This is a difficult column to write – one that touches upon loss, ethics, philosophy, law and emotion. Frankly, it’s beyond my ability to explore such matters in the 800 words or so allotted to this column but suffice it to say it last week was one of the worst racing weekends in the history of Saratoga Race Course. 

When the cancellation of racing due to heavy rains and lightning is the best part of a four-day stretch it’s not hyperbole to say it was a horrific week. 

The heart-wrenching loss of a talented and valiant competitor – Maple Leaf Mel – strides from the finish line in front of a youthful, happy, sun-drenched crowd was so devastating in its suddenness and visual clarity that it left veteran and novice fans stunned and instantaneously aware of what had just tragically occurred. 

Surrounded as I was by the leading owners and horse people in the sport, the reaction of all was visceral and raw. The gut punch caused tears to flow, curses to be uttered, and ashen heads to be buried in open hands. Much like the description given by survivors of airplane crashes, there was much noise and movement followed by an immediate eerie silence and stillness borne of sadness.  The recognition that something bad and uncorrectable had just occurred was palpable. It hung there – and hung there. But for the very few celebratory imbecilic utterings of those who backed the mutuel winners and muted applause of relief when jockey Joel Rosario walked off under his own power, everyone was duly respectful of the solemnity of the moment. 

Brendan Walsh the trainer of Pretty Mischief, immediately grasped that there was no “winner” of this year’s Test Stakes and showed his class by eschewing the traditional winners circle celebration. Kudos to him – class in troubled moments seems to be the least celebrated virtue of modern society – when it occurs it needs to be noted. In a world where winning often excuses poor behavior, the connections of Pretty Mischief showed humility and kindness in the moment and the next morning by sending the winning flower blanket to the stricken Maple Leaf Mel’s empty stall. 

The loss of beautiful animals over the four-day span will renew portrayals of the sport as cruel or brutal – but it’s far more complicated than that – as most things are. This is a sport and town that in many ways loves animals more than humans. The connection this town and its people have to horses is immense and historic. So too the vast majority of people in the sport care deeply and obsessively for the well-being of the horses in their charge (often to the frustration of the humans in their lives).  Owners of horses spend way more of their resources and time than is rational, constantly thinking about, caring for and producing creatures whose connection to society waned greatly with the invention of the automobile. The existence of the modern thoroughbred, indisputably a business, is due primarily to love of animals.

A subtle, but telling, indication of the respect this area has for animals is a huge sign near the race course on Steele Street that reads “Proceed With Caution Deaf Cat” so as to warn motorists that “Gwen” won’t hear you coming and her life is precious so be alert. So it is with horses – “proceed with caution”.

The regulation of the sport is now both a local and federal matter and the sport would be wise to remember its license to exist can be partially or fully revoked.  Weekends such as this cry out for action and when an industry fails to act politicians react.  While regulators are often initially reluctant or slow to act they tend to act bluntly when they do. Let’s hope they don’t do so here. 

As a devotee of the sport and its participants both equine and human, I have grappled with the reality of weeks like this. It is not a matter I view dismissively or nonchalantly. I have spent much time over the years contemplating questions about horse racing and thoroughbreds. 

To me the case for horse racing boils down to its authenticity. In an increasingly artificial world, horse racing is one of the “real things” that remain. There is an unmatched beauty in real things – art, music, food, education, pride, love, sex, family, friendship are all better when real rather than artificial.  All those things are also at times messy, painful, filled with mistakes (and at times brutal). So too are thoroughbreds –  beautiful, graceful, real,-  but fragile and at risk – and at times heartbreaking.  Tears.

Veterinarian and breeder John McDermott’s interest in the Not For Love sire line has helped him produce a successful runner with Kant Hurry Love.

What’s “love” got to do with it?

There have been many songs, movies, books, poems, and short stories that have tried to answer this question. In Thoroughbred racing, especially with breeding and bloodlines, “love” may have something to do with it.

One of those people who believe in that “love” is Granville Veterinarian Service co-practice owner John McDermott, who is also a breeder at his Seldom Silent Farm in North Hebron, which is about five miles west of the New York-Vermont border.

Since becoming a breeder, he has been interested in broodmares sired by the well-bred Not For Love, who was the leading Maryland sire from 2003 to 2011 following a modest career that with a couple of wins in allowance races at Saratoga.

McDermott eventually acquired two mares from that linage that became a mother-daughter combination: Baby Love and She’s All Love. Because of that acquisition and his fascination with the Not For Love breeding line, McDermott has produced one of his better offspring so far with stakes-winner Kant Hurry Love.

“Do I love pedigrees? Absolutely,” McDermott said. “I can’t go toe-to-toe with the guys in Kentucky, so I have to be more creative. The Not For Love breeding could really prove herself. You will have results.”

McDermott has some results as a result of his creativity. After purchasing Baby Love from Dan Hayden’s Sugar Maple Farm in 2007, McDermott bred the mare to Majestic Warrior, winner of the 2007 Hopeful. Their product was Bonus Points, who won the Maryland Million Classic Stakes and Parx Derby in 2017.

McDermott also bred Baby Love to Grade 1 winning sprinter Yes It’s True. That combination produced Candid Desire, who earned over $500,000 with a victory in the 2017 Holly Hughes Handicap.

As part of the breeding industry, McDermott eventually sold Baby Love with the hopes to earn breeders’ award money through her. Because of that, he was searching for another mare with the Not For Love pedigree.

After losing opportunities to claim or purchase another mare with that pedigree in both Louisiana and Finger Lakes, McDermott learned about She’s All Love, the daughter of Baby Love who suffered a career-ending injury at Belmont Park and became rehabilitated at repurposing clinic farm in 2017.

Last week at Saratoga Race Course was characterized by top notch racing at the highest level, controversial decisions by the racing stewards, numerous wins by jockey Katie Davis, a severe injury to a visiting rider and the sudden passing of a friend of racing and friend of mine.

RACING

The on-track action saw Steve Asmussen’s filly Echo Zulu run a hole in the wind in the Honorable Miss Handicap to begin the week, followed by a similar rapid victory by New York Thunder in the Amsterdam. Both fillies ran extremely fast times and stamped themselves as candidates for divisional championship honors. Not to be outdone, the male division saw two exciting races where the favorites overcame tough opponents to score popular victories. The sprint division saw trainer Bill Mott’s Elite Power continue his winning ways (on Mott’s birthday) by resolutely running down very game Gunite in the Alfred G Vanderbilt Handicap to be followed a short time later by former champion and hard luck three-year-old Forte scoring in the Jim Dandy Stakes in a roughly run race.

The rough riding in the Jim Dandy has been the source of much disagreement among racing fans and analysts and highlighted what many see as tolerance by racing officials for increasingly aggressive riding tactics on the New York racing circuit. As if to underscore the ever-present danger in riding race horses, the very next day British Jockey Richard Mullen saw his horse, the favored Rebel’s Romance, stumble when clipping heels with another horse in traffic incurring extensive injuries. While this incident was clearly traffic related there have been a spate of stumbling incidents on the turf course near the eighth pole this meet affecting the racing. The New York Racing Association should take note of the location.

STEWARDS

As alluded to earlier herein, the New York racing stewards are currently viewed as more tolerant of aggressive riding. There have been several controversial recent decisions allowing results to stand despite reviews of claimed riding infractions. The specifics of each incident are debatable but the general perception among bettors, fans, analysts and industry participants is of a steward stand willing to permit race riding that in the past would result in a disqualification.

Much like the roller derby matches in the early days of television, the viewer is left unsure of what is in fact a foul and what is permitted. Now when they turn for home a knowledgeable bettor expects/hopes/fears that the leader will herd or intimidate the closer affecting the finish. While no one wants to see on track results changed without reason the current situation is neither sporting nor safe and in fact, is bad entertainment. Only the stewards can stop it – it’s time they do.

KATIE DAVIS

On a far more upbeat jockey note – Katie Davis, of the noted racing Davis family, exuded her usual sunshine in guiding home her first Saratoga winner on the Ray Handal trained River Tay. She found the confines of the winner’s circle so cozy she decided to visit it twice more during the week for a total of three wins, beating her sister Jackie in one race and her husband Trevor McCarthy in another. 

A mother of a toddler who took some time away from the saddle to start a family, Katie Davis has managed through talent, persistence, and positive thinking to compete in a very talented jockey colony. 

It was Congressperson Shirley Chisholm, who, as one of a few females in a male-dominated Congress in 1970’s, defiantly stated “if they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” Katie Davis’s seat at the table is now reserved.

The Whitney

This week’s feature is Saturday’s Whitney Stakes. A very small field is expected with Cody’s Wish the clear favorite. In my opinion it is time to again make the Whitney a handicap race rather than a stakes race to entice more entries in the future. 

Danny Schmidt

Racing lost a huge supporter this week with the sudden passing of Danny Schmidt a man of generous spirit, highest ethical standards and significant intellect. Working largely behind the scenes as an owner and breeder, his past service included serving on the board of directors of the New York Thoroughbred Horseman’s Association and the Backstretch Pension Fund. His service was selfless and motivated by the desire to see the sport and its participants thrive and survive. At his untimely passing he owned horses trained by Leah Gyarmati. He was part of a racing family that includes jockey agent Mike Monroe and Paradise Farms owner Peter Proscia.

He leaves behind his loving wife Kathy, adoring nieces and nephews and a whole host of racetrack family and friends, including this author. I was proud to call him a close friend and he will be missed. 

Saratoga Race Course Friday, Aug 4 – Sunday Aug 6

Whitney Day

Saturday, August 5

Special first post time of 12:35 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to dress in pink in recognition of breast cancer survivors and the work of To Life!, a Capital Region nonprofit organization that provides personalized breast cancer education and support services. There will be a Best in Pink fashion contest to take place across from the Travers Bar from 1-3 p.m.

With the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies upon us, there is no better time to hear from Laffit Pincay, Jr. He is without question one of the greatest jockeys to ever ride on an American Racetrack. His exploits on the turf are legendary. Laffit arrived here from Panama at the age of nineteen. He became a member of the Horse Racing Hall of Fame in less than a decade.

At age 28 he became the youngest jockey to enter the Hall.

In a career spanning 39 years, Laffit won 9,530 races. He won five Eclipse Awards as outstanding jockey of the year. Seven times he led the way in money earned. To list all of his accomplishments would require much more space than is available here.

The stage has been set. It’s time for the master’s comments on various aspects of his fabulous career.

I asked Laffit how difficult it was making the transition from riding in Panama to here in the states. He explained it this way.

He made his American debut at Arlington Park in Chicago. It was a difficult transition. Laffit was up against some very talented jockeys in his new surroundings. He had to adjust his riding style to compete with them. His time in Chicago was also an opportunity to study some of the great jockeys that came in from New York and California to ride in stakes races. Bill Shoemaker and Braulio Baeza were among them.

Laffit was honing his trade. It was a natural progression to head east to New York. He credits trainer Frank Martin with giving him good mounts to ride. He took advantage of the opportunity, quickly racking up a winning resume. He soon had the reputation of a go-to rider. With his career heading into high gear, he decided to try his luck on the lucrative Southern California circuit.

Laffit. How did the West Coast jockey’s riding styles differ from their East Coast counterparts? He described it this way.

In New York you could lay back and make a late move on the leaders. In California it was all speed. If you didn’t get out of the gate quickly and stay close to the pace it was nearly impossible to win a race. It didn’t take long for Laffit to make the adjustments to be successful on his new home turf. He soon became a very big star in the horse racing universe. For the next three decades Laffit would be on a collision course with the record books.

Great jockeys ride great horses. It’s as simple as that. When conversing with Laffit Pincay Jr., one topic that requires attention is his relationship with the all-time great Affirmed.

Laffit. When did you realize that Affirmed was a special horse with a potential for greatness.

The first time Laffit rode Affirmed, he worked him five furlongs at Hollywood Park. When the workout was over, he thought that he went in about 1:01. When told that he was clocked at 58.2, almost three seconds faster, he felt that Affirmed was destined for greatness.

No conversation concerning Laffit and Affirmed can be complete without discussing the 1978 Travers Stakes here at the Spa. It was the last of the legendary meetings between Affirmed and Alydar. The race drew all the hype surrounding a mega sporting event. The two heavyweights were about to settle old scores in a race for the ages. Let’s hear from Laffit as he describes the race.

Affirmed accelerated and took the lead on the outside of Shake Shake Shake midway down the backstretch. Laffit decided to maneuver Affirmed towards the rail to save ground. Alydar, simultaneously was making a move on the same path. Laffit didn’t realize that he was only a length and a half behind him. Alydar’s rider, Jorge Velasquez didn’t shout out that he was ranging up on Affirmed. When Jorge charged up to the inside of him, Alydar had nowhere to go and bounced off the rail. He lost several lengths before composing himself. Laffit had no idea that the mishap had occurred. He takes the blame for not realizing that Alydar was so close to him. If he did, he would have taken off, distancing himself from Alydar. Affirmed went on to win the race over his gallant adversary. When the stewards called for an inquiry, Affirmed was disqualified and Alydar was declared the winner. Laffit had a very difficult time dealing with the outcome. It affected him to the point that he had no desire to compete the day after the tarnished event. He considers it to be the worst afternoon of his career. Laffit also stated that Alydar may have made it close if the race was free of problems. He also is highly doubtful that he could have won it. Affirmed always had something left in the tank. That little extra to get the job done.

With the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on tap this week, I asked him what it meant to be a top echelon member.

Laffit considers it a great honor to be a member of the Hall of Fame. He says that it is something that requires hard work and perseverance. He is very proud of that achievement.

Who do you believe should be enshrined in the Hall that has been overlooked from your era?

Laffit is very high on Cash Asmussen. He says that he had all the skills that mold a great rider. He proved that both here and then abroad on the racecourses of France. He hopes that someday soon Cash will get a well-deserved welcome to the Hall. Another jockey that Laffit has the highest regard for is George Chavez. He hopes that someday “Chop Chop,” as he was nicknamed will get the nod.

I also wanted to know who he considers the best jockeys on today’s scene. He said without hesitation that he is very impressed with the Ortiz brothers. Luis Saez also quickly came to mind. Laffit then mentioned Joel Rosario. He is as good as you will ever see.

I asked him as a super achiever how did you keep your skills at an optimum level. Laffit stated that a diet of fruits, vegetables and nuts gave him the strength to compete at the highest level as he got older. It sounds like a good lesson for all of us.

I reached out to Saratoga native Vince De Gregory and Laffit’s agent in the 1970s to give us his thoughts on what made Laffit a great jockey.

Vince credits Laffit’s drive and determination as the catalyst for his massive success. He fought weight problems throughout his career. Vince says that Laffit needed to lose between three and five pounds daily to compete with his lighter rivals. His morning routine included a 6:30 a.m. appointment in the sauna. Then he would run a mile around the racetrack turf course in a rubber suit. If he needed to lose more weight, it was time to hit the hotbox in the Jockey Room to shed more.

His fellow jockeys were in awe of his willpower and dedication. Vince, an agent for nine Hall of Fame jockeys, stated that he doesn’t know of any other jockey that worked as hard as Laffit to keep his weight at a competitive level. Despite his intense morning routine, Lafitt still had incredible strength when it came time for the races.

Thanks to Laffit and Vince, and kudos to my brother Pat and Laffit Pincay III. Their chance meeting at Mark Thomas Apparel made this interview possible.

Saratoga Race Course saw the first championship quality stakes race of the meet on Sunday when the Todd Pletcher trained Nest returned off a nine-month layoff to score a dominant win over her main rival Clariere in a small four horse field. The four-year-old daughter of Curlin showed her affinity for the Spa surface by galloping along behind a longshot pacesetter and then assuming command a half mile from the wire. Nest held off the late rally of the erstwhile Clariere with relative ease and sent a message that she is set to stake claim to champion older filly or mare for 2023. Those chanting “Nest is Best” as the filly entered the winner’s circle have already crowned her a champion.

This week the focus turns to top caliber three-year-old colts on Saturday as the mile and one eighth Jim Dandy Stakes is expected to feature Forte and Angel of Empire both of whom impacted this year’s three year old picture. The race is named after the winner of the 1930 Travers – Jim Dandy – who pulled off one of the most famous upsets in racing history. The longest shot in a small field of four, Jim Dandy defeated Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox and multiple Saratoga winner Whichone. Taking advantage of a sloppy track that he relished and a speed duel between the two favorites, Jim Dandy bounded up along the rail to an astonishing winning margin of 8 lengths at odds of 100-1. Legend has it that the win was such a windfall for the bookmakers and so devastating a loss for the betting public that many fans left immediately for the train station to return south to New York City. Attempting to save the remainder of the race meet the suddenly flush bookmakers sent people to intercept the dejected fans before they boarded the train. With promises of free meals and free drinks all night at local establishments many bettors did return to town to drown their sorrows. The phrase heard for many years of “that was a Jim Dandy of a night!” paid homage to the Travers winner and the circumstances that ensued. The gambit of the bet takers was successful as once Monday rolled around the New York City bettors had forgotten their losses and faced a fresh week of betting challenges.  

The Jim Dandy acts as a prep for the meet’s marquee race the Travers which brings us to Kentucky Derby winner – Mage – which arrived in Saratoga to prepare for the Travers. Fresh off a very good second place effort in last week’s Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park, Mage will try to add the Travers to his Kentucky Derby in in an effort to win three-year-old of the year honors.

Last week’s racing saw jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. take a commanding lead in the standings at least in part due to his brother Jose Ortiz missing two days after being injured in a frightening spill at the wire in Friday’s first race. Favorites continued to dominate the racing as weather once again resulted in a day of small fields as races moved from the grass to the main track on Friday. In the trainer standings Linda Rice trained runners continue to assert themselves with wins or in the money finishes each day. 

While trainer Mark Hennig gets a part of wins within Saratoga Race Course’s Opening Weekend, Windylea Farm continues to have a good July at other racetracks.

Within the first nine days of the Saratoga Race Course meet, there have been a several owners who have made at least a couple of visits to the Winner’s Circle with their distinguished silks: Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables, Mike Repole, the Wycoff family’s Three Diamonds Farm, and Dean and Patti Reeves’s operation of Reeves Thoroughbred Racing.

Although, there is one local stable who has also won two races early in the meet: Windylea Farm. In fact, it may be fair to suggest that the Kip O’Neill-owned farm is having a successful July.

Besides winning allowance races Into Happiness and Ouster as part of Saratoga’s opening weekend, Windylea Farm has been winning races at Finger Lakes and Woodbine. Since the beginning of July, O’Neill, whose racing silks are green with a gold-colored “N” with a circle around it, has won 9-of-21 races between New York and Canada after last weekend’s racing.

“As you can see from our results, we’re racing at a higher level now and there’s more movement with horses when you do that,” O’Neill said to New York Racing Association publicist Ryan Martin earlier this year after Windylea Farm won its first owner’s title at the end of the Aqueduct Winter Meet.

“When they aren’t having success on the NYRA circuit, we can move them to Finger Lakes,” he added. “They learn how to win up there a little easier. If they have the ability, we can transition them back to the NYRA circuit, and we’ve done that in multiple situations.”

Starting 40 years ago in Bennington, Vt., not far the Green Mountain Racetrack, by his late father Phil O’Neill, Windylea Farm slowly evolved into a thoroughbred racing and breeding operation that is now based in Hoosick Falls, NY.

After competing for several years with a handful of victories at Finger Lakes, Turf Paradise in Arizona, and Canterbury Park in Minnesota, Windylea Farm expanded its racing operation to other tracks in Florida, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana in 2018. It was also the first time that the father-son team also had it first runner at Saratoga: Caitlin’satthebar, who was outrun against other claimers.

The O’Neills came back the next year with their first Saratoga winner: Super Silver. It was also during this time when Kip O’Neill contacted Mark Hennig to train a few of the Windylea Farm horses on the NYRA circuit.

Simultaneously, Hennig, who was an assistant to Hall of Fame trainers Jack Van Berg and D. Wayne Lukas in the 1980s and early 1990s before going on his own to eventually win Saratoga races that include the Personal Ensign Handicap (Summer Colony), the Adirondack Stakes (Raging Fever), and the Schuylerville Stakes (Gold Mover), was also looking to add horses to his stable.

“I was at the Timonium sale and got a phone call from him,” Hennig said. “We got together and helped built it up. It came along at the right time for me, too. He does a really great job managing his stable. He’s got horses well-placed everywhere. That’s why he’s winning a lot of races. If a horse doesn’t fit here, he will move them somewhere else. We are trying to do the best that we can.”

Since that initial contact, the O’Neill-Hennig team has won seven races on the NYRA circuit, including two at Saratoga, in 2021. That followed with five wins last year and six victories halfway through this year.

Hennig is currently handling 10-12 horses for O’Neill as a couple of horses are rotated to other tracks. At the same time, O’Neill has also been sending claiming horses to trainer Rob Atras, which has also been successful.

Ouster has been one of Windylea Farm’s consistent horses by earning over $275,000 in 12 starts. The 5-year-old gelding has won 3-of-6 races this year with a pair of second-place finishes. His lone blemish this year was an eighth-place finish in the Commentator Stakes at Belmont Park on May 29.

Bred by chemist Cheryl Prudhomme and retired dentist Dr. Michael Gallivan in Fort Edward, Ouster made a brief impression in his debut with a third-place finish at Aqueduct in March 2022. After a three-month break and two more races, Ouster finally won his first race with a 1¾-length victory on the Aqueduct turf course in November.

“He has come a long way. The horse showed early that he might be all right, but it took a lot of time to get him stretched out,” Hennig said. “He kept having these little nagging things. Once we got him stretched out to a distance, turf or dirt, it came to him. When you look at him, you can see that’s what he wants. He’s a monster.”

Along with Ouster, Into Happiness made dramatic last-to-first going-away move in the middle of the track to put the Windylea Farm colors in the Winner’s Circle on Opening Day. This was the second straight win for the 4-year-old filly, who was claimed for $40,000 by O’Neill and Hennig on June 23.

“That was a nice big turnaround for her first race back,” he said. “We didn’t have to do much with her. We just had to keep her happy and lead her back over there.”

Hennig and O’Neill will explore options for both Ouster and Into Happiness. In the meantime, Hennig is glad to get the pair of wins this early in the meet.

“It’s always nice to get that out of the way,” he said. “When you get 3-4 weeks into the meet and you haven’t won a race, it starts wearing on you.”