Post 2015 Saratoga Meet Notes
Readers of this blog know that there is no advertising, no revenue, no links, and certainly no “cookies”. I’m just a fan who thinks he has something to offer the readers - - and no, I’m not seeking your opinion.
There were too many “positives” to list them all - - along with one negative.
Positives:
- Very little rain this year - - I recall only two cards being affected.
- Field size was good. Congrats to the racing secretary.
- Clean facilities. Maybe the fans were not as messy but everywhere I looked there was a custodial person sweeping, moving garbage, etc. I was super impressed this year.
- Traffic control at the intersection of Wright Street and Nelson Avenue. Whoever hired that crew did the right thing. They were efficient and pleasant the entire meet.
- The Ortiz brothers. Irad won the mythical jockey title - - Jose had a fine meet.
Negative:
- My picks and collections. Officially my wallet was lighter by $417.30 and I picked 56 winners out of 306 races handicapped. This was an improvement from last year when the wallet was about $600 lighter.
As we look toward 2016, some issues are still outstanding from last year, not the least of which is the future of NYRA itself. A report/plan to get the state government out of the horse racing business was due long ago - - but nothing yet. One in-the-know person has told me this: “Donn, you will never see that plan. The current powers-that-be are enjoying their positions as overseers and others are looking at patronage opportunities. You may see a reduction in Winter racing dates but no change to the way NYRA is currently managed.”
Ouch!
Finally, my next scheduled post will be for the October 3rd “Jockey Club Gold Cup” followed by the two days of Breeders Cup in late October.
Until then, Happy Fall.
Donn
