The opening weekend of the Saratoga racing season can be broken into three distinct stories – weather, winning and wistfulness.
As is often the case in Saratoga, the weather played havoc with the racing surfaces resulting in races moved to the main track with many entries scratching and depleted fields over wet tracks; Linda Rice continued to win at an extraordinary rate and the racing world noted the passing of Saratoga’s own Funny Cide. Each of those evoked feelings of familiarity and nostalgia for long-time racing fans.
Weather
The propensity for sudden strong downpours in Saratoga in July and August, has vexed racing officials for decades, as racing on the grass courses have grown in popularity with racing participants and fans. When the rains come the grass courses are protected from long-term damage by switching those races to the main track. This results in numerous horses scratching to await another day and the resulting small fields present limited betting opportunities.
Varied solutions to this pattern have been tried over the years without much success, including the addition of the Wilson Chute last year at great expense. This intractable problem remains unsolved. One approach that this writer has proposed (to no avail) is to group the grass races together at either the beginning or end of the racing card so that a short window of dry weather could accommodate all the day’s grass racing rather than the current practice of spreading them out over the seven-hour race day and hoping for extended dry weather. This is once again proposed for a trial period to see if it works - it might even be popular with fans and bettors who prefer one surface over the other.
Winning
Trainer Linda Rice, freshly off a successful legal appeal of a three-year suspension, continues to win at a remarkable rate thereby continuing the success she had at the recently concluded Belmont meet. Her five wins from thirteen starts during the opening few days is an astounding 38% and her in-the-money finishes are approaching 80%. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, her performance is evoking memories of her 2009 season when she was Saratoga’s leading trainer. Rice’s recent winners have won with much in reserve indicating multiple wins at the meet are a possibility for each of them. For handicappers in the next few weeks, Linda Rice-trainees are simply automatic contenders in any race you find them.
Wistfulness
This weekend saw the passing of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide. Born, raised, and owned by local Saratoga connections, Funny Cide captured the racing world in 2003 by upsetting the regally bred and owned Empire Maker in the Kentucky Derby. His follow up win in the Preakness led to his attempt to become a triple crown winner in the Belmont where he ran admirably in defeat. He was the first New York bred to win the Kentucky Derby, being foaled at McMahon’s Thoroughbred Farm here in Saratoga. His owners were also locally based - going by the name Sackatoga Stable, led thoughtfully by Jack Knowlton.
The ownership group showed little pretention and travelled together to and from his races in a rented school bus. The eschewing of the conspicuous consumption that winners often succumb to resonated with fans. His plebian connections contrasted with those of his main rival - Empire Maker. The little guy competing with and besting the privileged opponents reminded many of why racing is so fascinating. His connections obliged the desire of fans to see him by running him often and making him widely accessible. Even the attempts to market Funny Cide items such as beer, hats, shirts etc. was done gently and with good humor rather than exploitation.
As a gelding, there was no breeding shed for him to run off to and he competed in races until age seven. His retirement to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington Kentucky allowed fans to continue to visit him in retirement and he made numerous appearances at tracks throughout the years.
The wistful feeling his passing evokes is one of good sportsmanship, good humor, humility from winners, a sense of limitless possibility for underdogs and generosity of one’s time and luck. In a sport where winning often brings out the worst in people (no need to name them but there are many) the Funny Cide crew remained a good story from beginning to end. As a bettor who was beaten by Funny Cide more often than I care to admit (I was a big Empire Maker fan) I salute him and has connections as representing racing at its best.
Cheers.
