Heeere's Johnny Track season! And here's what I'm thinking near the eve of the 144th meet of the Saratoga Race Course:
- If you love Saratoga a fraction as much as I do, then give a hand to John Morrissey, whose vision a century and a half ago to make Saratoga Springs a horse racing center (OK, a horse racing and gambling center) really made the Spa City what it is today, and ultimately saved us from becoming another Amsterdam, Utica etc. Without John Morrissey (and William R. Travers, John R. Hunter, and Leonard Jerome) we likely would not have a track season in Saratoga. If you don't know who John Morrissey is, then I'll link a Wikipedia entry on him here. That entry doesn't do him justice - and he wasn't all good - but he sure was a thinker and a doer, not to mention a great boxer.
- The Saratoga Race Course meet may be starting on July 20th, but NBC's TV coverage of Saratoga won't start until three weeks into the season, on August 11th when the NBC Sports Network broadcasts the Grade 2 Fourstardave Handicap. That's a big difference from last year, when NBC was covering races starting on July 23rd. Tell me again why Time-Warner doesn't carry HRTV?
- Virgin Alexander, the movie filmed in and around Saratoga Springs, gets released on Amazon today, and presumably will also be available on Netflix as well. Margarita and I saw it last year at the Spectrum, and you can read my review that I wrote about the movie here. I'll also post a video of the trailer below - note that the opening scene is Gardiner's Alley behind Uncommon Grounds above Putnam Den.
- Damn they did a nice job on the Route 9P bridge over the Northway. It looks clean and modern - not to mention roomy enough for bicyclists and pedestrians.
- If you were wondering what happened to Jamie Munks, who recently left the Saratogian, she is now writing for the Post-Star, which I believe is where she originally was working. She wrote this article this week about the upcoming track season.
- Here's a Forbes article about Philanthropy in Saratoga Springs. Don't worry, I didn't read it either.
- Did you know the National Museum of (Thoroughbred) Racing and Hall of Fame, located of course here in Saratoga Springs on Union Avenue, has an app that you can download? I use the RedLaser app, but there are others too, to scan for apps, videos etc. You can download Red Laser or one of the others and then scan this below to get the Racing Museum app:
- So is Siro's Restaurant ever going to acknowledge on their web site that their original restaurant, you know, the one that's been around since World War 2, is located in Saratoga Springs - and not Manhattan? Other than the music calendar and some historical references, you'd never know there is a Siro's in upstate NY. Ditto Siro's Facebook page, which is all about Manhattan - just three days before track season.
- Speaking of NYC, a reader alerted me to this New York Times article about Genting's Aqueduct Casino, which of course affects NYRA and therefore Saratoga directly.
- Around and about: It's the Final Week of the NYC Ballet at SPAC. Next year, opening week will be final week. What a change a few years makes. You have until Thursday to get $20 off a bill (minimum $60 total purchase) at Chianti. Saratoga Coffee Traders talks about their family and offers a coupon here. The Silks and Satins 5K will be held this Saturday, and they are still looking for volunteers.
That's about it for now folks. I have a busy week ahead, so I have no idea if I will get a chance to post more before next week. Enjoy opening day - the weather looks like it will be absolutely great!
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