Many moons ago, I was paid to cover racing at the Spa, and quite frankly had a much different opinion of the historic racecourse on Union Avenue. My former employer only allowed a pittance per night for the hotel room, and I was forced far out of town, to musty motels where dark paneling and televisions with rabbit ears were the norm. The days spent at the track were hot and tiring, and I didn’t partake in much Saratoga night life, nor did much sightseeing around town.
This time around, however, I did a little bit of everything. I finally tasted the spring waters (ugh!); shopped on Broadway and beyond; spent afternoons at the Fasig-Tipton salesgrounds eyeballing fancy yearlings, and then lingered all night at the sales, my head spinning from the astronomical pricetags; toured the Oklahoma backstretch with a guide from the National Museum of Racing; inspected new stallion Dublin at D. Wayne Lukas’s barn thanks to a Spendthrift Farm representative; explored the Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and marveled at the trophies, artwork, and artifacts, and finally got to touch, photograph and watch Preakness Stakes winner Shackleford train from Dale Romans’s barn on the Saratoga main backstretch.
In short, it was truly “horse heaven” for this thoroughbred lover, and I can’t wait to go back next year.
I left Saratoga with a new appreciation for its place in horse racing history, but I also left with a growing interest and intrigue in the New York breeding program, which is projected to grow by leaps and bounds now that the Aqueduct VLT parlor is ready to open by year’s end.
There are two things which truly make the New York breeding program appealing – the plethora of restricted races that are carded on a daily basis at Belmont Park, Aqueduct and Saratoga, and the New York-bred sale of preferred yearlings that is held annually by Fasig-Tipton at its Saratoga salesgrounds.
A robust restricted program is necessary to encourage breeders to drop foals in a particular state, and New York has one of the best, unlike Pennsylvania, where many are of the opinion that there should be a reduced number of restricted races, and that bettors have little or no interest in them. A restricted program like one currently in place in New York also encourages buyers to purchase New York-bred yearlings at public auction, as was demonstrated at the recent Fasig-Tipton sale on August 13-14.
The final figures of the New York-bred venue saw a gross of $6,725,500 for the 124 yearlings that were sold, with an average price of $54,238 and median of $35,000. Compared to last year, the number sold and gross rose 31.9 percent and 83 percent, respectively, while the average price increased 38.7 percent and the median advanced 16.7 percent.
In response to the expected purse and breeders’ bonus boost from the Aqueduct VLTs, many Kentucky farms are sending decent stallions to the Empire State, as evidenced by Spendthrift’s decision to test the waters with freshman sire and Grade 1-winner Dublin.
While Pennsylvania may currently give out more money, percentage-wise, to its owners and breeders, the lack of a restricted program, coupled with the lack of a first-class sale like the one Fasig-Tipton conducts, may hurt it in years to come.
Owners and breeders from Pennsylvania and beyond may take a renewed interest in the New York program, and - much like I took a second look at Saratoga this year – may decide that they like it very much.
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