Sean's Blog

Rain. Finally, rain in Middleburg. Good, long, steady rain for the last few days. We need it. Of course, we’re doing all the barn chores this week so not ideal, but we’ll take it. We slopped and sloshed around the front field this morning. Apse, Kiss, Blue and EP appreciating … Read More

Forest Boyce walked into the paddock for the opener at Laurel Park Sunday. “You know what you’re doing…” It was more of a statement than a question. “Going forward…” The Maryland-born jockey had ridden Roja Redemption once before, learned his style (steady with a side of stamina) and put that … Read More

Riverdee rolls back into action today. Roja Redemption and Pietrelcina head to Laurel Park and Penicillin Success and Cool Jet get back to work in the trials at Shawan Downs. Purse and no purse. Objectives and different objectives. Roja Redemption makes his second start since joining Riverdee. A project, we’re … Read More

The fourth from Marseilles just finished. Photo finish. The second from Chantilly is looming. Two late scratches, including Without. Race two goes without Without. American-bred Nitoi the favorite. Some beach action from Laytown (on the bucket list) coming up. Quiet Monday morning. The background beat music of international racing on … Read More

The faint rock and roll on a boom box. The whirl of a bathroom fan. The thwack of an aluminum bat on a rawhide ball. Car tires rippling over the gravel parking lot. A coach’s occasional lesson, grip, load, wait, go. Young parents walk anxious early rising children. The balls … Read More

Time to… Reenter…regroup…recalibrate…reload…restock… Saratoga is over. The Saratoga Special is done and dusted for another year. Twenty-four in the books. We are in the planning stages for our silver jubilee. Come one. Come all. Tom is talking about organizing a roast. I told him I was too sensitive for a … Read More

Lena Lorieul and Allamericanbeauty strode out of Shug McGaughey’s barn Thursday morning, stopped on the apron and waited like the Hall of Fame trainer’s riders and horses have been doing for decades.  The rider wore black boots high up her calf. Gray socks poking out the top. Worn jeans tucked … Read More

Missing It It’s that time of year again. With six days of racing and one edition of The Special to go, it’s time for the annual “I’ll miss, I won’t miss.”  We all know it. We all feel it. The good of Saratoga and the bad of Saratoga. The passion … Read More

Arrests piling up – theft, a drug charge, more theft. Under house arrest. Probation officer had come and gone for the day. A prison sentence loomed.   Jules Stowell yearned for a big night out, one final run through the gauntlet.   She hit the town, the bad part of town. West … Read More

Dear John “That’s a good guy.” And that was good enough for us. Rick Violette said that about John Hendrickson somewhere along the 24-year odyssey of The Saratoga Special and somewhere along Hendrickson’s 30-year odyssey in Saratoga Springs.  It might have been in the middle of distribution-gate, when misinformed management … Read More