Sean's Blog

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

A First  Jen Paragallo lunged at the clubhouse television. The one where horsemen hide, where dreamers dream. Arms waving double windmills with each waning stride of the $30,000 New York-bred maiden claimer, the trainer then did the unthinkable, the unbelievable. She turned away – screeching and screaming – from the TV … Read More

Big week this week for Riverdee. Thanks and congratulations to all our partners. We hit the Monday double at Colonial Downs. Palio dominated a maiden and Jimmy Dan rallied to win the 115 handicap. Two nice horses. One imported from the British hurdle scene and one reclaimed from the American … Read More

“The average niceness of the consignors is about 10 times higher than the trainers.” That was from 17-year-old Alec DiConza. The soon-to-be high-school senior returned for his second summer at Saratoga this year. He was laughing as he said it.  With a gaggle of interns – Fin Maroney, Julia Reedy … Read More

The Chilean ex-jockey shook his Indian comrade. “Bhupat. Bhupat, wake up, we’ve got to go. We’ve got to go to the farm,” Luis said. “If we go any later, we won’t be able to make it.” Power long since out, snow falling fast and furious, Bhupat Seemar woke up shivering … Read More

Applause An Albany number popped on my phone Monday afternoon. Hey, were in Saratoga, a 518 number could mean anything – a new advertiser, a renewing Reader’s Club member, a free round at Fidens, a last-minute Heavy Heavy show at Lark Hall.  I answered it on one ring. And, in … Read More