I also think owners and trainers tend to be more conservative now than in the past. Just a feeling on my part. There are also probably more reasons I’m not aware of.
Saratoga, however, is definitely not part of the trend with shorter fields. A trainer told me one time that he was taking a string of horses to Saratoga for the meet when he knew full well that none of them had a chance to win. Thing is, his owners wanted to go – so many just want to run a horse here. This meet is very much a see and be seen affair, much like being on the Backside Derby Week is at Churchill Downs.
And, the six weeks of racing here is the finest in the country, its closest competitors being Del Mar in California and the spring and fall meets at Keeneland. And I love Keeneland dearly – the few weeks they run are my most favorite of the year, apart from Derby Week at CD.
But, there is just something about Saratoga. Maybe I’ve written this before, but it’s very easy to see how a person who loves these animals and this game could get lost here – just come here and never leave (forget about winter for the moment). Saratoga is like this Wonderland for horse people. The peaceful ambience just gets into your bones, human and equine alike. Zoe’s even felt it, I think. The feeling is the same as ones we all probably had when we were kids. Imagine getting that one thing you wanted more than anything in the world, whether that was going to Disneyland, scoring a goal in soccer, getting that X-Wing fighter toy complete with R2D2 (I was so about that), getting a puppy or a kitty for your birthday or Christmas – that feeling is what you get here every day.
And, don’t get me wrong, the horse business is not for the lazy. Imagine working non-stop for 6 straight hours, getting pulled in totally different directions several times throughout the morning. And, most of what you’re doing involves animals that can go ape on you at any moment. It’s physically brutal work and, most days, when you get done with the morning, you have a few hours before you come back in the afternoon, either to help feed horses or to race or, Heaven forbid, both.
And yet, if racehorses are in your blood, you just do the work. It’s not so much work, but more like a lifestyle choice. The hours do wear on people and many quit to do 9-5 and have free weekends (there are no weekends in this game). But, other people stay because they love the game and, trust me, when a horse wins who’ve you’ve spent months helping get ready, the natural high, the rush, the elation, is unsurpassed, it’s electric. Other people stay because it’s all they know, but I also know a good number of folks, including some in our barn, who do this just because it’s deep within them to. They, like me, just have to be around these animals.
3 comments:
Paul:
Your best post so far. I like the detailed talk about "prices."
Doug
I'm so happy you're having a good time there, and i am sooo enjoying reading your blog about it all! the donkey updates are a favorite.
i saw you mentioned something about high-end shops in an earlier post...i'm jealous of all of the hours you must spend there. haha!
D.W.B.: Speaking of prices, you're not likely to get much of one on Street for Sunday's Jim Dandy. Don't care, so long as he "runs good" as we say around here. Thanks for the compliment.
Katie Kate: The shopping here is so fabulous I absolutely cannot keep myself out of them! I feel just like Paris, our hero. E-mail me with how she's doing, would you? I'm a little uninformed, given all the time I'm spending picking out haute coture and all. Did I spell that right? Thanks for reading, more coming today, as I have time - Got here at 4 and not leaving until 7 (sigh). Zoe's with me though.
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