Skip to main content

Author: Tony Podlaski

The Difficult Journey Back to College

Written by Tony Podlaski on . Posted in Sports.

After spending the summer as an intern at Saratoga Race Course, Shenendehowa graduate Alex DiConza makes the difficult trip to Cornell to continue studying Biometry and Statistics

Alec DiConza at Saratoga Race Course (Courtesy of Tony Podlaski)

As the Saratoga Race Course season came to an end on Labor Day, many college students returned to the dorms and classrooms after spending about 10 weeks working at the track.

Some of those college students are reluctant to leave the track because of the experience and friendships over the summer.

For Alec DiConza, leaving Saratoga before the Travers Stakes to begin his sophomore year at Cornell University as a Biometry and Statistics major was especially difficult.

“This is so much harder than it has to be,” the 19-year-old Shenendehowa graduate said about going from Saratoga to his first class at Cornell, a Multivariable Calculus class at 10 a.m. “After a couple weeks, I get adjusted to it. I think after closing day here, it’ll be a lot easier, but I’m certainly going to still be following all the action.”

After spending three summers writing for The Saratoga Special, DiConza became an intern in the racing office for the New York Racing Association.

Along with helping fill races and learning how races are written for the condition book, he has also worked with data analysis and spreadsheets to keep track of budgeting, claims, and “shakes,” the random draw used to determine ownership when multiple people submit a claim.

“It’s been a really good experience,” the 19-year-old said. “I’ve done a bunch of different things to fill my days. I’ve learned a lot about how races are put together and how trainers pick their spots. There’s honestly no better feeling in this job than when you’ve called someone and they say that they’re willing to enter their horse because of something you’ve said.”

Racing also sparked his interest in statistics. He learned about handicapping through his grandfather, who introduced him to the Daily Racing Form past performances for the Kentucky Oaks when he was six years old. Besides the Beyer speed figures that got his attention, he also started recognizing Hall of Fame trainers such as Todd Pletcher, Bob Baffert, Steve Asmussen, and the newest inductee Christophe Clement.

“I was just thrilled with all of the numbers that I wanted to know what they meant and how to kind of decipher who would win races,” DiConza said. “For about 10 years, I would come up here [at Saratoga] in the summer to handicap and follow races very closely.”

By the age of 16, DiConza was looking for a job that aligned his interests at Saratoga. Rather than working for concessions, serving as an usher or helping on the backstretch, he wanted a job that covered an aspect of racing.

Knowing it could be a longshot as a teenager, DiConza sent PowerPoint presentations and one of his YouTube videos on various aspects of horse racing to Tom Law, the managing editor and intern coordinator for The Saratoga Special. DiConza hoped to write for the publication during the Saratoga meet.

The long shot paid off. During the three summers with The Saratoga Special, DiConza covered races, developed interview skills, and built connections with jockeys, trainers and owners. Along with developing skills that transfer to the real world, the experience also built confidence for DiConza.

“They took a chance and I’d like to think it paid off,” he said. “I never would have had the opportunity to talk to so many people in racing media and so many trainers, jockeys, and owners if I had just been a fan. So being with The Saratoga Special, it not only got my name out there in the industry, it was also a really good experience from a confidence standpoint.”

“There’s a lot of learning on the job,” he added. “Just being able to go up to someone, talk to them, talk about your thoughts, and come up with your own questions, it helps a lot in the real world.”

As DiConza has built on his writing and communication skills, his strength is numbers, especially with statistics. Before graduating from Shenendehowa, he successfully completed AP Calculus that prepared him for Cornell’s program.

“I was always a numbers-oriented person in school,” he said. “Math, and specifically statistics, has always been my favorite. That’s why I chose statistics as a college major.”

While DiConza’s talent has been working with complex math and statistics, he also has an appreciation for the arts, more so ballet, music, and movies.

His interest in ballet started when he was three years old. After his sister left ballet for swimming, he appreciated that dance style by watching DVDs of his sister’s recitals as he tried to copy the dancer. For most of his next 13 years, DiConza participated in Saratoga City Ballet. One highlight of his ballet career was performing the roles of the Prince and the Cavalier in The Nutcracker during his senior year. Now, he is part of the Cornell Ballet Club.

“I persuaded my mom to enroll me in some classes and the rest is history. I never looked back from there. I loved it,” DiConza said. “Being a male dancer is rare in this area. But I was able to do the big pas de deux with one of my best friends and that was a lot of fun. I gained a lot of memories, I did a lot of performances, and I’ve been able to continue that in school.”

Along with playing violin for nine years since the fourth grade, including three years with Saratoga Youth Symphony, DiConza is an avid movie enthusiast with his favorite being Parasite, a South Korean black comedy-drama thriller that won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2019. Though, he also has a strong affinity for the horse racing comedy Let It Ride, featuring Richard Dreyfuss as Jay Trotter, an unsuccessful gambler who experiences a day of winning every bet.

“I’m a big movie guy,” DiConza said. “I love watching the Oscar-buzz films and giving my thoughts. I think that that’s a lot of fun. I must give Let It Ride its flowers because while it’s not what I would call an Oscar-worthy film, it perfectly captures the essence of being at a racetrack and trying to make a few bucks.”

Like the ending of Let it Ride when Jay Trotter wins the big bet, DiConza is hoping his internship and college experiences can parlay into a career – preferably in horse racing – after Cornell.

“I’m open to anything, but certainly working in racing,” he said. “I don’t think there is a more fun job out there than just talking about racing. There have been so many fun experiences. I don’t really have a concrete answer, but just anything in racing would be where I see myself.”

From a Racing Fan to a Future Career in the Horse Racing Industry

Written by Tony Podlaski on . Posted in Winner's Circle.

Ballston Spa graduate Bryce Tuohy continues his chase of a horse racing career after receiving one of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. scholarships

Bryce Tuohy Receiving the Debby Malloy Winkler Scholarship Presented by the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. (Courtesy of Adam Coglianese)

Bryce Tuohy is no stranger to the Winner’s Circle at Saratoga Race Course.

Something that started in collecting jockey autographs and getting an unforgettable fist-bump from a Hall of Fame trainer has evolved into helping to present trophy presentations while learning the horse racing industry.

The Ballston Spa graduate who is attending the University of Louisville’s Equine Industry program made another trip to the Winner’s Circle on Friday. This time, he was the recipient of the Debby Malloy Winkler Scholarship presented by the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.

The scholarship, named after the late daughter of Thoroughbred breeder and owner Vivien Malloy, recognizes full-time students who are committed to the future of Thoroughbred racing based on their academic work and industry involvement.

For Tuohy, the award reflects more than a summer spent working for the New York Racing Association and gaining experience on the backstretch.

“It means so much,” he said. “I’m so involved because I work to get there. I’m going to an out-of-state school to study a program and pursue the career of my dreams. This scholarship gives me a chance to be able to attend there and not have as much of a financial burden.”

That career goal combines two lifelong interests: business and horse racing.

Tuohy’s interest in business stems from his family background with both his father and grandfather as accountants. Inspired by their career, he followed a similar path.

“A lot of people in my family studied business and worked on the numbers side of business,” he said. “They really planned out their lives in a way where everything made sense financially. Everything in life is a business, if you think about it. My dad told me that from a young age.”

With his focus on entrepreneurship and business, Tuohy participated in the New York State Pathways in Technology (P-TECH) program through the partnership between Ballston Spa High School and Hudson Valley Community College. Taking classes at the TEC-SMART campus in Malta, as well as his AP courses, Tuohy earned 54 college credits that transferred to Louisville.

“That was really a great program,” he said about P-TECH. “I thought the curriculum was interesting. I thought it was different from the high school or the group work setting.”

At Louisville, Tuohy wanted to build past his New York experiences and connections in the Equine Industry Program, the only undergraduate equine program worldwide to be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. 

“I wanted to go to the University of Louisville because they have all the networking and connections [in Kentucky],” he said. “I thought it would be a great way to get a broad understanding of how the equine business works.”

While Louisville offered an opportunity to build connections, Tuohy’s passion for horse racing began much earlier. His grandfather often went to Roosevelt Raceway and other Long Island racetracks. Even some of Tuohy’s photos feature himself as a newborn at the racetrack.

“I come from a big family that loves horse racing,” Tuohy said. “They love going to the races, watching the horses run, and picking out the horses. Growing up around the races, I fell in love with the horses and the people.”

Like many 12-year-olds seeking jockey autographs, Tuohy got something extra on the final day of the 2022 Saratoga meet. After congratulating Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, whose Backyard Money won in the middle of the Closing Day card, he received a fist-bump, an invitation to the Winner’s Circle, and an open invitation to learn more about racing. That was a life-changing moment for Tuohy.

“That really inspired me,” Tuohy said. “That really helped change my life. I want to inspire people in the same way that he inspired me by getting involved racing and becoming a part of a group that can chase their dreams instead of an outsider.”

A couple of years after that moment, Tuohy chased his dream by learning from another trainer: Gary Contessa. Fascinated by Contessa’s YouTube videos about training horses, Tuohy wanted to learn more from him. Knowing it was going to be an initial challenge, Tuohy started helping him around his Saratoga barn while learning about being a trainer.

“I started at the bottom. He didn’t think I’d keep showing up around the rainy days and the cold mornings,” Tuohy said. “He really was an open book. He taught me a lot about training, all the paperwork, everything that had to go into his operation.”

During the afternoons, Tuohy worked as an usher at bottom of the stairs near the trophy case closet for NYRA. In helping bring the Alabama trophy to the Winner’s Circle two years ago, he was assigned to assist with the trophy presentations. He now also escorts the winning connections to the Carmen H. Barrera Horsemen’s Lounge for champagne and gifts.

As an intern shadowing NYRA Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Andrew Offerman, Tuohy has learned various aspects of the racetrack: the barn stall office, the racing stewards, the track veterinarians, the paddock judge, the placing judges and the racing office.

“I would go like a different place every day and I learned how the procedures worked in each different department,” he said.

This season, Tuohy also found time to assist around the backstretch. During the five-week stretch that started on the Fourth of July Racing Festival, he assisted H. James Bond and his team in setting up the feed and tack, getting horses out of the barn and track on time, and hotwalking the horses.

Tuohy’s experience has even extended off track with his work at Mill Creek Farm. When he was a junior at Ballston Spa, Tuohy spent his weekends and school breaks to help the 120-horse farm while learning about working with foals, those on a layoff, stallions, and others.

While Tuohy plans to spend the next four years at Louisville, he plans to come back to New York, especially since he considers Saratoga his summer home.

“I’ll be back,” Tuohy said. “I’m not 100% sure what my plan is, but I am going to have a career here. I love Saratoga, so this is the place to be in the summer. This is my home.”

A Champion both on and off the Steeplechase Course

Written by Tony Podlaski on . Posted in Winner's Circle.

Sean Clancy achieved championship success in the saddle, behind the keyboard, and operating a stable through patience, persistence, goals, and the support of others.


Sean Clancy (right) interviewing George Boughey (left), trainer of Survie, who won Saturday’s Christophe Clement Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course (Courtesy of Tony Podlaski)

Success and becoming a champion are often the result of a methodical, sometimes slow, process.

Sean Clancy is a good example of that.

For more than 40 years, Clancy slowly evolved into a champion steeplechase jockey, then a three-time Eclipse Award-winning writer, and now a championship steeplechase owner of Riverdee Stables.

That success was reinforced as Cyber Ninja, a horse once trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, won the Michael G. Walsh Novice Steeplechase event at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 12. This was the second win for Cyber Ninja this year, and the ninth winner for Riverdee Stables from 39 starters that includes two-time graded stakes winner Zabeel Champion.

“He’s a real pro. He’s got good flat platform. So, that showed up here. I’ve got a lot of great supporters. It’s just something that has organically grown. We couldn’t do it without them. A shout out to Bill Mott for taking care of his horses and having a horse who can do great things.”

Just like with horses, much of Clancy’s three-tier championship career has naturally grown through a methodical process.

It took Clancy some time to establish himself as a steeplechase rider. After making his start in April 1986, he did not regularly ride until 1988 when he had five winners, including Riverdee, a horse own by his father Joe P. Clancy.

Clancy found moderate success on the steeplechase circuit in South Carolina, Virigina and Maryland, but Saratoga remained elusive until 1994 when won three races at the meet. Four years later, he received the National Steeplechase Association champion rider award after winning 24 races from 104 starts, including the Grade 1 New York Turf Writers’ Cup with Hokan.

“I was a pretty slow burner,” he said. “My friends were winning races. They were champion jockeys before me. I was very focused on riding races. I was handicapping the races. A month or two months out, I was calling trainers. I was very dedicated to that.

Despite continued success aboard horses like multiple graded stakes winner Pinky Swear, Clancy thought about his post-riding career. A separated shoulder, a plate in his ankle, and a screw in his wrist convinced him that training was not in his future.

“I’m smart enough to know that being a steeplechase jockey is a very short-term career. It could go at any moment,” he said. “I was looking for something that would at least give me something to do when I stopped. Most of those riders end up being trainers or assistants. It was not my thing. I love being around horses, but I was never going to be in a barn all day, every day.”

One career option Clancy often considered was communication, particularly writing, a skill he enjoyed since childhood. While playing with toy horses, he created racing programs and announced the races.

Clancy further developing his writing through to Joe Aitcheson Jr., who boarded at the family home during the steeplechase season near Delaware Park. Each letter carried the thrill of hearing from a childhood sports hero.

“I was kind of always wired that way,” Clancy said “I would write a lot of letters. I had Joe living above my kitchen. That’s like Mickey Mantle. I’d come down for breakfast and he would be sitting at the table. I was just enthralled by it.”

While pursuing a history degree at the University of Delaware, near the Fair Hill Training Center where his father had horses, Clancy balanced riding and galloping horses while surviving the academic rip current, especially around writing.

“I learned quickly that all I had to do was go to a class or two, skim a book or two, and write an essay that would tie in the one class, and something relevant of today,” he said. “I weaved some essay exam together and survived.”

Frustrated by errors about his age, injury, and being misquoted in a weekly magazine after his three-win day at Brookhill, Clancy found motivation to pursue writing with the help of his older brother Joe Clancy.

“I anxiously got that article and wanted to read it. It had three mistakes,” the younger Clancy said. “I flipped out and called my brother and said, ‘Why can’t we start a steeplechase newspaper?’”

After weighing the $5,000 cost to cover a computer and printing seven issues, Clancy and his brother launched the Steeplechase Times in Spring 1994 to coincide with the racing season. Although Clancy had never been published, his older brother, a University at Delaware graduate with newspaper experience at The Whale and Cecil Whig mentored him as a writer.

“The biggest thing that happened in my life was my older brother,” Clancy said. If it wasn’t for my older brother, I don’t know if I’d be a writer. He taught me everything. He has the skills; he has the education.”

A few years later, both Clancy and his brother started The Saratoga Special as both wrote multiple stories each day. As the publication grew, they recruited Saratoga Springs native Tom Law. Through The Saratoga Special, Clancy earned Eclipse Awards for stories on Maple Leaf Mel’s tragic breakdown (2023) and the thrilling Travers finish between Fierceness and Thorpedo Anna (2024), following his first Eclipse Award in 2008 for a Bloodhorse commentary Hall of Fame trainer Sidney Watters Jr.’s estate sale.

With the help of a few interns each year at The Saratoga Special, Clancy has more time to focus on Riverdee Stables, which he operates with his wife Anne Kontos Clancy.

Like riding and writing, Clancy built Riverdee Stables over time. After retiring in 2000, he began buying horses for Fisher, starting with Bubble Economy, a $25,000 purchase who won 14-of-59 steeplechase races and earned more than $450,000.

Other standouts include the following: Goodnight Shirt, a two-timer Eclipse Award Champion and Hall of Fame inductee; Mr. Hot Stuff, winner of the Grade 1 A. P. Smithwick Memorial; and Dawalan, the 2015 Eclipse Award Champion.

“I started getting some success and confidence, which is where that’s the biggest thing,” Clancy said. “

Riverdee Stables grew steadily after sending out its first horse, Extra Check in 2003. For more than a decade, Clancy spent years finding horses that have the pedigree, confirmation, ability, and connections such as Aspe, his first Saratoga winner in 2013; graded stakes winner Eagle Poise; Awakened, 2023 Steeplechase Eclipse Award finalist; and Rocket One, who finished first or second in 10-of-11 starts since April 2023.

Riverdee Stables reached a new level last year by winning 18-of-85 races, all with Fisher. Cool Jet led the group with three straight graded stakes wins, including the Grade 1 Commonwealth Cup Stakes, that solidified the Eclipse Award for Steeplechase Horse and Riverdee Stables for Steeplechase Owner. Clancy never hesitated to credit that success.

“My wife is awesome. She’s a great horsewoman. She knows the sport. She’s pushed us to do it,” Clancy said. “Jack Fisher is a great trainer. Then, you just get lucky.”

While supportive people, and even perhaps luck, play a part of Clancy becoming a champion jockey, writer, and owner, he believes establishing a lifelong habit of setting ambitious goals is also a factor.

“My lifetime goal was to be champion jockey,” he said. “Then, come back to be champion owner, I feel very proud of that. As a jockey, you’re trying to escape that, especially with steeplechase racing. I set goals. I can get focused on goals, so it has been really special.”

Smooth Like Buttah

Written by Tony Podlaski on . Posted in Winner's Circle.

Jorge Pagan (left) is the groom; Javier Castellano is the jockey; Eddie Fazzone (right) is the owner. (Courtesy of Susie Raisher)
Buttah at Saratoga Race Course (Courtesy of Adam Coglianese)

Capital Region restauranteur Eddie Fazzone’s Buttah spreads another win to his resume after winning the John Morrissey Stakes at Saratoga Race Course

Just like butter goes with a lobster roll, so does Buttah winning a race at Saratoga Race Course.

The 4-year-old gray colt earned his fifth career victory on Thursday by taking the John Morrissey Stakes for Eddie Fazzone, the Schenectady native and owner of Eddie F’s New England Seafood Restaurant.

Well positioned early in the race, Buttah took the lead near the quarter-pole, fought off a challenge from Acoustic Avenue at the eighth pole, then prevailed by 1¾ lengths under strong handling by Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano in the seven-furlong event for older New York-breds.

After getting caught in the final strides in the off-the-turf Cab Calloway Division of the New York Stallion Series last year at Saratoga, Buttah finally joined his half-brothers Lobsta and Chowda as stakes winners coming from the mare Salty Little Sis.

The victory also marked Fazzone’s second stakes win at Saratoga after Dream Central took the Suzie O’Cain Stakes in 2022.

“Just when you think it can’t get any better, it gets better,” Fazzone said. “With Dream Central, that was a great stakes win at Saratoga. We knew this horse had it. His brothers won stake races. Last year up here, he got a bad break. He had caught at the wire in the New York Stallion stakes.”

Fazzone, whose racing name is based on his Clinton Street restaurant, thought the sprinting distance and running style were the ideal factors for Buttah.

“He’s got some good tactical speed. I always saw seven furlongs for all of the brothers was the best distance,” he said. “These guys want to be up [near the pace]. If you grab hold of them, drop four or five months behind, that’s a different state. They’re not that kind of closer. They all got hearts and they want to fight you.”

Fazzone also believes Buttah has established himself as a horse for the course, entering the John Morrissey Stakes with two wins and four starts at Saratoga, including his second career race on Sept. 2, 2024.

“We gave him a race, and he still ran a decent fifth,” he said. “That wasn’t bad for the first time out. Then, he won the second time out. Last year, he got beaten a neck. Now, he’s won three times here. Definitely, this is his home.”

Winning a stakes race at Saratoga is also a familiar experience for Buttah’s trainer Ilkay Kantarmaci. Nearly three years ago, he and his brother, Mertkan, won the Grade 2 Ballston Spa Stakes at Saratoga with Evvie Jets, a mare they claimed for $80,000 who also won the Grade 3 Noble Damsel Stakes at Aqueduct.

With Buttah’s win, Kantarmaci won 6-of-38 races this meet after Sunday’s races. Over the last five years, he has won more than 100 races from over 700 starters.

“I have won a lot of races, but it was exciting in the Winner’s Circle,” he said about winning the John Morrissey. “It was so huge. It was a good feeling.”

Buttah came to Kantarmaci’s barn following Gary Sciacca’s retirement from training horses in late February. Sciacca thought Kantarmaci could be a good fit for Buttah.

“When Gary retired, he said, ‘Hey, I got one nice horse. I’m going to talk to Eddie.’ Gary spoke so highly about me to Eddie. He let me train the horse. He trusted me, and I have tried my best.”

After Buttah spent the rest of the winter at a Wappingers Falls farm, he resumed training at Belmont Park in April. Following three weekly half-mile workouts and other gallops around the track, Buttah had a strong second finish in an allowance race on May 14.

During the Belmont Stakes Festival at Saratoga, Buttah came back with a solid allowance win at 29-1. That victory proved to be a productive prep race as Local Knowledge came back to win the Grade 2 Amsterdam on July 31, and Sea Strike took the Curlin Stakes on Aug. 2 by 8¼-lengths.

With that key race, along with the way Buttah has been training, Fazzone felt confident going into the John Morrissey Stakes.

“From the last race, he’s going to be really tough,” he said. “We’ve been here every day for eight weeks and watching him train at 5:30 in the morning. The exercise rider came off the track; he couldn’t hold him back.”

Even though Kantarmaci thinks Buttah is the same horse as when Sciacca trained him, he has considered other variables that have helped the horse run perhaps two career-best races.

“There is nothing really different about him,” he said. “Maybe like a little time off might help him. It might be the training schedule. It might be the different groom and different rider. Everything is different when you switch to the barn. Don’t get me wrong. Gary was a very successful trainer. He won a lot of races, and I have a lot of respect for him.”

Buttah is not the only horse running solid races for Fazzone. Mo for the King has finished no worse than third over the last 8-of-10 starts, including Sunday’s allowance race for state-breeds at Saratoga. Following an almost four-month rest, Mischievous Trick has won back-to-back races at Finger Lakes.

While Fazzone’s horses are running well, he is waiting for the last progeny from Salty Little Sis, who is now retired as a broodmare at John Jayko’s Fedwell Farm, just over three miles west of Saratoga Race Course and about 1½ miles from the Eddie F.’s restaurant.

Tartah has been training on both the dirt and turf since arriving at Robert Falcone, Jr.’s barn in mid-June. Fazzone knows the hopeful 2-year-old may have some expectations to follow the half-brothers as he looks to start him near the end of the meet.

“No pressure on him; he’s got some big shoes to fill,” Fazzone said. “But he’s doing good and Falcone said he’s getting better with every week and catching on to what his job is. He looks like a horse who wants to do it, so hopefully everything goes good with him.”

Fazzone is going to savor Buttah’s victory while thinking about the horse’s fall campaign, which could include graded stakes competition, as he hopes the horse continues to run smooth like butter.

From the Dairy Farm to the Racetrack … and to the Breeding Farm

Written by Tony Podlaski on . Posted in Winner's Circle.


After working as an assistant trainer around outstanding horses, including a two-time Horse of the Year, Seth Gregory continues to build on his Innisfree Farm in Galway


“Seth Gregory with his unnamed yearlings at Innisfree Farm in Galway”

Seth Gregory has worked with many elite Thoroughbred horses through horse racing’s respectable trainers. Now, for more than a decade, he has taken that experience to breeding successful horses.

Since starting as an assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, Gregory has evolved into a breeder with his Innisfree Farm in Galway. In 2013, he bought the 65-acre farm that crosses over Galway Road and named it after his favorite poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by William Butler Yeats.

“I always wanted to be around the Saratoga area,” he said. “I think it was a six-year search to find something that fit my needs and my wallet.”

Growing up in Garrattsville, about 20 miles west of Cooperstown, the 53-year-old Gregory never wanted to follow the family’s dairy farm business. However, after graduating from high school, he still wanted to work with animals, especially horses.

With a Clark Foundation Scholarship given to seniors in the Leatherstocking Region, Gregory attended college for a year. Yet, he wanted an outside-the-classroom education at the racetrack and the breeding farm.

“I wanted nothing to do with dairy farming,” Gregory said. “I always had horses. My original plan for life was to probably go to Kentucky to manage a farm, but I wanted to see the racetrack before I did that.”

After graduating from Cornell with a bachelor’s degree in animal science in 1995, Gregory joined Mott’s barn after meeting him at Allen Paulson’s Brookside Farm in Versailles, Ky.

During his time with Mott, he worked with many multiple Grade 1 winners that included Lassigny, Northern Emerald, and King’s Theater. Though, one of Gregory’s more memorable moments came with two-time Horse of the Year, Cigar, whom he groomed during their time at the Dubai World Cup.

“I got bit by the racetrack bug. It was absolutely amazing,” Gregory said. “He’s a super, nice horse and great to be around. You couldn’t ask for more. I was blessed to be there at the time of Cigar and lucky enough to end up going with him to Dubai.”

Gregory then spent a decade working for Mark Hennig by handling another accomplished group of runners such as Grade 1 King’s Bishop winner Gygistar, three-time Grade 1 winner Raging Fever, and multiple graded stakes winners Gold Mover, With Ability, and Biding Time. Gregory also worked for Tom Albertrani, who trained several horses for the Godolphin and Darley group.

Still working at the racetrack, Gregory became involved in breeding horses with a mare who was also his first winner as an assistant trainer under Hennig: Won Perfect Rose. Shortly after getting transferred to John Campo’s barn, Won Perfect Rose suffered a career-ending injury as Gregory found an opportunity.

“The injury was bad,” Gregory said. “Basically, our owner’s bloodstock advisor said to find her a home somewhere in New York.”

That home was his family’s dairy farm.

“I talked to my parents (Henry and Connie Elizabeth) and they let me send her home,” he said. “She was my start in the breeding business.”

With graded stakes winner Spinal Tap as the sire, Won Perfect Rose produced Won Dozen Roses, Gregory’s first horse that initially ran under his father’s name as she won 7-of-25 races.

Won Perfect Rose’s more successful progeny was Gold and Roses, who won 10-of-45 races, including the New York Stallion Stakes in 2005 and back-to-back editions of the John Morrissey Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, while earning $877,966 for Henry Gregory.

Seth Gregory reinvested some earnings from Gold and Roses into another mare: Road to Mandalay. He purchased Road to Mandalay, who was in foal to two-time Grade 1 winner Aptitude, for $25,000 at the Keeneland Association Breeding Sales in November 2005.

Shortly after that sale, Road to Mandalay delivered La Concerto, who was later purchased for $110,000 in February 2008 before winning 8-of-18 races. After producing nine other winners, she stands retired at Innisfree Farm.

“She has been a wonderful asset,” Gregory said. “She just had beautiful babies that always sold very, very well. She’s still at the farm. She’s retired and enjoying her life.”

One of Road to Mandalay’s progeny may be following a similar breeding trend around Gergory’s farm: the 14-year-old mare Sonora, who won six races – all sprints – in 46 career starts. Michael Anthony Ferraro sold the mare back to Gregory shortly after her last race in March 2019.

After Sonora lost her first goal, her next one has shown some promise: Unlock the Value, an impressive 9½-length winner in her first start at Saratoga Race Course on July 30.

Once Unlock the Value left Gregory’s farm, bloodstock agent Mike Ryan purchased her for $50,000 for Klaravich Stables at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sales in Keeneland in October 2024. A few months later, the unraced filly was sent to Chad Brown’s stable at Monmouth Park where she posted consistent workouts until August 2025, then was turned out for the rest of the year.

She started training again in February at Fair Hill before coming to Saratoga in May for a couple of months, then was sent to Monmouth Park until her debut.

“I’m very glad that Chad was so patient with her,” Gregory said. “She had a layoff and then they gave her plenty of time and got her back in very, very good order. She’s just a pretty filly and has done everything right.”

Along with producing Unlock the Value, Sonora has bred an unnamed 2-year-old filly by Vekoma who sold for $400,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales in June, a yearling colt by New York-bred Horse of the Year Americanrevolution, and a foal colt by Messier who was born on May 5.

Sonora and Road to Mandalay are just two of the 20 horses at the Innisfree Farm. Gregory also has 2021 New York Oaks winner A Bit o’ Irish Sass, Hey Mama, and some playful yearlings.

Beyond his breeding farm, Gregory, who was once a wine distributor throughout the Hudson Valley region, also assists his wife Kiley’s wine and spirit store since 2018.

From grooming a two-time Horse of the Year on the international stage to breeding potential runners at his own farm, Gregory has built a career that he imagined after deciding that dairy farming was not for him.

A Natural Gift for Horses – From New York, Florida, and Kentucky to the rodeo arena, Saratoga Springs native Jesse Costa has built a career and hobby around understanding horses.

Written by Tony Podlaski on . Posted in Featured, Winner's Circle.

Jesse Costa at Saratoga Race Course (Courtesy of Tony Podlaski)

Jesse Costa has made a career out of his natural ability with horses, a gift that continues to shape his work at the racetrack and his hobby.

As an assistant starter for the New York Racing Association, Costa spends his mornings and afternoons helping horses into the starting gate. Outside the track, he participates in rodeo competitions and works with horses for riding.

“I got a good gift with horses,” the 29-year-old Saratoga Springs native said. “They talk back, but they don’t speak to you. They show you. You can read a horse. You will know exactly what they’re going to do.”

Although he never received any formal training, Costa learned about Thoroughbreds as a child at Belmont Park where family’s horses were trained by Dominic Schettino.

“Every weekend, I was at Belmont Park. That was my backyard. That was my playground,” Costa said. “I learned a lot underneath him about the racetrack life from the bottom up. Also, I sat around for long hours watching older guys. I picked up little things. It was just natural.”

At 18, Costa became a NYRA outrider. After about 18 months at Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park, and Aqueduct, he was head outrider at Gulfstream Park for four years before returning to New York in January 2024.

About eight years ago, Costa faced a life-changing experience: trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic pain disorder. After three brain surgeries, he had an epiphany and decided it was time for a change.

“It felt like jumper cables were on my face,” he said. “There would be times when I got a flare up. Now, I’m pretty good, knock on wood. It took me a while to realize it … life is too short. I took a step back and realized the worked that I done at Gulfstream for four years. I missed a lot. Family and everybody was up here. I’m grateful for being down there. It was a great steppingstone.”

That steppingstone lead into his next career: an assistant starter.

During the Keeneland spring meet in 2020, Scott Jordan, NYRA’s current head starter, recruited Costa to serve as an assistant starter for the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby when his team was short-handed. Despite having no starting gate experience, Costa was successful; he was invited back to Churchill Downs for the following year.

This spring, Jordan offered Costa a position as an assistant starter. Costa believed this was part of his future.

“I like the gate. When I was a kid, I always hung around the gate,” he said. “Eventually, it was going to happen. I just didn’t know when. It was a pretty easy transition. These guys took me underneath their wings. It’s better on my body right now. It also gives me more time to do some other stuff.”

Outside the racetrack, Costa enjoyed team roping since he was 14 after learning the sport from rodeo legend Roger Stockton at his Ballston Spa ranch.

“When we were up here for the summers, he would always bring me up to his house where he had a roping arena and a bunch of horses,” Costa said. “I would help him, and he would teach me how to rope. That’s how I got a liking to it.”

Costa spends his time at Riding High in Warrensburg on Mondays, as well as the Painted Pony Championship Rodeo in Lake Luzerne on Wednesdays and the Lucky E Rodeo in Broadalbin on Thursdays – both part of the International Pro Rodeo Association and the Interstate Rodeo Association organization.

As a rookie in the IPRA and IRA circuit, he also participated in the team roping competition at the Saratoga County Fair on July 22. One of his riding partners is Robbie Erck of Fort Edward, the son of the former NYRA lead outrider Steve Erck. Like many aspiring rodeo riders, Costa dreams of advancing to that next level.

“I just like the adrenaline,” Costa said. “It’s the closest thing I kind of get right now to catch a loose horse. It’s you and your horse. It’s also you and your partner. If I can stick with it and keep on doing what I’m doing, I would like to eventually [compete at the next level].”

While a riding partner is important to team roping, Costa knows a dependable horse is just as essential. For the last five years, McCall has been that horse, a former Kentucky ranch horse he purchased while working as an outrider at Gulfstream Park and later transitioned into rodeo competition.

“During the meet, I didn’t want to put too much pressure on him,” Costa said. “I never took him to the rodeo … because I needed them here. Now that I’m not [outriding], it’s time for him to shine.”

Costa also has Smokey, a big white Quarter Horse that caught his attention after Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott purchased him at Payson Park more than two years ago. After keeping Smokey for a year, he offered the former show horse to Costa shortly after Sovereignty won last year’s Kentucky Derby.

“I got over to his barn, sat down in his office, and he said, ‘Son, you got $10?’ There’s a horse in the next barn, he belongs to you,” Costa said. “He was a little-too-much horse for Bill. He was most of a catch horse rather than a stable pony.”

Because no one rode Smokey in two years, Costa needed patience with him.

“When I got on him, he almost bucked me off,” Costa said. “That night, I roped about 4-5 cows when I was on him. He’s a finished horse. It’s very hard to find horses that can do it all. I am blessed to have two of them.”

Besides McCall and Smokey, Costa recently rescued Elton, a palomino yearling in Texas for $850. He is hoping to develop Elton after the Saratoga meet.

“When I bought him, he was a runt,” Costa said. “That’s my new hobby now. He might be a stable pony. He might be a rope horse. He might be a barrel horse. He might just be an ornament. Who knows? I’ll see what he wants to do.”

Costa also assists other trainers with difficult horses, including two sent to him by Finger Lakes trainer Paul Barrow this spring that showed remarkable improvement in their temperament after about two months of work.

“They were a little too much for them at the moment,” Costa said. “One of them was bucking people off. He wasn’t bad. He had a personality. Once he figured you out, the bond was good. I sent them back and they couldn’t believe how good they were.”

Over the past 11 years, Costa has evolved from outrider to an assistant starter, pursued rodeo riding, and overcome a rare medical condition. These changes have shaped him.

“It’s a big change, but it was a good change,” he said. “I like it so far. Everything’s going smooth.”

Leaving an Impactful TRF Career

Written by Tony Podlaski on . Posted in Winner's Circle.


After 20 years of starting as a volunteer for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, Pat Campagna retires as Chief Financial Officer in August


(Pat Campagna with Fortunate Storm)

What began as a desire to give back to retired Thoroughbreds evolved into a two-decade career in helping the oldest and largest aftercare organization in the United States.

Now, Pat Campagna is preparing to close that chapter.

Campagna is retiring from the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation after serving as a volunteer, executive director and chief financial officer, helping guide the organization through a period of financial growth, a strengthened Board of Directors and expanded oversight of retired racehorses at several farms, including Wallkill Correctional Facility as part of the Second Chances program and sanctuary farms such as 18 Karat Farm in Schuylerville.

“I will definitely leave with mixed emotions,” she said. “I’m obviously passionate about the mission. I’ve always liked what I’ve done. At some point, I have to retire. The TRF is in a good place. They have a really strong [Board of Directors]. I think the herd is in great shape. Our Second Chances program is strong.”

Many people involved in Thoroughbred racing and aftercare typically started when they were as young as a child. However, Campagna’s career path has been different.

Before entering the horse racing industry, Campagna built a career in the nonprofit and publishing sectors. After the Saco, Maine native earned a master’s degree in nonprofit accounting from the University at Denver, she worked in mental health administration, then became an independent contractor for smaller business mergers and acquisitions in Massachusetts, as well as an interim CFO for Globe Pequot Press.

After moving to the Saratoga Springs area for personal reasons, Campagna became involved in racing partnerships that included West Point Thoroughbreds and Parting Glass Racing.

Among the horses that she co-owned were two-time Saratoga Race Course winner and stakes runner Yolanda B. Too and Fortunate Storm, who won three races for West Point Thoroughbreds before being claimed.

“When one of them won, it was just one of the most exciting things I had done in my life. It was just such a great experience,” she said.

Although she enjoyed the racing partnerships, Campagna wanted to give back to the horses once their careers were over. Her search for aftercare organizations led her to the TRF.

“I kept thinking that I have to figure out a way to give back to the horses,” she said. “I came upon the TRF because it was, at that time, one of the very few organizations that helped Thoroughbreds when their racing days were over. I was committed to doing a donation anytime one of my horses won.”

Within months of attending an adoption clinic, Campagna began volunteering for the TRF for about a day each week. That led to a part-time accounting role, then a full-time CFO position until 2019 when she added the executive director title.

During her tenure, especially over the last two years, Campagna helped strengthen the organization’s finances and led the strategic plan process built around “greatness.”

“Everybody had a different opinion about what that was,” Campagna said. “I think that’s our mantra: What does great look like? As long as we keep working toward that goal, I think the TRF will continue to improve. I think the financial stability is huge. Everything the TRF accomplished, we’ve done as a team.”

The TRF’s annual events around the Saratoga racing season have become an important source of support for the aftercare program that includes the Second Chances program and sanctuary farms. That commitment has helped the organization earn accreditation from the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. This year’s events include:

Gumbo with Kendrick Carmouche: While advanced tickets for this event on July 27 from 5-10 p.m. at the Principessa Elena Society on 13 Oak Street in Saratoga Springs have been sold out, there will be a limited number of tickets available at the door.

Cocktails For Aftercare: The Adelphi Hotel on 365 Broadway in Saratoga Springs is hosting this TRF fundraising event on Aug. 5 from 6-8 p.m.

TRF Polo Classic: The TRF has reimagined its annual summer fundraiser with this inaugural event on Aug. 25 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. at Bloomfield Farm on 18 Bloomfield Rd. in Saratoga Springs.

More details on these events, as well as other TRF information, are available at trfinc.org.

While there are many retired Thoroughbreds that have played an integral part in the Second Chances program, one of them is still recognized today: Quick Call. A winner of 16-of-86 races that included the 1988 and 1989 Forego Stakes, he was one of the eldest herds until his passing in 2019 at the extraordinary age of 35.

His remains rest at Clare Court on the Saratoga Race Course backstretch. Presented by the TRF, a stakes race is also named in his honor for his career as an aftercare ambassador.

“I made a lot of visits to Wallkill during the years when Quick Call was there,” she said. “I certainly knew the horse and I could see the impact that horse, along with many others at Wallkill, had on the incarcerated individuals there.”

Even one of Campagna’s owned horses became part of the Second Chances program. After winning his final race in a $4,500 claiming event at Charles Town in West Virginia, Fortunate Storm found himself in a “bad situation.”

Campagna helped rescue him and brought him to Wallkill. Now, he is at the Saratoga Springs sanctuary farm, while her other co-owned horse Yoland B. Too, resides at a California farm.

“I think the Second Chance program is something I’ve always felt really proud to be a part of,” she said. “Rescuing horses or taking horses that are being responsibly retired is great. That’s the mission that I signed up for.”

Even though she is retiring from her career at the TRF, she plans to continue supporting the organization.

“I’ll probably remain involved in some capacity as a volunteer,” she said. “I feel like I just need some downtime, then rethink what I want to do and how much I want to stay involved in industry and in aftercare. I’ll always be involved at some level.”

As she prepares for retirement, Campagna hopes she has left a legacy at the TRF.

“I hoped that I’ve inspired other people to get involved,” she said. “I hope that I am leaving the organization in as good or better shape than it was in when I got there.”

From the Racetrack to the Running Track

Written by Tony Podlaski on . Posted in Featured, Winner's Circle.


Photo of Carson Gambaro by Tony Podlaski.


Carson Gambaro, known for being the Saratoga Race Course bugler with his father Tony, continues to build upon his track goals – both running and announcing – once the meet is over after Labor Day.

The Labor Day weekend at Saratoga Race Course is not only the end of the 40-day meet, it is also that moment of transition with the leaves turning colors before falling to the ground as the summer season makes its exit in a couple of weeks.

The three-day weekend is also the last vestige of summer with vacations coming to an end, some young adults are going back to college, and families are returning to a routine around the school-year schedule, especially around high school sports.

After again co-leading the call to the post with his father Tony Gambaro this season, Carson Gambaro plans to continue his passion around running by covering and announcing high school track and field meets, as well as cross country races, while staying in shape as a sprinter for next year.

Since graduating from Syracuse University in 2022, along with being a Saratoga bugler and playing for his father’s band Ten Most Wanted, Gambaro became a freelance correspondent for MileSplit New York, a popular website and social media platform for high school runners and fans to find results, information, and interviews on various meets throughout the state.

That opportunity has led him to announce at track meets at Stillwater High School, where he graduated in 2018, and other local meets and invitationals where he has been polishing his skills.

“I joined MileSplit because I knew that they broadcasted the New York State Championships and other New York state invitationals,” Gambaro said. “That’s when I realized after getting reps as a public address announcer at my high school and other small local track meets, I wanted to get more serious about announcing the sport.”

Gambaro’s interest in announcing and running was something that developed going into the COVID-19 pandemic. As an undeclared freshman at Syracuse, Gambaro strived for a 4.0 grade point average that would allow him to transfer into the Newhouse School with the emphasis on the broadcasting digital journalism program. He wanted to follow the path of alumni Bob Costas and Mike Tirico.

“I have always been fond of sports and sports announcers,” Gambaro said. “I would always try to know who was announcing a primetime football game, the crew, the play-by-play and color [commentators], and some of the big names. Once I got into Newhouse and started getting some extracurricular experience, that’s where I developed the journalistic side to myself.”

Once the pandemic occurred during his sophomore year, Gambaro, like many college students at the time, initially struggled in finding activities and that extracurricular experience. That’s when he went back to his passion for running.

After marching band rehearsals, Gambaro went to Syracuse’s practice track for his own workouts with stretches and interval runs. He also became more interested in following the elite runners who competed at the World Championships and Diamond League.

“I didn’t have a whole ton of hands-on stuff to do with everything being remote,” Gambaro said. “That gave me some time to reconnect to a lost love of mine, and that was competitive track and field. I was also starting to watch professional track and field. That really made me a bigger fan of the sport.”

Growing up, Gambaro always had an interest in running, whether it was connected to going up the stairs, playing outdoor games with his friends, or even chasing after his Doberman Pinschers in the yard.

“I always just loved the idea of being fast when I was young,” he said “I always run up the stairs. I would always try to beat my friends and races. I didn’t think I’d always win because I didn’t really know how to run.”

By the time Gambaro got to Stillwater High School, he learned how to run, which led him to be a successful sprinter, especially during his senior year of the outdoor track season with a personal-best time of 56.22 seconds for 400 meters.

Along with being part of the winning 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter relay teams at the Wasaren League Championships, Gambaro anchored the 4×400-meter relay team that captured the Section II title.

The sectional title may have been more impressive for Gambaro after he overcame a disappointing 11th-place finish in the 400 meters. He also believes that his unofficial final split was within the 54-second range for the sectional title.

“I had a terrible race earlier that day when a gust of wind blew my hip number into my hand. I looked at it, and the next thing I knew I was out of the race. I was not happy,” he said. “But my coach told me, ‘You got to focus on your race.’ I knew that I had to go all or nothing.”

With self-recorded workouts, weight training and proper nutrition, with the exception of an occasional Oreo Double Stuffed cookie or slice of pizza from Jimmy’s in Malta, Gambaro still aims for the 54-second personal best performance at many meets throughout the Capital Region that include the Colonie Mile and Summer Track Series through the Hudson-Mohawk Road Runners Club.

Flirting around 56 to 57 seconds at the meets, Garmbaro got closer to his benchmark at the Empire State Sports Council Patriot Invitational at Watervliet in June. After announcing at the AAU event, executive director Anthony Mills allowed Garmbaro to compete in the masters division of the 400 meters. The electronic timer had Gambaro finishing in 55.66 seconds for his first race of the season.

“I completely blew myself away,” Gambaro said. “I had no indicators with the workouts that I was going to run anywhere near the time that I did.  I’m so grateful for [Anthony Mills] in making that opportunity happen.”

He has also entertained the local running scene. At one of the Colonie meets, long-time high school coaching notable Frank Myers and track official Mark Mindel convinced Gambaro, who scratched from the 400-meter event that day due to a hamstring pull, to dress in his bugler uniform and give a call to post for the 1-mile event.

Gambaro has also taken on other challenges such as running 400 meters in jeans, something similar to elite runner Johnny Gregorek Jr.’s blue jean mile, 400 meters in an Easter Bunny costume, and 1¼ miles in the bugler uniform.

Off the track, Gambaro continues to work on his announcing and digital broadcasting ventures through the In Full Stride podcast that is on his YouTube channel in which he interviews high school sprinters on their experiences and strategies in becoming a successful runner. One of Gambaro’s goals is getting the opportunity to announce at the World Championships and the Olympics.

In the meantime, Gambaro continues enjoying his two passions once the Saratoga racing season is over: track and announcing.

Giving Back through the Backstretch and a Quarter Pole

Written by Tony Podlaski on . Posted in Winner's Circle.


The quarter pole is an important marker for all horses who compete at Saratoga Race Course. Not only does the quarter pole set up the last stage of the race, it is also a reminder for the horse and jockey that there is 440 yards to the finish, especially if it is that horse’s last race before retirement.

Mary Lou Doyle knows the importance of that as she shares her experiences of being an owner, breeder, and even a co-creator of her latest venture in making miniature quarter poles through her personalized backstretch tours.

Most mornings, Doyle gives people – both in and outside of Saratoga Springs – an opportunity to learn about the backstretch by introducing them to an experience most have never had.

“I started doing tours more because I met too many owners who didn’t know where the test barn was or had never seen the walking path to the paddock,” she said. “Then I met people who had never seen a horse up close, but they were huge racing fans. That was a disconnect to me, and I wanted to close that gap.”

For about an hour, the Saratoga Springs native gives her guests aspects of the track that many people do not see during the day, whether it is the pathway that each horse takes from the stable to the paddock for a race, watching the race around the three-eighths pole where people can hear the jockeys encouraging their horses and the thunderous sounds of the hooves on the track, or driving past barns to view horses such as Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty, who is the strong favorite in Saturday’s Travers Stakes.

Doyle also introduces any jockey who has ridden for her, if they are available: Javier Castellano, Kendrick Carmouche, and Irad Ortiz, to name a few. Her guests see how the jockeys are part of the backstretch, too.

“They ride their own golf carts or with their agents and they understand the PR value of their brand,” she said. “Most are super friendly anyway and always stop for a quick hello and photo.”

Doyle’s guests also get to meet many trainers who know her or have trained her horses, including those through partnerships. The first trainer who welcomed one of her first tours years ago was H. James Bond and his wife Tina.

“A new CEO was in town for almost a year and hadn’t been to the track yet and hadn’t even thought about the backstretch,” she said. “They were so impressed when the Bonds invited them to see their barns, they whispered, ‘If I ever buy a horse, those are the kind of people I want to train it!”

Doyle emphasizes the need for trainers who are ambassadors for new or potential owners and first-time “backstretchers.” Other trainers who are part of Doyle’s tour include Carlos Martin, Michelle Nevin, Tom Morley, and fellow Saratoga native Jen Paragallo.

As part of the tour, many guests are surprised by all that goes on behind the scenes. They offer to pay Doyle, but she does not accept any payment. Though, she does ask them if they would make a donation to Thoroughbred aftercare or the Double H Ranch.

“We donate a lot,” Doyle said. “We give a percentage to aftercare. It has been important to us since we first started buying horses. You have to be thinking about it when you buy a horse.”

Along with aftercare, Doyle believes in the importance of a trainer managing a smaller stable for her horses. She appreciates Nevinis giving individualized attention and care to her horses. In return, Doyle gives back to many backstretch workers, including security, by making breakfast treats such as blueberry and banana muffins, as well as a French toast bake.

“I’m really supportive of small stables,” Doyle said. “I really stand up for them because they’ve great horses, and we need those opportunities in races. They’ve got the time for them and they’re hands on, literally.

“We try to bake about 100 mini-muffins every week and hand them out to grooms I see on the tour,” she added. “Some I know, some I don’t. But anyone who waves with a smile to my guests, they get muffins as a thank you.”

The backstretch tours evolved from Doyle’s car tours at the MacMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds Farm, where she has stabled and bred her horses over the past eight years, including one of her mares being mated to her favorite horse Bucchero, the sire of Book’em Danno, who is competing in Saturday’s Grade 1 Forego; her other mare bred to Grade 1 winner Americanrevolution.

With the guidance and support from founders Joe and Anne McMahon, as well as general manager John McMahon, and marketing, sales, and office manager Jane McMahon, Doyle gave well-informed tours at the farm.

“They have been so open to me going there, and I had a lot of questions,” Doyle said. “The relationship with them has been fantastic, and they’re great for learning about horses. I learned about aftercare from the McMahons. They take back any horse sold and give it a forever pasture. They’re the gold standard.”

Since her home was not far from the Saratoga Race Course, Doyle entertained the idea of bringing small groups to the backstretch, especially since she felt the responsibility as an owner to share that experience.

“It was just very important to me that people see the backstretch,” she said. “Because when I was a kid, you could ride your bike through here. It was all open to the public. So when it started closing, I felt a responsibility as a horse owner to be sharing this with people who could see what’s back here.”

As a second-generation Saratogian with a link to Major League Baseball (her grandfather, Judd Bruce “Slow Joe” Doyle, pitched from 1906 to 1910 for the New York Highlanders and Cincinnati Reds), Mary Lou Doyle and her family had an indirect connection to horse racing.

Along with selling hot dogs before becoming a supervisor for Harry M. Stevens, Inc. at Saratoga Race Course, she was also a babysitter for several jockeys and trainers during the late 1970s, which helped pay for her Western riding lessons. At 14, she got to meet Marylou Whitney and enjoyed sharing a conversation with her.

Doyle and family also had two Hollywood stars rent their house for the week during the Fasig-Tipton sales in 1980: Jack Klugman and John Forsythe.

While Doyle and her family spent the week at a camp in Lake George, Klugman and Forsythe attended the four-day event. When Doyle and her family came home, they found steaks in the freezer that Klugman and Forsythe left, and the ability to have central air conditioning in the house.

“We were so happy to have steaks. We were just so excited and they were so nice,” Doyle said. “When our house was built in 1970, there was no central air conditioning. Basically, Klugman and Forsythe paid for our central air conditioning.”

As Doyle got older, she wanted to leave the Saratoga Springs area. After graduating from Hudson Valley Community College in 1983, she went to Philadelphia and worked full-time while going to Temple University during the evening for a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

For decades, she worked in communications, marketing, and government relations. She also worked as a lobbyist, and worked for two governors and two presidents, demonstrating a unique ability to connect people at a high level on issues. 

Traveling back and forth for years from Chester County, Pennsylvania to Saratoga Springs, she got the call to come back home. She bought her parent’s retirement home after her father’s passing and developed a five-year plan to come back to Saratoga – for good.

“All the old timers told me I had to come back,” she said. “I didn’t get it, but now that I’m here, I get it.”

Doyle’s husband James, who recently retired as vice president of Penske Corporation, is the detailed woodworker behind the quarter poles.

“He’s meticulous,” Doyle said. “You know the quality immediately, from the craftsmanship to the anodized gold ball on top. Saratoga Quarter Poles is our business name.”

The quarter poles come in two sizes: 16 inches and 5 feet. When they started in September, the first orders were shipped throughout the country within 30 days. Since then, the quarter poles have gained interest – including at the international level from Japan and Australia – especially during the holiday season.

“I had a line out my door on Christmas Eve with people wanting it for Christmas presents. Then I was shipping it,” she said. “It just exploded. It’s great. It’s been really fun. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Nobody’s ever done it before.”

Nobody has done the quarter poles before in America, especially since they are made in Saratoga Springs.

Rising Stars on the Track and a Racing Hero in the Classroom

Written by Tony Podlaski on . Posted in Featured, Sports, Winner's Circle.


Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Racing

As the Travers showcased rising champions, Saratoga enters the transitional phrase of ending the racing season with some people heading back to the classroom

This year’s 155th running of the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course provided another exciting finish with 2-year-old champion Fierceness holding off a determined run from 3-year-old filly divisional leader Thorpedo Anna.

The Travers is somewhat of the transitional point for the Saratoga meet, especially going into the last week and Labor Day weekend, for horses, those involved in the industry, and even seasonal and retired employees around the track.

While Fierceness and Thorpedo Anna, as well as Sierra Leone, Dornoch, and perhaps a couple of the other finishers coming out of the race, transition into the fall by preparing the Breeders’ Cup in November at Del Mar, many people in the Saratoga Springs region are also getting ready for the upcoming school year, whether it is being a student or a teacher.

One of those people is legendary track announcer, broadcaster, and speaker Tom Durkin, who is teaching public speaking at Saratoga Catholic High School starting in September.

This is not the first time that Durkin has taught a public speaking course. Shortly after retiring with a 24-year career as the track announcer for the New York Racing Association in 2014, he taught a public speaking class for the Saratoga Springs High School Continuing Education program.

“This is something that I always that I always wanted to do,” he said. “I did one for adults in the continuing education, and I liked that. I really wanted to teach high school-aged kids about public speaking.”

Durkin approached Saratoga Catholic principal and alumni Chris Signor about teaching the class. While Durkin’s approach and idea came as a surprise for Signor, he is excited about this learning opportunity for the students, which is a joint project in both the English and Business Departments.

“This came out of the blue. I never planned this in my wildest dreams,” Signor said. “He has some great ideas about teaching a course that he wanted to expand upon when he taught it as an adult continuing education class. This is going to be a popular course with the kids. This has been very well received.”

Durkin’s interest in public speaking started in a class at a catholic high school in Chicago where he grew up. Not only did Durkin only enjoy the small-sized class, he also found it beneficial as those skills became the foundation to his race calling for NYRA and the Breeders’ Cup, his sportscasting for NBC and ESPN, and speaking engagements that include the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Inductions.

While race calling, broadcasting, and being an emcee for the Hall of Fame inductions reflect an aspect of entertainment in public speaking, Durkin believes that rhetoric and discourse are important to both persuasion and analysis.

“There are all different kinds of discourse,” he said. “Rhetoric is the art or science on convincing someone to your point of view by the means of speech. If you want to ask your parents to borrow the car, you can use a lot of rhetorical skills to try to persuade them.”

By taking a student-centered approach to his teaching, one of Durkin’s objectives is providing students the skills and experience they need, which includes writing speeches, appearance, and body language, so they can deliver an effective speech.

“I will give them many of the tools,” he said. “The primary objective will be having the students get in front of other people and speak at least once every class. It’s just getting that experience of getting in front of people and communicate to them. It’s important for them to sound good. If you don’t sound good, it’s much harder to keep the audience’s attention.”

Durkin’s lesson plans also include teaching students about when to memorize speeches, how to use adrenaline to their benefit, and how to overcome perhaps the common challenge many public speakers – fear.

“It’s the No. 1 phobia in America,” Durkin said about fear. “People are more afraid of public speaking than they are afraid of dying. If there is any of that, we are going to deal with that off the bat. If you make a mistake, so what? The ceiling didn’t fall. You didn’t get struck by lightning.”

As part of the lesson, Durkin plans to emphasize that one of the ways for students to overcome the paralysis of fear and being confident is preparation.

“If you are over-the-top totally prepared, you are going to have a good experience because you will be confident,” he said. “If you are not prepared, all you will be thinking about is the mistakes that you are going to make.”

Durkin plans to share plenty of personal examples for being prepared, as well as other concepts covered in this class. Some of these include his retirement speech in the Saratoga Winner’s Circle, his speech for receiving the Eclipse Award for Merit, and his mother’s eulogy – all of which required a thorough revision process.

 “The key to writing a good speech is rewrite and brevity,” he said. “Part of rewriting is editing out extraneous stuff, but adding stuff by using various rhetorical tropes to make it a good speech.”

While Durkin plans to cover the objectives for the course, he would also like to work with students on cultivating their creativity over the academic year.

“I really like to take somebody who was intrepid on public speaking. I want to foster creativity.” he said. “This course is going to teach creativity and conviction. I will point them in certain directions on how they can do that and how to convince people. There are several ways to do it: pathos, ethos, and logos.”

With a student-centered classroom, teaching can be a two-way street as the students gain knowledge and skills from the teacher, and the teacher learns from them as well. Durkin indicated that he wants to learn something from the students.

“I would like to have an ability to connect to younger people,” he said. “There is a lot of stuff that they do, which I don’t understand. I’m sure there is a lot of stuff that I do that they don’t understand. It’s just being around young people and open up my understanding about the real person behind the teenager.”

If the class goes well and he learns something from the students, Durkin said he would “absolutely” come back to do it again next year.