Stay Thirsty made a strong case to be the 3-year-old champion with a solid victory in Saturday's Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
The Jim Dandy winner took control from Preakness champion Shackleford at the top of the stretch and cruised to the finish line for a relaxed 1 1/4-length victory. Runner-up Rattlesnake Bridge never really threatened the leader, giving top connections of jockey Javier Castellano, trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Repole Stable yet another triumph over the Saratoga dirt strip.



The Spa meet's signature race capped a great weather day Saturday ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irene, whose anticipated impact forced NYRA to cancel Sunday's card. Officials are hopeful of resuming racing on Monday, when sunny weather (80 degrees) is forecast.
At the very least, that will be under very soggy track conditions. Hopefully it will just be wet and everyone and everything will come through the storm safely.

With the professionalism and quality of the jockeys racing thoroughbreds, it can be easy to forget how dangerous the sport is. Horses travel at a high rate of speed (somewhere around 35 mph) and jockeys play a balancing act on their backs while not always going in a predictable direction.

When something does go wrong, the results can be catastrophic. Jockeys can be trampled by horses behind them or simply the fall itself can cause serious injury. Jockeys, knowing all too well this fact, are particularly sensitive to taking care of their own.

If you enjoy racing as I do, one way to make sure the sport stays as safe as it can and that those that are injured get the very best care possible is to support jockey charities. An opportunity to do that comes Monday night after racing is over at Saratoga Race Course.

Top jockeys, including leading Spa rider John Velazquez, Javier Castellano and Ramon Dominguez will raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund with no regard for potential embarrassment during a night of karaoke at Vapor nightclub at the nearby Saratoga Casino and Raceway (harness track). The festivities run from 6 to 11 p.m. and will be hosted by NYRA track announcer Tom Durkin.

The $100 admission gets you not only the karaoke event, but also a buffet dinner and dancing after the show.  A cash bar will available. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.pdjf.org  The only requirement is that you have to be at least 21 years old to attend.

So instead of visiting one of the many great eateries around town after enjoying a day of racing, why not put your winnings to great use by eating and supporting a terrific charity.

One of my favorite days of the Saratoga Race Course meet is Alabama Stakes day, which is this Saturday.

While it doesn't get the billing of next Saturday's stakes-packed Travers Stakes day, the biggest day on the Saratoga calendar, as evidenced by a whole week of events leading up to it (including a promotion at over 50 Capital District restaurants, where you can get a three-course meal for just $18.64, which honors 1864, the year of the inaugural Travers), the Alabama IS the biggest day for three-year-old fillies at the Spa.

This year's Alabama features Kentucky Oaks winner Plum Pretty, who has been training brilliantly since finishing strong runner-up to Acorn winner It's Tricky in a terrific duel in the Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga on July 23 (see video of the race below). The two staged an exciting head-to-head race from the top of the stretch to near the finish line when It's Tricky finally was able to surge past Plum Pretty by a short margin.



Both It's Tricky and Plum Pretty are running in the Alabama, as is third-place finisher Royal Delta -- herself no slouch as the winner of the Black-Eyed Susan on Preakness preview day -- in what figures to be a great race featuring the very best fillies in the division.

So do yourself a favor and make a trip up to Saratoga on Saturday. Maybe get yourself lunch at the Blue Smoke Barbeque (I highly recommend the pulled-pork sandwich) or the neighboring Shake Shack and then enjoy a relaxing day at the Spa, culminating with what shapes up as one of the best Alabama races in recent memory.

If the New York Racing Association was serious about getting out of financial red ink, it would look to expand the Saratoga Race Course meeting to run as long as possible. The recent expansion to 40 racing days is a start. But why not add another week ... or two.

All would agree that Saratoga is among the premier thoroughbred meets of the year, and many would say (myself included) it is the best meet ANYWHERE. Each summer, Saratoga delivers big attendance, highly-competitive race cards and the best horses, jockeys and trainers.

Then there is the oasis that is Saratoga Race Course itself. Anyone that sets foot (or hoof) on the grounds can almost feel the history of the place around them. Most of the greatest horses, trainers and jockeys have raced at the historic site, the oldest active sporting venue in the country. And those few that haven't can be found across the street at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

Most local residents that don't want to deal with the crush of visitors that balloons the Saratoga population during the season rent out their luxurious houses and leave town, so why not have take another week of vacation and pad your wallet a bit more at the same time.

Attendance at the state's other two major thoroughbred tracks has been lagging for years. Aqueduct will soon get a much-needed earnings boost with the addition of a casino, but Belmont packs its spacious house only on Belmont Stakes day. Together they pale in comparison to the consistent numbers delivered daily at the Spa.

So start the meet a week sooner or go a bit longer. It doesn't matter. Another few days would do nothing to diminish Saratoga's mystique. And it would surely be a runaway win financially for the local and state economy.

It just might keep NYRA from hovering around bankruptcy, too.