The Graveyard of Champions

August, the month in general, as a Saratogian, produces so many connotations, and each resident, or former residents, have their own take, be it sordid, surreal, or sucks or whatever. There really is no place I would rather be, in the 8th calendar month, than in this town.  This is all due to this little city being flooded by (mostly gaudy type) humans, gambling on horse racing. The third weekend brings about Travers Day, the biggest race of the meet, and the week following is always summer's last hurrah. So here I am. 

 This year is especially significant, due to the fact that a triple crown winner has entered the Travers stakes. Meaning, potentially the best race horse in horse racing history is in town. The track sold out weeks prior to Travers Day, yet, I was able to score a ticket! (Thanks Richie!) Things started off well, I hit $20 on a exacta box which paid for the ticket and program, which undoubtably rules. But it is winning early that not only helps pay for the day, it also deviously leads you into a day of gambling nonetheless, a false sense of wallet security if you will. So, I also needed to eat something which leads me to this....

 Here's a Saratoga foodie secret I will share with you, if you want the best authentic Mexican food in Saratoga Springs, go to the Oklahoma track/side, where the Mexicans live and work. There is a restaurant that caters to the workers, and they offer beans and rice, pork, beef, chicken tacos, I'm not sure what else because I don't speak spanish, I just point at stuff and say pollo, or taco, or me no nintendo, and gracias amigo Corona! hahahaha

Anyway, they had Corona Familia in a brown 32 oz bottle, mexican cokes and and orange and strawberry soda in the glass bottle, and $2 tacos. Life rules.

 $12 lunch, the best lunch in Saratoga Springs, NY pound for pound.

I ordered chicken tacos, the lady pulled a breast and thigh out of a chicken and tomato stew, hand picked it (with gloves) and laced my tacos, then dressed it all up with beans and rice and onions and cilantro, mole', and green chili, it doesn't get much better than this, people, I don't care where you are on the map.

After I finished eating lunch with the working stiffs of Travers, I joined them in walking to the backstretch, and, well, like I do EVERYWHERE, I acted like I belong there, and here comes the triple crown winner, and other contestants, and I walk along them and re-enter the track as the entourage!~that ruled.

Anyway, back to the horses. Oh no, wait, I noticed a helicopter coming and going, and thought that was the worst idea, nothing like a helicopter to frazzle a bunch of horses, jeez.

 Then you had this dude circling the joint like a buzzard...

Anyway, my good friend Ian was at the track at 4:30 am and got a sweet spot next to the paddock, which is where I was able to rattle off these shots of Triple Crown Champion American Pharoah. (Thanks Ian!) It's so fitting that the horse's name is misspelled. 'Murica Baby. 

I have never seen paparazzi for a four legged animal.

The rose blanket!

Trainer Bob Baffert was on the fence whether or not to bring his horse to the "Graveyard of Champions" and I don't blame him, but I thanked him for it, once I was within earshot!

And they're off!!! In the 2015 Travers Stakes!

You can see #7 was next to last....

And history repeats itself, as American Pharoah, a favorite towing 1 to 5 odds, who lead most of the race, lost by almost a horse length to Keen Ice.

Just after the finish, a kid, about 14 years old, b-lined to the winner's circle with this hat on...

 I met a guy who bet a thousand for American Pharoah to Show 

(3rd place) he won $1,050. So, he risked a thousand dollars to get $50. No thanks, I'll keep playing longshots and hope the great horses lose. Cheerful ain't it? At the end of the day, that was pretty epic, glad I was there for it.

Late Addition;

Every year, the Travers winner gets it's stable colors painted on the canoe that sits on the pond in the middle of the racetrack. And there, it displays and reflects for next years meet, until Travers, and a new set of colors will be donned by the pond.

Ok, everybody go home now!