Saratoga

Saratoga became my favorite track. I continue to spend the entire meet in this small upstate New York city. Like Aqueduct, I have spent much of my handicapping and wagering life at the Spa. Here I wager the most money. Everyone wants to beat this meet, and I am no different. Saratoga as a high quality, boutique race meet, however, has become a bit diluted. Expansion over the years from 24 days over four 6-day weeks to the current 40-day seven ½ weeks has turned the short burst of racing excitement to drudge work. But the racing is still high quality and, because the signal is from Saratoga, pool size is huge. Trainers and owners point for this meet. The “Horse for the Course” angle continues to deliver winners. Multi race wagering, like the Pick 3’s/4’s/5s, give you an opportunity to make a nice score, especially when you spread in the highly competitive turf races. The nature of American racing over turf, a slow, compressed field galumphing through the early pace followed by the mad dash to the wire, lends itself to fallen favorites and long odds upsets.