Programs
People bring us stuff. A lot of stuff.
A dart board. Coffee cake. Brownies. Pennyrile from West Sixth. A Glenn DiSanto pin. A Rick Violette webbing. A win picture of Au Point in the 1983 Dwyer. Paintings of Devil His Due and Man o’ War. A cardboard sign that reads “We Want a Print Edition.” You name it, we got it.
Longtime reader Mickey Millson dropped off a box a few summers ago. Something about cleaning out his house. Considering he gives Miles an autographed baseball each year (Rollie Fingers, Tony Perez…), I took the box and thanked him. Sometimes memories and mementos are better off in an outsider’s hands, out of sight, out of pain. The box has gone from The Special’s office on East Avenue to Tom Law’s basement on Circular Street. Each year, Tom drops the box back in my office and gives me a long, slow stare down.
“Maybe it’ll make a column one day.”
The Saratoga programs are stacked neatly in rows. The skinny, old-school, fit-in-a-sportcoat-pocket ones. The Marlboro Man on the back cover. Harry M. Stevens ads on the inside front cover.
In no order, just random, with pencil notes on each page. Back when we wrote things down because we couldn’t look things up.
Saturday. August 17, 1974.
Stop The Music won the sixth, the Hill Rise, a $20,000 allowance race. La Prevoyante won the seventh, an allowance against the boys, for her third win in 16 days at the meet. Twenty-one years later, the daughter of Buckpasser made the Hall of Fame. In the eighth, Holding Pattern and Mike Miceli upset Little Current and Miguel Rivera in the wettest Travers of them all (and that’s saying something).
Saturday. August 27, 1966.
A 6-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds opened the card. Twist Of Time won it for C. V. Whitney, trainer Ivor Balding and jockey Bobby Ussery. Two champions chased them. Fort Marcy and Shadow Brook. Braulio Baeza rode Fort Marcy for J. Elliott Burch. Ron Turcotte rode Shadow Brook for Sidney Watters Jr. Fort Marcy finished 11th of 14 and earned the comment “roughed.” Shadow Brook finished eighth in his career debut, “swerved” was his comment. Fort Marcy went on to win 21 races and five championships. Shadow Brook ran another 77 times, winning stakes on the flat and over jumps and became champion steeplechase horse in 1971.
Monday. August 27, 1984.
Bobby Ribaudo and Robbie Davis won the third, the Cohoes Seniors, with 8-year-old Clarinet King. Just one of his 28 wins and 165 starts.
Thursday. August 21, 1975.
Page one explained the offered bets. Win, place, show. Double on first and second races, windows open 12:00. Exactas on third, fifth and seventh races, $2, $5 and $10 tickets. Triple on the ninth race, $2 and $12 box tickets ($12 box, maximum number of $2 combinations on the three horses selected). The New York Turf Writers Cup was out of the exotics. Life’s Illusion, a 4-year-old filly, ousted Soothsayer, an 8-year-old gelding. Back when they had entries. 1 and 1A. 2, 2B and 2X. 3 and 3C. Startahemp and Braulio Baeza won the flat feature over Round Stake and Mike Hole.
Wednesday. August 1, 1990.
Carson City and Thirty Six Red opened the card in a three other than going 7 furlongs. Nick Santagata upset them with Dr. Bobby A. John Velazquez had a five-pound bug. Seven races later, Meadow Star and Chris Antley won the Schuylerville.
Saturday. August 18, 1984.
The Travers Stakes card. Three stakes. Nine races. First race post time 1:30. Carr De Naskra won the Travers for Virginia Kraft Payson, Richard Lundy and Laffit Pincay Jr.
Wednesday. August 16, 1978.
On the first page, in penciled cursive, the day was summed up. Attendance 20,612. Another hot and humid day. Good day for betting. Hit exactas in 3rd and 7th races. Won money back from Tuesday losses. Baby Snooks and Angel Santiago and My Dear Tam and Alan Patterson hit in the third. Bonnie Blue Flag and Ruben Hernandez combined with Toys Are Fun and Jeffrey Fell in the seventh. Fuzzbuster won the Sanford for Greentree, John Gaver and Jorge Velasquez. Chauffer Tom won the nightcap for Mickey Preger Jr.
Saturday. March 24, 1979.
An outlier. Spectacular Bid’s Flamingo from Hialeah. All the type is pink.
Tuesday. August 24, 1976.
The day was summed up on page three. “9th race. Limited Funds.” And for those who think Saratoga never had claimers, six of the nine races were run for a tag, including the nightcap that pitted 11 maidens risked for $10,000 down to $9,000. Doug The Bug with Robyn Smith for owner/trainer Thomas Patton upset the field.
Tuesday. August 9, 1977.
Rose Marie’s Baby, Time Saver, Sun Sign, Prince Rudi, Grand Salute, Up Like Thunder and Clover Over clashed in a conditioned claimer (non-winners of three races in 1976-77 for a $11,000 tag) over jumps. Poor Man’s Bluff, Kanawha River, Music Of Time, Baldski, Sanhedrin, Bailjumper, Over The Bridge, Super Joy, Pirogue and Tacitus squared off in the Jim Dandy. On a Tuesday.
Tuesday. August 17, 1978.
Another penciled synopsis of the day. Attendance 20,663. Sunny and hot. Not as warm as the first three days of the week. Very bad day for betting. Didn’t cash a ticket. Poor luck all day long. Better luck for tomorrow. Pressing Date and Jacinto Vasquez won the feature for King Ranch, Buddy Hirsch and Jacinto Vasquez. With seven wins, Woody Stephens led Allen Jerkens and Sidney Watters by one.
And there’s plenty more from where they came. See, Tom, I told you it would make a column.
