As a guy who has spent the better part of the 20 years living in the Saratoga, NY area it’s practically a crime that I’ve never attended a running of the Travers (or the mid-summer derby as it’s often referred to in these parts). Granted, I’m fairly new to thoroughbred racing, but that’s hardly an excuse.  There are more than a few people who can’t tell a DRF from a grocery list, and still manage to join the 50K or so people who flock to the Saratoga Race Course each year to attend the biggest event the Saratoga summer season has to offer.

For many, many years I’ve shied away from the track, but within the last year I’ve become a huge fan (actually more like an addict) of the ponies, so it should come as no surprise that I circled August 23rd on my calendar sometime ago.  Going in I knew it would be crowded, but with 4 straight stakes races featuring some of the biggest-name horses running right now, it sure sounded like an event not to be missed.  Boy was I wrong.

Setting Up Shop

I have a favorite spot on the track.  Most regular attendees do.  For some it’s a “lucky spot” for me, it’s a nice place where I can sit and watch the races, and have easy access to the automated betting terminals.  Most mornings it takes a little work for me to reserve my spot, but it can be done.  Travers morning, however, Saratoga turns into Pamplona as the bulls race to find the idea spot to set up shop for the day.

Fortunately (or at least it should have been), my buddy Ted volunteered to get in line at 4:30AM to get us a table exactly where we want to be.  He executed perfectly; in fact, he claims to have been the first one through the turnstiles, and the first one to our “target area”.  Unfortunately, owners and insiders (who pretty much have free run of the place) had already taken every last table in the area, leaving poor Ted to execute plan B, and well…we didn’t really have a plan B.  Long story short, instead of being trackside we ended up as one little canopy in a sea of hundreds in an area which probably isn’t too unlike life in a refugee camp somewhere.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed spending the time with friends, but as far as a true track experience goes, the Travers was sorely lacking.

I took this picture when I was at Saratoga a couple of weeks ago (the same is true of the other photos). With the massive crowd on hand for the Travers, there was no way I was getting this close.

Betting the Races

As I mentioned, I’m an automated betting machine guy.  I have a wagering account which allows me to swipe my card, enter my bet, and be done with it.  In most cases the terminals save time and make life a lot easier.  The downside is there’s no manual, no proficiency test, nothing…any idiot is capable of walking up to the machine and trying to use it.  While plenty of people seem to do pretty well, there are more than a few who don’t have a clue (I saw a guy try to swipe his credit card), and end up causing massive lines, and delays, which in some cases result in people like me not being able to get our bets in, even if we line up 10 minutes before the race.  When money is on the line, even small amounts, one shouldn’t be rushed.

The Facilities

This year’s Travers drew about 40 thousand people, which is actually 10K below normal, which got me thinking about how miserable things must be when attendance is up.  Getting around the grounds was difficult.  Actually getting to the track or close to the paddock was practically impossible.  Imagine spending an entire afternoon at the race track and barely seeing a horse…well, that was my day.

Lines for the men’s room ran about 10 minutes long, which would have been okay, but I spent one of my waits on line with a “gentleman” who was drinking a beer, smoking a cigarette, all while he a dip in mouth (one more simultaneous vice and I would have found an award to give him).  He spent most of the time ranting about how he was going to “piss on the sidewalk” and how he didn’t care whose shoes he got wet.  It’s a reasonable assumption that if you put 40 thousand people in one place, more than a few of them are going to be pretty close to classless.

Hey, to each his own I suppose, and so long as my shoes stayed dry I probably shouldn’t care, but well, I do, and if it makes me a snob, so be it, but this is not my kind of crowd.

The Races

I didn’t actually see them.  Well, I did get to watch them on the TVs scattered throughout the grounds, but I didn’t actually watch an live races (it wasn’t worth fighting the crowds).    I ended up losing about $40 on the day, which isn’t bad considering my buddy Jon paid $30 just to park.  I seldom mind losing a little on the ponies, after all there’s an ebb and flow to it; besides, losing only makes winning that much sweeter.

As much I probably would have preferred to watch the big races at home on my 60″ Sony, there were some great races, and even better stories.  In the 7th (the race immediately preceding a run of 4 graded stakes races), 88-1 underdog Slambino bested the field rewarding dart-throwers with a $179 payout.  Of course, the real story became the 3 longshots, and 1 favorite that finished behind him leading to a Superfecta that paid an astonishing 1,523,188.00.  Yes, you’re reading that right, 1.5 million, on a $2 bet.  10 cent players walked off with over 75K.

That was pretty much how the day went with not a single favorite winning until the Travers itself.  The closest thing to can’t miss (Indyanne), missed and finished 2nd.  Mostly off the radar Shakis won his 2nd straight Bernard Baruch paying almost $15 in the process.

Colonel John, who had never won a race on dirt, somehow managed to go off as the favorite, and more strangely still, actually won the Travers (I had him as the 2nd best in the race, but didn’t bet him based on the “can’t win on dirt” thing).  My horse, Mambo in Seattle, finished 2nd and didn’t pay nearly what my wife and spent betting against each other.

My favorite race of the day had to be the NetJets King’s Bishop.  Derby runner, Visionaire , a horse I had on my short list, but bumped in favor of Kodiak Kowboy came from well back of the pack to win ($15.60).   While it wasn’t the photo finish that the Travers was, I really enjoy watching closers make a run (even if it’s on a small screen in an overcrowded back yard area).

Final Thoughts

Despite good company and great races, my first Travers may very well be my last.  Barring getting my hands on some reserved seats in the clubhouse, or some other riffraff free arrangements, I don’t see myself going back for another one.  I love the Saratoga track as much as the next guy - I go early, I stay late, I enjoying bringing friends from out of town, but there are plenty of other big races during the Saratoga meet (Curlin is running next week), and in my estimation, the Travers experience doesn’t remotely offset the hassle.

Travers day gets a very generous C-.

ESPN now carries most of the card in HD, I have wagering accounts with both NYRA and TwinSpires, so I won’t lose out on the action.  I can bet from the comfort of my own couch, and with a 60″ TV I’ll feel closer to the action than I did at the track.  Best of all, there’s only two of us in this 2.5 bath house, which means no waiting to use the bathroom, and no having to worry about getting my feet wet.

Share This Post