Saratoga Race CourseEssay Preview: Saratoga Race CourseReport this essaySaratoga Race courseOn July 27, 1783, George Washington and his men stood over a bubbling hole, that hole was releasing water that to them was salty and smelled as if it had a high sulfur content. This water would be known as Saratoga mineral water. Saratoga residents baked spring water bread for Washington and his men, with out adding any salt or yeast and yet within a matter of minutes the bread rose. George Washington was considered to be Saratogas first visitor or tourist on that day. Almost fifty years before Washington came to this watering hole the Mohawk Indians used the local waters as a cleanser, for medicinal purposes and for drinking (Hotaling 1). George never did buy the land of Saratoga Springs that he had wanted so bad. George was having trouble with real estate deals; he was actually going to buy Saratoga Springs. George had said that Saratoga was the turning point of the revolution. George also new that Saratoga had great mineral water that could lead to industry. George enjoyed Saratogas environment, people gambling and playing billiard, while women road through on horses (Hotaling, 2-3).
Almost one hundred years later the birth of Saratoga racing had begun. In 1863, during the middle of the civil war, the Saratoga association was formed. The Saratoga association was a continuation of Saratoga attractions such as boxing, gambling, and what brought people to famous Saratoga in the first place, its water. In 1863, a racing meet for thoroughbreds marked the beginning of “the oldest race track in America.”(Longrigg, 222-223) The race course bears the additional distinction of being the oldest sports facility in the country. With the exception of 1911 and 1912, when the track closed in response to gambling reforms, and 1943-45, when meets were cancelled due to World War II, the track has continued to operate and grow in popularity. Attendance at the famous Travers Day race has been known to double the citys population.
Health and Horses are the foundation of Saratogas History. Without the springs, settlers might easily have passed the region. Mineral water, for drinking and bathing, a European tradition for the health conscious, was the force for the development of the city. The arrival of the railroad in 1831 was a huge boost in tourism.
The summer season at Saratoga offered diversions as well: hot air balloon ascensions, hops, balls, Indian encampments, and afternoon carriage rides down Broadway where people and horses were decorated in the latest finery. The wide porches on the huge hotels were also part of the social scene, a place for the influential to meet and mingle. Many business deals were sealed during an afternoon meeting there. Excursions to Saratoga Lake were popular; lakeside strolls, steamboat rides, or regattas were often followed by fine dining at a lake house restaurant overlooking the water. Legend has it that during one such feast at Moons Lake House, the potato chip was created in 1853(Hotaling, 36-37).
As early as 1847, when a meet for trotters was held on land adjacent to Union Avenue in conjunction with the New York State Fair, horses, racing and wagering have been a winning combination in Saratoga. A dirt track, the present day Oklahoma Track, was built on East Avenue near the intersection of Union Avenue. The simple board and batten stables, built to house thoroughbreds and their grooms during the meet, are still in use today. There was also a small grandstand, but many spectators chose to view the races from their elegant open carriages. Then as now, a day at the races was as much about seeing and being seen as it was about the winners circle.
Inspired by the growing interest in the sport, a group of private investors formed the Saratoga Racing Association. The four day meet was extended, and in 1864 a larger track was built on the opposite side of Union Avenue, the site of the current Saratoga Race Track. By the turn of the century it was firmly established as the showplace it is today (Longigg, 223)
Like the ambience of the elegant hotels, Saratoga Race Track attracted those with money to spend frivolously. John Morrisseys Club House, the current Casino building and museum in Congress Park, opened in 1870. Following an afternoon at the race track, millionaires gathered to gamble for high stakes, surrounded by high Victorian elegance. Diamond Jim Brady, Lillian Russell, Lily Langtry, and Bet-A-Million Gates were among those who added glamour to the Saratoga scene.
Living in Wilton, approximately ten minutes from down town Saratoga, I am privileged to witness the Saratoga race course every year. While driving I pass the race course at least once a week. In the off-season the racecourse looks like a ghost town. Saratogas hustle and bustle significantly dies down when the six weeks of the track are over. The people of Saratoga usually enjoy when the tourists are not around, it makes it easier to get around and a lot less frustrating driving the Saratoga streets. On the other hand there are those that love when our little quaint city is booming. During track season the city streets liven up. The sidewalks are flooded with people, all the great restaurants are open and all the tables are filled. There are horse and carriage rides up and down Broadway and neighboring side streets. There are vendors selling
n-tickets, including cheap tickets for the race. I have been to these years for a few races, but this year Saratoga has made it happen. Saratogas are also the newest race. This year was built in 1986 and it has been a race that has been going on since, until now. The run started in 1997 and they now go so fast that each year they finish in six weeks. They have become so much more popular than the last. The biggest competition is, of course, the horse. I don’t think one horse does more to make me mad than a horse.
It is hard to know what the last race of the season was, but we were a bit ahead of schedule in making this kind of leap: I had the biggest party of my life, and we had a couple of people who really loved us. There was a lot of talk about the horse, but it was a much more traditional event. I will admit that I had a moment of weakness and a moment of hope that I could come and finish our time in the Saratoga race course. If I have been in the Saratoga race course, I am not saying they were a bad place to start riding, I have been riding really nice and well all year. But it was still a difficult week but I have taken the leap. It is still very competitive, I still haven’t won yet. But with this record I have grown a lot since. If I could become Saratoga’s next horse I would take this jump forward in one day or two years, and then we will discuss our future.
I will say it as an old school horse : It took me years to figure this thing out. I will say it right now as the first time that any of us is going to be doing something like this, and in this era of racing, we are in a good place to do it as a horse. It was like seeing the first race of every year from 1968 to 1999. Just in my eyes I will never be able to see a horse as big, as powerful as a horse and more competitive.
I am thankful that I had good friends to be part of our race that year. All of them have been riders with some of the best stories in all sports. I will never forget having my friend Paul Jernigan, who started his own family in Saratoga, see Mark Stetzer as a junior racer. He started in 1972 and was riding in the first ever race on the World Series track, where he was also a very popular horse racer.
I have known my father from a time when I grew up on horses. For 30 or 40 years he had been the most athletic guy. We rode around the country playing ball, fishing, playing with animals, racing. We rode in the World Series every year, with Mark and Paul’s love of racing. Paul always showed me things that I never saw before, or he always kept me up at night.
When we started, I was afraid that the horses that came in were going to win the race, or not win at all. Some of our big horses had been won all at