Saratoga Notebook

SARATOGA PREVIEW NOTEBOOK

JULY 28, 2009

by Albie Johnson

Backdrop

When I was much younger and first starting going to Saratoga in the

1960's, racing was nearing the end of the big stable era (Greentree, Rokeby,

Cragwood, King Ranch, George D. Widener, Calumet, Elmendorf, etc.) and along

with them the career trainers who stayed with one outfit almost their entire

careers (John Gaver, Max Hirsch and his son Bill, Elliot Burch, "Mack Miller"

and many others too numerous to mention).

The meeting at that time consisted of four, six-day weeks with no racing on

Sundays. The traditional features were positioned on the calendar like clockwork, with the Whitney, Alabama, Travers and Hopeful run on consecutive Saturdays.

The place had an air about it that was very calm and peaceful, and the atmosphere

in town echoed that feeling. A crowd of 8,000 to 12,000 was considered

large.

All this stayed in place until the mid-70s and it all changed very

quickly. Racing became more of a "business" than a sport and the big stables

began to disband. In this writer's opinion, the emergence of Secretariat in

1973 and the popularity of Seattle Slew, Affirmed and Alydar had a lot to do

with it. Those horses made racing an "in" thing at the time and the New York

Racing Association (NYRA) was smart enough to jump on the bandwagon in helping Saratoga

achieve the status and popularity that it now enjoys.

The meeting's length was tinkered with several times, as was the official

dark days, and has evolved into a steady six-week beat who's popularity has

actually gone nationwide.

General Info

The 2009 six-week session begins Wednesday and will end on Labor Day, September 7. Racing will be conducted

everyday but Tuesdays, with first post at 1 p.m. (EDT). As with everything there

are exceptions, and racing will begin at 2:30 p.m. on a pair

of Friday twilight cards (July 31 and September 4) and at noon on the 13-race Travers

(G1) card

(August 29).

Types of Races

Saratoga has always been known for it's two-year-old maiden

and stakes racing and those events are conducted on both dirt and turf. The

distances on the main track for juvenile runners range from five to seven furlongs,

but stop there as the next distance that is run on the dirt after seven panels is 1

1/8 miles. In recent years, there has been an increased number of turf races

written for the younger set and many are conducted at one mile or at 1 1/16 miles.

(Bettors Note -- In the event that these races are switched to the

dirt due to weather-related issues, they are shortened-up to seven furlongs as the

corresponding distances cannot be run on the main track).

Turf racing has grown in importance with each passing season at the Spa, with

several carded each day and a large number of graded stakes and overnight

features as part of the menu. Most are highly competitive and can give the

bettor a chance to get generous odds on runners who have a legitimate shot at

the win.

Dirt racing for older runners is still the mainstay on the everyday program,

and this meet features many stakes on the main track and a high-end level of

allowances, optional claimers, starter allowances and good old-fashioned

claiming races (with most being geared to the upper end in prices).

Trainers and Jockeys

At a highly competitive meet like this, each race is

fought over tooth and nail with every owner in the country wanting to have his

picture taken in the Spa winner's circle.

It's a solid meet for the bettor as there are opportunities in most races to

get a good trainer who has a horse with a winning shot at generous odds. Look

past the obvious, as the runners from the barns of Todd Pletcher, Bill Mott,

Shug McGaughey and Richard Dutrow will always be overbet. Trainers on the

rise to look out for here are Chad Brown, Chris Clement, Dave Donk, Bruce Levine

and some fine out-of-state barns such as Kelly Breen, Graham Motion, Mike Trombetta

and Steve Klesaris. Value is the name of the game and a meet like Saratoga very

often has heavily-bet runners who may have several rivals on the same page in

talent.

There was a time not too long ago when several riders dominated each and

every year. That's no longer the case, with many of the nation's leading jockeys

shifting their tack here for the lucrative 36-day session. One rider can catch

fire early in the meet and ride that popularity along with a hot trainer (Alan

Garcia and Kiaran McLaughlin last year) to the top of the standings.

It may be hard to topple Ramon Dominguez from winning the title, though, as he's

coming off a record-breaking meet at Belmont and likes to ride five or six times

on every card. Rajiv Maragh and Jose Lezcano may not be familiar names to many casual racing

fans, but both are excellent at their game and, at least early in the meet, many

of their mounts may be a bit over-looked in the wagering.

Post Positions and Bias

Without much moisture in it, the Saratoga main track

often plays kindly to speed or those racing just off the lead. Combine that with

an inside post going six furlongs or 1 1/8 miles, or an outside post out of the

seven-furlong chute, and you have a solid wager.

However, just like the speed with which an Adirondack thunderstorm can

descend here, the track bias can change drastically, especially on the day of or

the day after some rain (as it's drying out). The front-end advantage can be

gone until the surface completely dries out.

The turf tends to play fairly in the two-turn events, though inside runners

with speed tend to hold an advantage.

The sprints on the infield always favor outside speed with not one winner

coming from a hedge draw during last season. The turn in the 5 1/2-furlong turf

contests comes up very quickly, and many runners encounter problems of one sort

or another at that point. Best to stay with a horse whom you know will be on the

lead or just off of it.

Conclusions

If you go, enjoy this meet for what it is -- Thoroughbred racing

at the highest level possible in this country, jam-packed with stakes, classy

runners, big crowds, top trainers and jockeys, and nice betting

opportunities.