Saratoga Race course by Doug Jetter for the Spooky Express......... Saratoga race course opens up this coming Friday for the 150th year. This is the oldest and grandest race course in the country (some say the world). There are activities all over the city of Saratoga Springs to honor the 150 years of racing at the Old Spa. Each day there will be close to 1 million dollar in purses to be won. That is far and away the most money on a daily basis of any track in the country. This is why the best trainers and best breeders bring their horses to Saratoga. It is just the place to be if you want are involved in horses in any way. I write about Saratoga each year and this write up in not much different than the others. The big difference this year is going to be in the jockeys and I will explain in a total separate write up. Now, about Saratoga again; the level of competition is second to none because winning a race at Saratoga for any syndicate, or owner is like winning the Superbowl or Stanley Cup for athletes. To be in the winners circle with your horse is such an honor. They come from all over the WORLD to run here and that is what makes winning here so difficult. The best of the best. The NYRA and the people of Saratoga have made the track experience family friendly. You can literally do anything from shop, listen to a live band, picnic, breakfast and of course serious gamble. You can have shorts and flip flops to full suits. Everyone just blends in with the crowd. The jockeys changing room is in the middle of the picnic area. They actually walk through the crowd to get to the mounts and walk back through after the race. Most are escorted with security but they walk next to you. Trainers hang out just the same as do celebrities....you can buy a beer and hotdog on line and next to you may be Joe Pesci or Todd Pletcher (trainer). You just never know who is going to be around on any given day. The turf at Saratoga is the place to make your money. More long shots come in on the turf then the dirt. The turf here is softer then most tracks in the country. Some horses love it, some do not. The main track is all natural and it too is known to be softer/deeper than most. They groom this track like it is a cathedral; water, raked, primped after every race. Some tracks across the country are called "speed favored tracks". I personally think Saratoga is one of the truest tracks there is. Once again I invite anyone and everyone on this sight to visit the Saratoga Race course. It does not matter if you are married, married w/children or are single. It is a great place to spend a day. The city of Saratoga Springs is fantastic with plenty of restaurants and bars to choose from. There is a beautiful state park near by located 2 miles from the race course. The Adirondack mountains and Lake George are only 35 miles away. Lake George is probably top 3 of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Lake George Village is not so nice, the lake itself is what I am referring to. Jockeys The 2013 racing season at Saratoga is going to be very interesting in terms of jockey and trainers. One of the best jockeys of all time has retired due to a fractured skull, Ramon Dominquez. He has won the riding title several times at Saratoga, including last season. He will be missed for sure among horse racing fanatics, but with his retirement come some fresh faces getting more chances to ride. Javier Costellano is a very good jockey. He has come in second at the Saratoga race course the past two years for wins. The best trainer year in an year out has been Todd Pletcher and lately Costellano has been picking up some more of his mounts. Chad Brown and Costellano have been teaming up for years, but they seem to be branching out to others lately. Costellano is still an excellent turf jockey and I like using him in that scenario. I think he will once again be up there in the top 3 riders at the meet. John Velazquez He used to own Saratoga race course especially when he teams up with Todd Pletcher. Last year he had an injury and missed the first 2 weeks of the meet, but when he came back he was rolling out the wins. He is still one of the top jockeys in the land and it will be intersting to see how he fairs this season. His Belmont meet was not at all up to his usuall performance. Will this carry over to the Saratoga meet? From a betters perspective you can not over look Pletcher/Velazquez combo at any point especially at this meet. Pletcher brings out a ton of 2 year olds every year and he always relies on his #1 to give him honest feedback on his ponies. Joel Rosario He came to the NY racing circuit last summer and has just taken off. He has earned the respect and trust of many east coast trainers and he could be set up for a spectacular meet this summer. He is a great turf rider, always has been. With the retirement of Dominquez I think this guy stands to gain the most. His Belmont meet was very good as he came in 3rd in the riding standings, but #1 in percentage of coming in the money at 54%. He could very well step into the shoes of Ramon Dominquez and have a great summer meet. Irad Ortiz Jr. A few years ago he was known to bring in the long shots. He was an apprentice and was starting to earn the trust of the trainers. Last year word got out and people started betting him. His long shots were not so long anymore. This year he has really proven himself. Tied for 4th in the Belmont meet (he had almost 100 more mounts than the next person) but #1 in terms of pay-outs. I would not hesitate using him in exotics on the turf. I would use him with 15-1 or 25-1. He has been that good. It will again be interesting to see if the trainers trust him with young horses but this kid gives an honest ride and is earning a very good reputation. I would not be surprised to see him win a few riding titles down the road. He just turned 21. Junior Alvarado Came in second at the Belmont meet which is great. I could make up things about him, but in all honesty I have not been paying attention to this rider. I do not remember him winning much at Saratoga over the years, but anyone who comes in 2nd beating out the likes of Johnny V. and Rosario can not be over looked. Cornelio H. Velasquez Here is a jockey that has the trust of Linda Rice. She uses this rider on almost all her turf races. I prefer him on turf sprints with Linda Rice and it has done well. The public is on the combination as well and he is usually bet down, but I will say this jockey gives you his all in every race his is in. You will catch riders letting up at the finish line and some get caught by a nose or head. I have seen Costellano do this, but this jockey gives you 100% every time. Very dangerous on the turf and look for him with Linda Rice as the trainer. Others Edgar Prado Been using him on the turf lately and he has been doing well. Used to be the top rider at the Spa meet but age is catching up to him. As mentioned, he has been doing ok on the turf. I do not like his dirt rides at all. Rajiv Maragh This is a jockey that does not surprise me at all when he wins. He gets his fair amount of winners at Saratoga, just not on a consistent basis. He brings them in at a price that is for sure, but very hard to get a steady read from him. It is frustrating because when he wins and I do not bet him I always say, "I am not surprised he won." He will win on dirt and turf which makes it more frustrating. Rosie Napravnick Always a crowd favorite, but I have not seen her at all at Belmont other than a handful of races. I am not even sure she will be at Saratoga full time. She was last year and she won the first race on opening day (i did not bet her). I would bet she is back again, but I will not write anything if I do not know. Have to watch and see. I like betting the Turf. I think is it the truest form of racing. There are so many different racing surfaces out there now with poly tack, sand based track (Monmouth)that it makes it hard to handicap a horse. Turf is turf no matter where you go. You have grass over dirt and that is it. One of my favorite turf riders is Ken Desormeaux. I say it every year that he has his demons, but this year he is riding very well at Arlington Park especially on the turf. He will get a few mounts that is for sure and when he does I will use him in exotics every time. I do not care if he is 27-1, i will throw him in a 3 horse exacta box. Bill Mott used to love this guy, hopefully he can get back in good graces because they were/are a great combo on the grass. I will have a trainer write up on the thread tomorrow. There are few very hot trainers right now to look at.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 19:11:18 +0000
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