They're in the Gate for the Last Time-Tom Durkin

It's the final weekend for NYRA racetrack announcer Tom Durkin. Sunday will be his final day calling races at Saratoga (and any other track) as he retires. His last race call will be the Spinaway Stakes (2 year old Fillies).

This summer at the Spa I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of people I spoke to who were aware that Tom Durkin is retiring. The fact that so many fans know who Tom Durkin is and are aware he is retiring says something about Durkin. There are many adjectives you can use for Mr. Durkin and one of the best is memorable.

You know the sound of his voice, you know what he looks like, and you know his familiar phrases. Heck, I named this blog "They're in the Gate" after the phrase Mr. Durkin uses every time the last horse enters into the gate before a race. Listen this final weekend to how he says: "They're in the Gate"

The way he says it has the just the right mixture of enthusiasm and succinctness. I love it and it will long echo in my head.

And of course, there are the race calls himself.  We have the internet so Durkin's calls will not go away.

What I liked most about Durkin was his humor and sense of entertainment.  Have you ever watched other race calls on TVG, or your local OTB simulcast and been bored to tears by the calls. Of course you have. Durkin is smart enough to know that he is in the information business but also in the entertainment business. He could be very serious in his race calls, but when the moment called for a little fun, he knew it.

 He also knew when a big moment was here and called for a memorable call. A perfect example of this is Durkin's call of the Rachel Alexandra win in the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga. He knew many of the fans came to the track that day with one goal in mind-to see Rachel win. And when she did Durkin was ready with the big call.  I will never forget that call as the horses came around the final turn and Durkin says" A Dramatic Stretch Drive Awaits", and when she won, proclaiming "Rachel raises the rafters here at the Spa".

Simply the Best, enjoy your next venture Tom. 

The Midsummer Derby-The Travers Stakes

With clear skies and comfortable temperatures the place to be on Saturday, August 24th, 2013 will be Saratoga Race Course. Yours Truly will be there all day roaming between the Clubhouse, the rail and the Paddock Post Bar area so stop and say Hi if you see me. Always fun to chat with fellow fans.

 This year's Midsummer Derby, the 144th Travers Stakes, features Palace Malice, the Belmont and Jim Dandy stakes winner, Kentucky Derby winner Orb and Haskell winner Verrazano. If you can't make it to the Track, The Travers will be shown live on NBC in a 90-minute broadcast that begins at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.

Who do I like? For me I think Palice Malice continues to mature and move forward and I would not be surprised to see him win rather easily. As for the rest of the spots and my thoughts on the Trifecta, you can read my thoughts over at the Thorofan website

Whitney Weekend Attendance Look

No signs of the Debbie Downer articles after a weekend of spectacular weather at the Spa.

Saturday's Whitney Stakes Day crowd was 33,148 up from last years Whitney attendance of 30,841. 

All Source handle was up from last years $15,966,346 to $16,356,246.

On Sunday attendance was 24,133 up from last years Sunday crowd of 19,762. Handle was also up this year at $9,864,118 from last years $9,431,729.

Word is the Times Union (Albany NY) has abruptly cancelled their expanded investigative upcoming report on Saratoga declining attendance.

Saratoga Attendance and Handle Early Look

After an initial first week that had some folks out on social media questioning the first weeks relatively low Saratoga attendance, things have sprung back to normal this past weekend.

This Saturday's Jim Dandy card had an attendance of 25,375 and Handle of $15,999,087 beating last year's Jim Dandy Day attendance and handle figures of 24,548 and $13,164,684.

Sunday's T-Shirt Spinner #'s were 50,727 in attendance compared to last years first Sunday Spinner Day of 47,132. Total Handle this past Sunday was 10,809,456 beating last years figure of 10,047,879.

The first week figures were down due to one reason-the oppressive heat. Weather will and always has been a huge factor in Saratoga Attendance #'s, particularly affecting the local and day tripper attendees decision on whether or not to show up at the track.This week was beautiful and the numbers jumped back up.

It amazes me each year how the Debbie Downer's of the world will jump on low attendance figures as an indication of something wrong with racing, the Spa, etc. instead of looking at the # 1 factor-weather. More and more people are getting use to the ease and convenience of betting year round via a betting account linked too a smart phone, tablet or desktop. Only the best meets with the best weather days will bring the folks out (as well as the corny Sunday Spinner Giveaways). 

Opening weekend was particularly affected as we were basically in the 3rd week of a sustained heat wave and I really believe people were so frustrated of going out in this heat. But now the heat as broken and all is back to normal at the Spa.

Dead Heat Travers Reflections

Another Travers, another memorable race. I'll let others argue about the quality of the horses in the race, all  I can say I was among the 46,000 plus fans who witnessed the dead heat photo finish between Alpha and Golden Ticket.

Here's my reflections on this years Travers Stakes Day:

Alpha ended up being a pretty good bet. I know many prior to the race were bashing Alpha, but I felt the combo of Mclaughlin and Dominguez would be enough and publicly (on Thorofan's website) picked him as the winner. Yeah he was the favorite, but getting $4.10 back and doubling your money is not bad.

The betting day for me on the whole was a wash. I had a small win bet on Alpha, but missed all day on my exotics and the 3 pick 4's.

Made a bad audible call on leaving my Clubhouse seats to join friends at the Porch for table seating. We were at the far end of the porch, where the view of the track from our table was not all that good. Plus we got hit with the $18 "seating" fee which applies per person, not per table. My salad dish with 2 bottles of Bottled water cost me $50 not counting the tip (which the waiter expects to be calculated on the lunch and seating fee).

Next time I stick with my usual method of watching the races from my seats and grabbing lunch at the Shack Shack where I grab a Shake Burger and Beer for the more manageable $9 cost and mingle with friends at the Paddock Bar.

The post Travers fun included a fantastic dinner at The Wishing Well where I had Swordfish and for desert the classic creamy New York Style Cheeseake from the Nuns of New Skete followed by drinks downtown at the Adelphi and Sperry's.


So there you have it, another year older for all of us, another Travers Stakes in the books. They are unique, all so different, and this one will be etched in my memory bank forever.

Saratoga Sunday Quick Picks

Since this blind Squirrel found two nuts yesterday with my picks, let's keep this party going.

In the 9th Race at the Spa, a 65K Optional Claimer for fillies & Mare going 7 furlongs on the dirt, we have a field of 11. This type of race is what makes the Spa great, a large field with some juicy morning line odds.

Fiftyfour Forever, at 8-1 Morning line odds presents tremendous valve. I would expect her post time odds to be like 4-1 or 5-1 but if her odds stay up anywhere near 8-1 she is a must use in your exotics. Blog Favorite Trainer Anthony Quartarolo is hot with 2 wins from his last 2 starts including yesterday's Nelson Avenue win.

Ode to Sami at 3-1 figures to benefit from the jockey change from Rosie Napravnik to Javier Castellano. Speaking of Jockey changes Royal Sighting, 6-1 ML odds, gets an upgrade with Ramon Dominquez on board for the first time. Be sure to watch the odds board late on this one including looking at Princess Mara, who cuts back in distance and returns to dirt for trainer Dale Romans. Playing with these four horses in your Trifecta's and exacta's could result in some nice payouts.

Saturday Alabama Day Quick Picks

Surprisingly with more than half the meet done, I'm actually $5 in the black this meet, according to the historical wagers tab of my NYRA Rewards account. So, let give out some picks.

In the 5th , a Maiden 65K on the inner Turf at the Spa, you should get a square price on Nelson Avenue whose morning line odds are 6-1. In his last just 10 days ago in a similar 65K, Nelson Avenue placed 3rd at 26-1 odds, part of a $1900+ trifecta. Trained by former Meadowlands Harness Trainer/Driver Anthony Quartarolo, who's had a decent meet with 5 horses in the money out of 8 starters. Quartarolo comes off of a nice win with his last starter, Mr. Algebra, who broke his maiden on Wednesday at 11-1 odds.

In the Alabama, Grace Hall may be much the best but won't get my money at 7-5 morning line odds. My call is on Questing. Coming off a impressive win at the Spa in the CCA Oaks on the first Saturday of the meet at 1 1/8 miles looks like Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin has her primed and ready to take a step up at 1 1/4 miles. If her jock can control the drifting out she did last out, Questing seems the valve play.

Should be a great day, let's hope the showers get out in time and sun prevails.

The Rule of 3

I've always been puzzled by the Giveaway Days at Saratoga. The Giveaway Days are the most attended Days of the meet, but not really. The problem is the track is reporting "spinners", those that pay multiple admissions to get multiple tickets for extra giveaways.

It's amazing to watch many of these people, walk in, pay multiple admissions, get in line for the giveaways and walk out of the track by 1:00 pm even before the first race goes off.

How many actual people were there? Or more importantly what is the effect on handle.

I use the Rule of 3. Expect no more than a third of the spinner reported attendance to actually place a bet on a giveaway day.

The reported Giveaway attendance yesterday was 50,727 with an on track handle of $3,071,438. That amounts to per person wager amount of only $60.54.

Compare this to the prior Sunday, where there was no giveaway item. The attendance was a modest 18,425 however the handle was $3,021,079. This is only $50,000 less than the giveaway Sunday handle yet there was  32,302 less bodies at the track that day. The  per person wager amount was a healthy $167.83.

Using the Rule of 3 for Giveaway Days the formula works out like this

Attendance (50,727) divided by 3 = 16,909 people who actually attend the track on a giveaway day AND actually place a bet.

Saratoga 2012....Looking forward to...

Looking forward to:

1.Opening Day, just before Race # 1: Having the crowd join race caller Tom Durkin with his classic "and They're off" call. Never gets old.

2.Betting that first race at the windows: Even though I have a Smartphone and can bet through my phone via NYRA rewards, or try the new Wi-Fi betting platform at the track, there is something to be said for betting at the windows and holding that piece of paper in your hand.

3.People watching: See # 1 -never gets old

4. Eating: Gambling is not enough for me. Yours truly likes to eat while at the track. A Hattie's Chicken Sandwich (yes I will walk the extra distance to the new spot in the Carousel area) and a Shake Shack Burger are a must.

5. Drinking: Yours truly also likes to drink (responsibly). The Bar at the Post (aka the Paddock bar) serves this purpose nicely, complete with betting machines right on the bar. Also looking forward to checking out the new Beer Garden in front of the Carousel.

6. Post Race Saratoga Dining: Big fan of Maestro's, Wishing Well, One Caroline St. Bistro and Hattie's. Looking forward to trying out new spots including Boca Bistro (on Broadway).

7. Free Parking spots downtown: I have the perfect spot, free and so close to Broadway it's almost comical how many people don't know you can park there. Went to dinner last Saturday night, the town was packed but cruised into my trusty spot with no problems while many drove around in circles looking for a spot.  

8. Seeing Friends: It's amazing how many people now bet from home year round via the computer, tablet or Smartphone. Many of us have horse racing friends through Twitter or other social media who we never actually meet or see. But this is one track they do come out for, and Saratoga is often the only time I see these people and it's a treat to socialize with them.

The End of Hattie's at Saratoga Race Course?

Can it be, Say no for this would be Blasphemy.

Foodie writer Steve Barnes of the Times Union (Albany, NY) reports that the Hattie's Trackside location has been moved this year to the Carousel Area. Barnes describes the new area as an "out-of- the -way former crepe spot". Must of been out of the way-I never saw it. Crepe Spot? Who eats crepes at a race track anyway?

Barnes further reports that Hattie's owner Beth Alexander thinks the location is "horrible".

The Hattie's former location at the track was located in a very convenient spot in the backyard just outside the escalators leading to the 2nd floor of the clubhouse. As I wrote on this blog in 2010

"I find a Hattie’s fried chicken sandwich eaten around the 6th race or so has just the perfect mix of ingredients to give me the proper nourishment to continue on for the remainder of the card."

Now what to do should Hattie's go forward on their threat to stay away due to the expense involved in making the new space work? Sure, there is still the Paddock Bar and Shake Shack, but there is no duplicate to the splendid, messy, calorie filled, almost orgasmic inducing Hattie's fried chicken sandwich. Nothing available at the track comes close, nothing, nada, zilch.

Is this what we can expect from the Governor Cuomo (aka Emperor Cuomo) controlled "new NYRA". Give me the old NYRA than. Ousted CEO Charlie knew a good meal when he saw one and surely would have never moved Hattie's.

The Government can't run the DMV, we expect them to know good food?

Grading the 2012 Saratoga Giveaway Items

The Giveaway days, aka non-betting cheap people bumping into you at the Track Day, continues under the watch of Governor aka Emperor Cuomo. Here's my quickie review and grade for the 2012 items (photos of items released by NYRA):

SARATOGA BASEBALL CAP Sunday, July 29



Love the Galloping Horse added to the Bill-looks a lot classier than past years ball caps

Grade: A-

SARATOGA PICNIC MAT Sunday, August 12



A checkered color mat with a snazzy looking handle-look's okay enough to keep in your car for spontaneous use.

Grade: B

SARATOGA PILSNER GLASS Sunday, August 19



Does this look Tall, slender and tapered to you? Nope, plus a true Pilsner glass has an even taper without curvature. This looks more like a pint glass to me. Can we expect Cuomo to blame exiled NYRA CEO Charles Hayward for this one? For the lack of accuracy the item should get an F, but lets face it, this is a beer glass after all and I expect a large turnout for this misnamed item.

Grade: C

SARATOGA FLEECE BLANKET Sunday, September 2



This Wal Mart quality item probably costs about 60 cents to make. Will look good enough till you try to wash it and run it through the dryer. After one wash/dry cycle it will make your snuggie appear high quality.

Grade: C

New York Racing-On the Track

After a few weeks of NYRA bashing complete with Emperor Cuomo and New York State taking control of New York Racing, it was nice to change the focus of New York racing to where it should be-On the Track. For all the bad headlines about NYRA, about bad trainers and possible drugged horses, here was a Memorial Day which showed how good New York racing can be.

The topper of the day was the Met Mile, a small but spectacular field of 6 runners and run they did. How fitting was it that Shackleford was able to outlast a fast charging Caleb's Posse with a $1.33.30 winning time in the mile race. I love the Shack, and I'm a big fan of his trainer Dale Romans.

While other trainers hold back their horses and pick their spots, Romans does no such thing with the Shack. Shack, as Andy Serling stated on Monday's MSG Network coverage of the race, comes to the dance every time. In an era where critics abound and often state that horses are over raced, how come Shackleford shines under a very busy schedule? Maybe because he is a gifted animal who loves to work and compete. This is a horse who ran every leg of the Triple Crown series last year, something only two horses are trying this year (I'll Have Another and Optimizer). He also had a busy schedule in 2012, most recently a win in the Grade II Churchill Downs Handicap on Kentucky Derby Day.

Attendance was up also at Belmont Park, at a healthy 10,577 and total handle for the day was $14,444,665. So, racing is far from dead, especially in New York, where you can see the best horses run in the best races, despite what one may read from the critics. Now it's on to the Belmont Stakes, another big New York Day.

As for Shackleford, expect this gallant horse to show up next in Saratoga, looking to dance in the Whitney.

Saratoga Final Weekend

As usual the last weekend sneaks up on all of us. Making it more bittersweet is the severe flooding from Irene in the upstate area, which has affected many of my fellow residents in the surrounding counties around Saratoga, particularly nearby Schoharie County, Greene County, Schenectady County and Warren County. The storm cancelled out Sunday's card and attendance has been down a bit this week. Being in the insurance biz yours truly has been busy trying to service all the victims of this storm.

This will take me away from the final weekend but will be watching from the road. My must use horses in the Woodward Stakes are Rule, Flat Out, Mambo Meister. Don't count out Ice Box also, especially if the price is right.

Good luck and enjoy the weekend.

A look at the Travers

As I leave shortly for my Long Island trek to attend a wedding on Saturday and battle Hurricane Irene, here are my quick thoughts on the Travers Stakes.

From my NYRA Rewards Mobile betting platform on my smartphone I will play around with some Trifecta's and Win bets centering on 4 horses: the favorite Stay Thirsty, Bowman's Causeway, Shackleford and Moonshine Mullins. I think these four horses more than the others will like the track surface and run on it the best.

I keep coming back to Bowman's Causeway to upset the cart and win the whole thing. He has been stabled at Saratoga since the spring under trainer Chad Brown. Brown is great at placing his horses where they have a chance to win. A son of Giant's Causeway, he is coming off three consecutive races in Canada, the last being a close second in the Prince of Wales. He has had a nice 6 week rest and I think he is more than ready. Good luck and for my friends on the East Coast be safe.

The Travers Streak is Broken

There comes a time when all streaks are broken, and this is my year.
I have been lucky enough to be at Saratoga Race Course for the Travers Stakes every year since 2004. This year I will be in Long Island, attending my cousin's wedding.

Luckily the wedding couple are racing fans, and they have already arranged for the wedding Bar TV to be on NBC at 5 pm so the guests can watch the King's Bishop and the Travers. And of course thanks to NYRA's neat mobile wagering platform I will be able to bet straight from my Blackberry. But alas it will never be the same as being there live.

Looking back I was able to see some pretty good Travers races and horses since 2003. Here is a look back at some of the memories:

My favorite memories from the past 7 Travers Stakes:

2004: I will never forget the dark sky as the horses turned for home. Seconds after Birdstone crossed the finish line the winner the rain came down like nobody's business

2006: Never a doubt as Bernardini swept the Jim Dandy/Travers Double. One of the best looking horses you will ever see.

2007: Street Sense in a squeaker over Grasshopper

2008: Colonel John nips Mambo in Seattle by a nose (or was it 1/2 a nose) at the wire

2010: I hit my first ever Travers Trifecta taking home $970 on Afleet Express/Fly Down/1st Dude

Questions at the Track

I don't know why you would need the costly McKinsey Report to figure out how to draw more folks to the racetrack and to betting on the races. Just take a novice fan to the track and listen to them. This past Sunday I took a married couple in their 40's to Saratoga Race Course with me and my better half.

They like casino and slot gambling and take frequent trips to Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods, and Atlantic City. They were last at a racetrack at a New England Fair 20 years ago. Here were some of their questions they threw out at me during the day.

Upon reaching the gates and stopping to pay the $5 Clubhouse Admission:

Q: How come you have to pay $5 a person to get into the track when you already have your pre-paid Clubhouse seats.? We don't pay to get into a Casino?

My Comment: Good Question, I always thought it made no sense to charge for the privilege of just walking into the track. Charge for the grandstand & clubhouse seats and let everyone else in for free. Don't ding the customer.

Q: What's a Quinella bet again?

My Comment: I pointed them to the Program and gave them a basic primer on the various bets they could make. I think we forget that most people want their gambling to be easy and they find the slots and poker easier to learn and easy to figure out. The tracks need more visible education guidelines with companion online guides, games, etc.

Q: Why are there 11 horses in the race but the infield center video board is showing only the odds for Horses 1-9.

My Comment: This one had me confused as I knew there were 11 horses in the race but only 9 were on the board until I realized that NYRA was playing video ads on the right side of the screen which eliminated the odds on Horses 10-11 in this particular race. The ads eventually stopped and Horses 10-11 showed up, but how is a novice better supposed to understand the game if they want to bet Horse #10 and the odds are nowhere to be found on the main video board ?

These were all good questions and the cost to hear them was nothing.

Saratoga Mid Meet Thoughts

Summer is flying by and so is the Saratoga Meet as we approach the 4th weekend of the meet.

Some thoughts thus far….

I have stayed away from most of the Todd Pletcher / Johnny Velazquez horses due too the short odds. However on. On Saturday, a Pletcher/ Johnny Velazquez 3 year old, Katz My Song, went off at 7-1 odds. I ignored it and the horse wins paying $16.60.

The Grand Slam bet has been paying pretty well this meet. On Sunday it paid $1,359 and on Monday, it paid $396. Even on Saturday with 3 of the 4 races in the Slam won by the favorites (Higher Court, Turbulent Descent and Tizway) with one long shot (Trix in the City) the bet still paid a decent $29.60. The payoffs are pretty nice if you look at it as a $2 bet for picking 3 show horses and one horse to win.

After 3 weeks of walking out of the track and over to Siro’s with a near empty wallet, I finally hit my first big bet of the meet with an Exacta win on Trappe Shot-Sean Avery in Sunday’s Vanderbilt Stakes. For once I placed the same bet as the one I hit over at The Knight Sky Racing Blog. On to week 4.

Wet Whitney?

Looks like it will be a muggy Saturday at the Spa with dew points around 70 with mostly cloudy skies. In other words a typical muggy August Day.

I guess its time to look at who can run in the mud. Best of bunch would be Duke of Mischief with 3 wins out of 4 starts on off tracks.

Maybe Todd Pletcher's due with Mission Impazible. After all he went 0-fer on Friday and his 2 year old filly Heather's Feather finished 4th as the post time 1-1 favorite in the 2nd race.

Let's try a Trifecta Box of Duke of Mischief, Mission Impazible, Tizway and Morning Line.

Saratoga Friday

Today is the first of two twilight Friday race cards at the Spa or as NYRA calls it "Party at the Spa presented by Coors Light". First post goes off at 2:30 pm followed by free live music from the band Rockjunky at the Post area adjacent to the Paddock.

Expect a big crowd (although the weather calls for afternoon Thunderstorms to roll on through) for the card. Actually you can't even call this a twilight card as the last race goes off at 6:56 pm and Sunset is at 8:18 pm. I would love for the card to start at 3:30 and finish up just before 8 pm, allowing the after work crowd to see more of the card.

However the downtown restaurants and bars feel the late finishing time kills their early business so don't expect any additional late Friday cards to be added in the future.

If you do skip out of work early today and get to the track by 3:30 pm you have time to place a bet on the 3rd race, featuring the return of Ice Box, up against 5 others in an $57,000 Allowance Optional Claiming race of 1 1/8 miles. There is not much speed in this race for Ice Box to close on, so I'll take a pass, and go with Neil Howard's Wilkinson, who should go off at attractive odds if enough money flows to Ice Box and Convocation.

On Saturday, the Jim Dandy is all set on what should be a splendid weather day. You can see my take on handicapping the race over at the Thorofan website.

Saratoga Opening Weekend Recap

Opening Day weekend was an all around success for NYRA and the fans who came out to the Spa. Credit goes to NYRA for not panicking and going forward with Opening Day despite the heat. Yes, it was hot, but not as hot as the cancelled day in '06. 25,155 fans agreed and showed up for Opening Day. Strong crowds and handle followed on Saturday and Sunday and with 37 days to go, the meet is off and running strong. Here's some photos I took this weekend at the Spa with my thoughts:



A photo of the new video screen as seen from Section C of the Clubhouse (no more light bulbs)



A look at "A Taste of Saratoga" featuring food from 4 local Restaurants



The backyard and Paddock Fencing is now wood, changed from the tacky vinyl of old.



The Post Bar just outside the Paddock, now in its 2nd year, but feels like it has been here along, like a trusted friend.



Offspring of Yours Truly, enjoying Shake Shack Shakes from the Yummy Shake Shack