The Difficult Journey Back to College

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

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.”