I initially wanted to go to the big race but dragged my feet and never made a real plan. Thanks for taking me along. I got to experience the Belmont through your excellent reporting.
The corruption amongst the Supreme Court members threatens our democracy as much or more than the lies being told and repeated over and over by politicians. We all must react against it! Time to make some rules and enforce them!
My eldest son, who has no real knowledge of or interest in horse racing, went and enjoyed the spectacle. Had little clue as to most of the actual equine-related goings-on, and called the loo lines “ungodly.”
Keep up the agitation…it’s the only defense against being beaten down into submission by the sheer, relentless thuggery of the MAGA movement.
I am so disappointed and disgusted by these Supreme Court Ethics violations. I had high hopes for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and then to find out that she too has fallen into the group where you can do or take what you want. Congress must act and set an ethics standard for the Supreme Court or Justice Roberts should hold them to the same standard as all other Federal Judges. There is a Code of Conduct for United States Justices and a Chapter on Gifts. It is just not that hard, if you couldn’t accept it as a Federal Judge you can’t as a Supreme Court Justice.
You are absolutely correct, Congress must act to impose reasonable ethics standards on the Supreme Court.
But I believe the focus on Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is misleading.
Yes, she accepted 4 tickets from Beyoncé. I don’t for one I stand believe that Beyoncé was doing anything with intent to influence the court. If Bruce Springsteen ran into Ken Tingley and said “hey man, I’ve seen you at some shows, here’s a backstage pass for my next show” I would hope Ken would accept that. The art in question was apparently for her chambers and would presumably stay in government possession when she leaves the court.
Here’s the problem: across about 19 years 14 justices acceped a total of $333,000 in gifts. That is an average of $1,251.88 per justice per year. That’s money but it’s not getting rich money. I bought some friends a drink at a bar recently and it cost me about 25 bucks.
Meanwhile, during that period Scalia accepted $210,000 and he only lived for 12 of those years. That is an average of $17,500 per year. He was probably on a gifted hunting trip when he died. Alito, during the approximately 17 years on the bench accepted $170,000 and he hasn’t finished disclosures. That’s $10,000 per year on average.
But Scalia and Alito are nothing in comparison to Clarence Thomas who has accepted more than $4 million in gifts. That is an average of $210,526.32 per year.
16 justices in 19 years accepted $800,000 while Thomas accepted $4,000,000. It is a massive difference in scale.
I hit like only because of your information, Mike!
Absolutely, there needs to be a change in attitude towards the SC - they appear to think they ARE "supreme"! I think its time for some enlightenment there.
As you said - tickets to Beyonce dont quite come to the level of Thomas's million dollar gifts.
I have to respectfully disagree. Beyoncé may not have given the gift as a way to influence the court but you never know when a case may come up that could involve the music industry and be viewed as “a bought vote”. That is the whole idea behind accepting gifts and ethical behavior. You just always say no because you never know what will come before you. Different professions have different ethics, in my last profession it was frowned upon to receive gifts from clients.
It is just better and easier to say no and have a firm policy on gifts. I get that Justice Brown Jackson’s gifts are in no way equal to other Justices, and maybe because of all the revelations about the Justices and what they have accepted I hoped that she and other Justices would have risen to the top and held themselves out as an example of what one should do.
Man! I can’t believe it falls to me, of all people, to argue that we should be a little less cynical and that there should exist a bit of gray area within the context of people, particularly artists, being able to provide a gesture of friendship, support, and recognition of achievement.
The tickets to her own concert cost Beyoncé virtually nothing. It is very different for a person to buy the tickets and give them as a gift. Essentially what Beyoncé did was gift a performance. If she went to dinner at Jackson’s home and sang a song there would be no accusation of unethical behavior.
If I hired a painter to paint my bathroom white and provided the paint it would cost me the labor. If Mark Rothko came and painted it white I would pay the same amount. Could I sell my bathroom as a Rothko painting? Maybe, but probably not.
If someone spray painted graffiti on a justices house it would be a crime and an expense. If Banksy did it, it would be a crime and an expense and a very valuable piece of art - for which he accepts no money.
Not buying it Mike. Certain jobs have different standards - elected officials, newspaper reporters and editors and, good god, Supreme Court justices above all have to avoid even the smallest appearance of conflict.
I agree there’s an obvious difference in quantity among the Supreme Court Justices in the dollar value of "gifts" they accept. And that Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson accepting exclusive concert tickets is not in the same (major) league as Thomas literally cashing in on his judgeship.
But in terms of quality, no judge — especially Supreme Court justices — should accept the special treatment that any of these gifts provides. On a prima facie basis it raises serious conflict of interest questions, whether in appearance or in fact.
And such special treatment just seems elitist to me.
Excellent analysis, but I think there may be a false equivalent there between a Supreme Court justice and a small-town newspaper editor. If there is any position in government that should be absolutely above reproach it is that of a Supreme Court justice. It is a slippery slope. What if Beyonce starts writing anti-Trump songs?
On a personal note, I have some experience with Harlan Crow. My business has done work for him. We were paid just fine for work that was done at Topridge, but some work that he commissioned to be shipped to Texas took a lot of time and effort to collect payment on. Like Trump he apparently enjoys squeezing his vendors. Guys like that don’t give gifts without expectation of return.
The rampant corruption we are seeing among the so-called Justices is yet another component of the decline of our sublime experiment in government. Not only ethically repugnant, their greed invites suspicion of decisions for sale. What can you get for a $300,000 RV (that you can park in the lot at Walmart to be with regular folks?) The inverted American flag is not only unpatriotic, but childish.
And there's so much more. It's time for term limits at the least, enlarging the Court, and impeachment of the dreadful Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito to start. And maybe it's time for mass disobedience. You can't prosecute 10,000 pregnancy terminations.
I think you make a good point about civil disobedience. And that’s especially true should Trump win the presidential election in November. Either live under a corrupt Trump administration, or engage in active resistance and civil disobedience. Those would be our only choices.
I heard yesterday (from someone who works at the track) the unofficial total count number was close to 63,000 so your hunch that it seemed like more people was a good one. They are planning to put more seating next year on the inside fields of the track so thousands more will be added for 2025. AND to top it all off, 2026 is a possible 3rd year if the construction at Aqueduct isn't done in time. I love Saratoga although I am not a big track fan but when I heard that Travers crowds usually top out at 55,000 and Belmont hits 100,000 I thought this one would be huge. Parking prices don't surprise me for a huge Triple Crown race but your point about lines for the men's room is a clear indication that the stands were built long ago and not for the size of the crowds that they are attracting now. I probably will go to one day of racing this summer. Ironically I feel the same way about SPAC. Back in the 60's I loved the huge crowds but these days the parking issues, traffic, etc. aren't for me.
However, the money made from all of these entertainments dont change the end result for the horses in many cases. Of course horses that make it to this level usually (usually) get to retire. Far too many do not.
I dont watch the races anymore - I was watching when Ruffian broke down on the track in her last race - I was watching when Barbaro broke down - there are untold (to the public) numbers of animals that has happened to that were NOT in the public eye.
Sorry to bring that up, Ken. But I just cant stomach horseraces anymore.
It's an important point and it has forced more vigilance when it comes to doping. Even trainers like Bob Baffert have run into trouble. Last year's Saratoga meet had problems as well. I believe doping is the problem and that needs to be addressed.
I agree that doping is a large part of the issue. But so is the same old "use it & throw it away" attitude towards the horses. There are a few "retirement" places, but very few and far too many thoroughbreds - young & old - end up in the kill pens, along with literally untold numbers of others - domestic & wild.
Doping is only part of the story, and the industry likes to maintain the discussion around doping because it is so easy to just say they oppose illegal activity.
But a huge part of the problem of racing is that they are making immature animals run on legs that are not fully developed combined with the desire to breed animals with smaller leg bones that can move more quickly. A horse is not fully mature at 2 or 3. It isn’t fully physically mature until maybe 4 or 5. It is widely recognized that this is the case when they talk about racing colts or fillies - which is the name for immature horses.
The inevitable result is that many immature animals break bones in their legs to a lesser or greater extent because of the incredible stresses placed on them. Everyone knows about it, thyeey even have a name for it, “breaking down.” Somehow breaking down sounds better than “having a leg shattering injury leading to the need to euthanize an immature horse.”
People in the “racing industry” will avoid having this discussion at all costs simply because they don’t want the expense of raising animals for an extra 2 years.
One of the barns where I boarded, there was a jumping trainer who never put anyone on her young horses until they were 4. And at that point it was literally just starting them. Race horses are started at 2 because they race at 3 (sort of). I think back on Secretariat & others - I really believe they tended to be bigger boned - stronger colt & fillies, and there wasnt as much of a push to get them racing early as there has been the last years.
It’s probably true they used to be stronger boned. I remember reading something years ago about the breeding of Thoroughbreds. I forget if the horse’s name was Native Dancer or Northern Dancer, (something like that, anyway) but he was a stakes winner, very fast, back in the middle of the last century. He was injured racing, and was retired to stud. Because he was so fast, he was popular for breeding, and as it became apparent that he was able to pass on his speed to his progeny he became even more popular. And his sons and daughters were also popular, to the extent that almost every Thoroughbred alive today has that horse and/or his descendants multiple times in their pedigree. Unfortunately, along with his speed he also passed on his less robust constitution and bone structure. If the goal had been to improve the breed instead of winning at all costs, a horse that broke its leg just from running would never have been bred at all. The situation now is if you breed a sturdier but slightly slower horse and wait until it is mature to race it you will not make money. And that’s the bottom line.
Hi Maggie. You write of things that were expressed by my youngest at her dining room table recently when a question about Saratoga Race Track was asked. Had I been a member of NYRA, my scalp would have been lifted from my head and may have found a new home on the barn wall or maybe in the horse manure pile nearby. In my mind, I can see her mopping up the blood from the floor and off the dining room table before sitting back down and saying, “Who’s deal is it?”. We were playing cards at the time. My chances of survival would have been pretty good; there was at least one person there with medical training, and if she had chosen to let them use their skills, I would have survived. My daughter’s emotional attachment to these mysterious creatures is beyond my ability to express with words alone.
My feelings are not as strong about horses as hers. In my early years, I lived on my grandparents’ small dairy farm. The animals that failed to produce ended their life on the dinner table. Maybe that is why I once read that cowboys in the old west didn’t name their horses. It is almost next to impossible to eat the creature that one becomes emotionally attached to.
I understand your daughter's feelings. I had my horse put down over 20 years ago and still miss him. Too old now and financially unable to bring another into my life.
My emotional attachment to these absolutely wonderful creatures is the same.
I have a granddaughter who feels the same way & works with horses every day.
There may have been a time where Belmont crowds topped 100,000 (Secretariat maybe), but the few times I went the crowds were disappointing. The figure I remember was about 35,000 for one race. It might have been the Silver Charm race. Crowds at Belmont and Aqueduct are usually small for regular races. New York would be well-served to get rid of them, but I suppose the simulcast money holds them back.
For three years in a row, horses came to the Belmont Stakes with a Triple Crown on the line only to fail. In 2002, Belmont Park hosted what was then the largest crowd in its history when 103,222 saw War Emblem lose to longshot Sarava after stumbling at the start. In 2003, 101,864 watched Funny Cide finish third behind Empire Maker. In 2004, the attendance record was shattered when 120,139 people saw Smarty Jones upset by Birdstone.[22]
A superb column on Saratoga and the Belmont. I have gone to the track a number of times over the years and have enjoyed the leisurely pace, nice surroundings and easy in and out. But around the time of the Seabiscuit book and movie craze, I became determined to take in the Travers. I did so and everything seemed speeded up, a real hassle. Sorry I bothered. One disconcerting incident that I guess could have happened at any race but probably not: I was determined to be at the finish line at that Travers and literally held on to the rail, fending off a number of others. Next to me was a young boy with a walkie-talkie who was supposed to be feeding pre race info on the horses to his betting father back at the betting windows. I could hear the dad yelling at the kid about getting him more info (of what kind I don’t know). To nerdy me, it seemed abusive and maybe indicative of the culture of big time racing. -dave nathan
I stood in line at the betting window - the only way to bet at Saratoga - and once in awhile you run into those folks betting pick six or multiple trifectas. They are playing the lottery. You wonder how much money they lose and whether they can afford it. It takes me about 10 seconds to place my exacta box wager and I'm off.
I too was at the track for Belmont but not as a patron but as a temp. employee. I took a job working in the main kitchen and started 10 days prior to the meet. What dissapoints me is that of all the reporting I've read about the meet, not a single one mentioned the thousands of employees who made the event happen. I met scores of seniors like myself who spent many long days preparing for the meet and young high school kids who waited on the patrons. I beleive a story about the behind the scenes work would be interesting and informative. Saturday was insane and from my perch in the second floor kitchen I could see the masses barely able to move about. The venue was of course, trashed at the end of the day. It took all night to restore it to be ready for the next day. I enjoyed the experience but dissapointed that all the media focus was on the success of NYRA but failed to mention the devoted, hard working folks who made it possible.
You are right it is a good story. The kind of story editors used to savor when they were flooding the zone with coverage on a big event. My guess is that most newspapers are barely able to get the basics taken care of for a big event, so stories like the one you suggested are a casualty.
Only went to Travers once so I can imagine the crowds, too peoply for me, it is nice to go down on quieter days and hang out and watch the beautiful horses. Seems to be a lot of controversy from animal rights now, I truly believe these horses are the lucky ones.
I was shocked to see people brought small children to the Belmont!
We had seats in the Easy Goer. These were quite expensive but included drinks and buffet all day long. And it was a LONG day! I go all in on the pageantry and purchase a new hat or fascinator for such events. I have a new outfit planned for Travers next. 😉
it is worrisome and it is happening all over. Repeating the lie that the election was stolen, those Republican legislatures are trying to actually steal the election: limiting voting rights, limiting time and places to vote, limiting mail in voting boxes, in some states allowing anyone to question anyone voting, and throwing people off the voting roles for no reason. I was particularly horrified when the Georgia legislature fearing the democrats actually winning the next election after the victory of Ossoff and Warnock and experiencing Trump's rage at Raffensberger's refusal to "find more votes for him"and for telling the truth voted to oust him from the State Election Board. They obeyed the dictator Trump.
Raffensberger was elected Secretary of state by the people. Proponents of the bill would give the State Election Board the power to hire hire independent Election investigators and launch investigations into his office. IN the name of "integrity" and saying it would "restore public confidence in Georgia's elections.," an unelected board would have power over the elected constitutional officer. They have chosen power and lies over truth and integrity...Shameful.
Here and in many other Republican states, legislatures have opted out of a security system they had signed into to prevent fraud. It worked; they withdrew from all the safety nets for a fair and free election.
What is clear is that they will do anything to take the power of the vote away from the people--with abortion, with voting, with gun legislation. With veto proof legislatures,mostly men,mostly white, they have consistently rejected the will of the voters.
I heard all of this on Public television but read about it in an article in the Savannah MOrning News.
Yes, I read that original story about Cindy Elgan in the NYTimes. Several of the people who sought her removal simply had no proof whatsoever. That is the scary part: uniformed citizens who lack critical thinking skills regarding any information that they may receive.
The Nevada situation is frightening, as is the Supreme Court situation. As to your second place win at Saratoga, I once had a dream in which all I saw were number 7’s. I took it as a sign, and went to the race track the next day. Went to window 7, put 7 dollars down on #7 in the 7th race. You guessed it—he came in 7th.
I initially wanted to go to the big race but dragged my feet and never made a real plan. Thanks for taking me along. I got to experience the Belmont through your excellent reporting.
Me too!
Thank you for keeping America focused on what matters in small towns and across our great nation. I’m glad you won in Saratoga!
I actually had a pretty good day.
The corruption amongst the Supreme Court members threatens our democracy as much or more than the lies being told and repeated over and over by politicians. We all must react against it! Time to make some rules and enforce them!
Especially, about ethics.
My eldest son, who has no real knowledge of or interest in horse racing, went and enjoyed the spectacle. Had little clue as to most of the actual equine-related goings-on, and called the loo lines “ungodly.”
Keep up the agitation…it’s the only defense against being beaten down into submission by the sheer, relentless thuggery of the MAGA movement.
I am so disappointed and disgusted by these Supreme Court Ethics violations. I had high hopes for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and then to find out that she too has fallen into the group where you can do or take what you want. Congress must act and set an ethics standard for the Supreme Court or Justice Roberts should hold them to the same standard as all other Federal Judges. There is a Code of Conduct for United States Justices and a Chapter on Gifts. It is just not that hard, if you couldn’t accept it as a Federal Judge you can’t as a Supreme Court Justice.
https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/vol02c-ch06.pdf
You are absolutely correct, Congress must act to impose reasonable ethics standards on the Supreme Court.
But I believe the focus on Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is misleading.
Yes, she accepted 4 tickets from Beyoncé. I don’t for one I stand believe that Beyoncé was doing anything with intent to influence the court. If Bruce Springsteen ran into Ken Tingley and said “hey man, I’ve seen you at some shows, here’s a backstage pass for my next show” I would hope Ken would accept that. The art in question was apparently for her chambers and would presumably stay in government possession when she leaves the court.
Here’s the problem: across about 19 years 14 justices acceped a total of $333,000 in gifts. That is an average of $1,251.88 per justice per year. That’s money but it’s not getting rich money. I bought some friends a drink at a bar recently and it cost me about 25 bucks.
Meanwhile, during that period Scalia accepted $210,000 and he only lived for 12 of those years. That is an average of $17,500 per year. He was probably on a gifted hunting trip when he died. Alito, during the approximately 17 years on the bench accepted $170,000 and he hasn’t finished disclosures. That’s $10,000 per year on average.
But Scalia and Alito are nothing in comparison to Clarence Thomas who has accepted more than $4 million in gifts. That is an average of $210,526.32 per year.
16 justices in 19 years accepted $800,000 while Thomas accepted $4,000,000. It is a massive difference in scale.
I hit like only because of your information, Mike!
Absolutely, there needs to be a change in attitude towards the SC - they appear to think they ARE "supreme"! I think its time for some enlightenment there.
As you said - tickets to Beyonce dont quite come to the level of Thomas's million dollar gifts.
Mike,
I have to respectfully disagree. Beyoncé may not have given the gift as a way to influence the court but you never know when a case may come up that could involve the music industry and be viewed as “a bought vote”. That is the whole idea behind accepting gifts and ethical behavior. You just always say no because you never know what will come before you. Different professions have different ethics, in my last profession it was frowned upon to receive gifts from clients.
It is just better and easier to say no and have a firm policy on gifts. I get that Justice Brown Jackson’s gifts are in no way equal to other Justices, and maybe because of all the revelations about the Justices and what they have accepted I hoped that she and other Justices would have risen to the top and held themselves out as an example of what one should do.
Man! I can’t believe it falls to me, of all people, to argue that we should be a little less cynical and that there should exist a bit of gray area within the context of people, particularly artists, being able to provide a gesture of friendship, support, and recognition of achievement.
The tickets to her own concert cost Beyoncé virtually nothing. It is very different for a person to buy the tickets and give them as a gift. Essentially what Beyoncé did was gift a performance. If she went to dinner at Jackson’s home and sang a song there would be no accusation of unethical behavior.
If I hired a painter to paint my bathroom white and provided the paint it would cost me the labor. If Mark Rothko came and painted it white I would pay the same amount. Could I sell my bathroom as a Rothko painting? Maybe, but probably not.
If someone spray painted graffiti on a justices house it would be a crime and an expense. If Banksy did it, it would be a crime and an expense and a very valuable piece of art - for which he accepts no money.
Artistic value is a very squishy thing.
Not buying it Mike. Certain jobs have different standards - elected officials, newspaper reporters and editors and, good god, Supreme Court justices above all have to avoid even the smallest appearance of conflict.
I agree there’s an obvious difference in quantity among the Supreme Court Justices in the dollar value of "gifts" they accept. And that Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson accepting exclusive concert tickets is not in the same (major) league as Thomas literally cashing in on his judgeship.
But in terms of quality, no judge — especially Supreme Court justices — should accept the special treatment that any of these gifts provides. On a prima facie basis it raises serious conflict of interest questions, whether in appearance or in fact.
And such special treatment just seems elitist to me.
Excellent analysis, but I think there may be a false equivalent there between a Supreme Court justice and a small-town newspaper editor. If there is any position in government that should be absolutely above reproach it is that of a Supreme Court justice. It is a slippery slope. What if Beyonce starts writing anti-Trump songs?
I still think you should take the Springsteen tix.
Now that I'm retired, sure. Not when I was editor. What if Bruce was arrested and we did not print the story. Slippery slope.
On a personal note, I have some experience with Harlan Crow. My business has done work for him. We were paid just fine for work that was done at Topridge, but some work that he commissioned to be shipped to Texas took a lot of time and effort to collect payment on. Like Trump he apparently enjoys squeezing his vendors. Guys like that don’t give gifts without expectation of return.
The rampant corruption we are seeing among the so-called Justices is yet another component of the decline of our sublime experiment in government. Not only ethically repugnant, their greed invites suspicion of decisions for sale. What can you get for a $300,000 RV (that you can park in the lot at Walmart to be with regular folks?) The inverted American flag is not only unpatriotic, but childish.
And there's so much more. It's time for term limits at the least, enlarging the Court, and impeachment of the dreadful Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito to start. And maybe it's time for mass disobedience. You can't prosecute 10,000 pregnancy terminations.
I think you make a good point about civil disobedience. And that’s especially true should Trump win the presidential election in November. Either live under a corrupt Trump administration, or engage in active resistance and civil disobedience. Those would be our only choices.
I heard yesterday (from someone who works at the track) the unofficial total count number was close to 63,000 so your hunch that it seemed like more people was a good one. They are planning to put more seating next year on the inside fields of the track so thousands more will be added for 2025. AND to top it all off, 2026 is a possible 3rd year if the construction at Aqueduct isn't done in time. I love Saratoga although I am not a big track fan but when I heard that Travers crowds usually top out at 55,000 and Belmont hits 100,000 I thought this one would be huge. Parking prices don't surprise me for a huge Triple Crown race but your point about lines for the men's room is a clear indication that the stands were built long ago and not for the size of the crowds that they are attracting now. I probably will go to one day of racing this summer. Ironically I feel the same way about SPAC. Back in the 60's I loved the huge crowds but these days the parking issues, traffic, etc. aren't for me.
OK - yeah - people love the Triple Crown races.
However, the money made from all of these entertainments dont change the end result for the horses in many cases. Of course horses that make it to this level usually (usually) get to retire. Far too many do not.
I dont watch the races anymore - I was watching when Ruffian broke down on the track in her last race - I was watching when Barbaro broke down - there are untold (to the public) numbers of animals that has happened to that were NOT in the public eye.
Sorry to bring that up, Ken. But I just cant stomach horseraces anymore.
It's an important point and it has forced more vigilance when it comes to doping. Even trainers like Bob Baffert have run into trouble. Last year's Saratoga meet had problems as well. I believe doping is the problem and that needs to be addressed.
I agree that doping is a large part of the issue. But so is the same old "use it & throw it away" attitude towards the horses. There are a few "retirement" places, but very few and far too many thoroughbreds - young & old - end up in the kill pens, along with literally untold numbers of others - domestic & wild.
Doping is only part of the story, and the industry likes to maintain the discussion around doping because it is so easy to just say they oppose illegal activity.
But a huge part of the problem of racing is that they are making immature animals run on legs that are not fully developed combined with the desire to breed animals with smaller leg bones that can move more quickly. A horse is not fully mature at 2 or 3. It isn’t fully physically mature until maybe 4 or 5. It is widely recognized that this is the case when they talk about racing colts or fillies - which is the name for immature horses.
The inevitable result is that many immature animals break bones in their legs to a lesser or greater extent because of the incredible stresses placed on them. Everyone knows about it, thyeey even have a name for it, “breaking down.” Somehow breaking down sounds better than “having a leg shattering injury leading to the need to euthanize an immature horse.”
People in the “racing industry” will avoid having this discussion at all costs simply because they don’t want the expense of raising animals for an extra 2 years.
We need to listen to the language people use.
Absolutely!
One of the barns where I boarded, there was a jumping trainer who never put anyone on her young horses until they were 4. And at that point it was literally just starting them. Race horses are started at 2 because they race at 3 (sort of). I think back on Secretariat & others - I really believe they tended to be bigger boned - stronger colt & fillies, and there wasnt as much of a push to get them racing early as there has been the last years.
It’s probably true they used to be stronger boned. I remember reading something years ago about the breeding of Thoroughbreds. I forget if the horse’s name was Native Dancer or Northern Dancer, (something like that, anyway) but he was a stakes winner, very fast, back in the middle of the last century. He was injured racing, and was retired to stud. Because he was so fast, he was popular for breeding, and as it became apparent that he was able to pass on his speed to his progeny he became even more popular. And his sons and daughters were also popular, to the extent that almost every Thoroughbred alive today has that horse and/or his descendants multiple times in their pedigree. Unfortunately, along with his speed he also passed on his less robust constitution and bone structure. If the goal had been to improve the breed instead of winning at all costs, a horse that broke its leg just from running would never have been bred at all. The situation now is if you breed a sturdier but slightly slower horse and wait until it is mature to race it you will not make money. And that’s the bottom line.
I remember reading about that too.
Bottom line is all that matters in pretty much every respect.
Also true.
I agree. Last time I went a horse died.
Haven't been back since.
Hi Maggie. You write of things that were expressed by my youngest at her dining room table recently when a question about Saratoga Race Track was asked. Had I been a member of NYRA, my scalp would have been lifted from my head and may have found a new home on the barn wall or maybe in the horse manure pile nearby. In my mind, I can see her mopping up the blood from the floor and off the dining room table before sitting back down and saying, “Who’s deal is it?”. We were playing cards at the time. My chances of survival would have been pretty good; there was at least one person there with medical training, and if she had chosen to let them use their skills, I would have survived. My daughter’s emotional attachment to these mysterious creatures is beyond my ability to express with words alone.
My feelings are not as strong about horses as hers. In my early years, I lived on my grandparents’ small dairy farm. The animals that failed to produce ended their life on the dinner table. Maybe that is why I once read that cowboys in the old west didn’t name their horses. It is almost next to impossible to eat the creature that one becomes emotionally attached to.
I understand your daughter's feelings. I had my horse put down over 20 years ago and still miss him. Too old now and financially unable to bring another into my life.
My emotional attachment to these absolutely wonderful creatures is the same.
I have a granddaughter who feels the same way & works with horses every day.
There may have been a time where Belmont crowds topped 100,000 (Secretariat maybe), but the few times I went the crowds were disappointing. The figure I remember was about 35,000 for one race. It might have been the Silver Charm race. Crowds at Belmont and Aqueduct are usually small for regular races. New York would be well-served to get rid of them, but I suppose the simulcast money holds them back.
For three years in a row, horses came to the Belmont Stakes with a Triple Crown on the line only to fail. In 2002, Belmont Park hosted what was then the largest crowd in its history when 103,222 saw War Emblem lose to longshot Sarava after stumbling at the start. In 2003, 101,864 watched Funny Cide finish third behind Empire Maker. In 2004, the attendance record was shattered when 120,139 people saw Smarty Jones upset by Birdstone.[22]
Well, I stand corrected. The races that I attended - only two or three - did not have that type of turnout.
A superb column on Saratoga and the Belmont. I have gone to the track a number of times over the years and have enjoyed the leisurely pace, nice surroundings and easy in and out. But around the time of the Seabiscuit book and movie craze, I became determined to take in the Travers. I did so and everything seemed speeded up, a real hassle. Sorry I bothered. One disconcerting incident that I guess could have happened at any race but probably not: I was determined to be at the finish line at that Travers and literally held on to the rail, fending off a number of others. Next to me was a young boy with a walkie-talkie who was supposed to be feeding pre race info on the horses to his betting father back at the betting windows. I could hear the dad yelling at the kid about getting him more info (of what kind I don’t know). To nerdy me, it seemed abusive and maybe indicative of the culture of big time racing. -dave nathan
I stood in line at the betting window - the only way to bet at Saratoga - and once in awhile you run into those folks betting pick six or multiple trifectas. They are playing the lottery. You wonder how much money they lose and whether they can afford it. It takes me about 10 seconds to place my exacta box wager and I'm off.
I too was at the track for Belmont but not as a patron but as a temp. employee. I took a job working in the main kitchen and started 10 days prior to the meet. What dissapoints me is that of all the reporting I've read about the meet, not a single one mentioned the thousands of employees who made the event happen. I met scores of seniors like myself who spent many long days preparing for the meet and young high school kids who waited on the patrons. I beleive a story about the behind the scenes work would be interesting and informative. Saturday was insane and from my perch in the second floor kitchen I could see the masses barely able to move about. The venue was of course, trashed at the end of the day. It took all night to restore it to be ready for the next day. I enjoyed the experience but dissapointed that all the media focus was on the success of NYRA but failed to mention the devoted, hard working folks who made it possible.
You are right it is a good story. The kind of story editors used to savor when they were flooding the zone with coverage on a big event. My guess is that most newspapers are barely able to get the basics taken care of for a big event, so stories like the one you suggested are a casualty.
Only went to Travers once so I can imagine the crowds, too peoply for me, it is nice to go down on quieter days and hang out and watch the beautiful horses. Seems to be a lot of controversy from animal rights now, I truly believe these horses are the lucky ones.
I'm with you. When I attend during the summer, I try to go on a Wednesday or Thursday when the crowds are light.
I was shocked to see people brought small children to the Belmont!
We had seats in the Easy Goer. These were quite expensive but included drinks and buffet all day long. And it was a LONG day! I go all in on the pageantry and purchase a new hat or fascinator for such events. I have a new outfit planned for Travers next. 😉
it is worrisome and it is happening all over. Repeating the lie that the election was stolen, those Republican legislatures are trying to actually steal the election: limiting voting rights, limiting time and places to vote, limiting mail in voting boxes, in some states allowing anyone to question anyone voting, and throwing people off the voting roles for no reason. I was particularly horrified when the Georgia legislature fearing the democrats actually winning the next election after the victory of Ossoff and Warnock and experiencing Trump's rage at Raffensberger's refusal to "find more votes for him"and for telling the truth voted to oust him from the State Election Board. They obeyed the dictator Trump.
Raffensberger was elected Secretary of state by the people. Proponents of the bill would give the State Election Board the power to hire hire independent Election investigators and launch investigations into his office. IN the name of "integrity" and saying it would "restore public confidence in Georgia's elections.," an unelected board would have power over the elected constitutional officer. They have chosen power and lies over truth and integrity...Shameful.
Here and in many other Republican states, legislatures have opted out of a security system they had signed into to prevent fraud. It worked; they withdrew from all the safety nets for a fair and free election.
What is clear is that they will do anything to take the power of the vote away from the people--with abortion, with voting, with gun legislation. With veto proof legislatures,mostly men,mostly white, they have consistently rejected the will of the voters.
I heard all of this on Public television but read about it in an article in the Savannah MOrning News.
Yes, I read that original story about Cindy Elgan in the NYTimes. Several of the people who sought her removal simply had no proof whatsoever. That is the scary part: uniformed citizens who lack critical thinking skills regarding any information that they may receive.
That is the scary part. The fact there was no evidence, and someone they knew for years, did not impact their actions at all.
The Nevada situation is frightening, as is the Supreme Court situation. As to your second place win at Saratoga, I once had a dream in which all I saw were number 7’s. I took it as a sign, and went to the race track the next day. Went to window 7, put 7 dollars down on #7 in the 7th race. You guessed it—he came in 7th.
Great story! That sounds about right.
If you believe that story, I’d like to talk to you about some property I have in the Everglades. :)
So glad you shared this exciting event, loved hearing all about it! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this worrisome event!