A Day at the Races Part 1

Today marks the second to last day of the Saratoga racing season. The horse trailers are out, sparkling and polished, ready to take their precious cargo to another meet or home to rest and relax.

We made our annual pilgrimage to the track a few days earlier. We managed to find parking near the Oklahoma Track, the site of the first races at Saratoga. We felt pretty lucky. We'd been running late (nothing new in our world) and were worried we'd have to park in never never land, a 15 - 20 minute hike. Since it was nearing 90 that was a good thing.

The backstretch of the Oklahoma is a neat place to park. We get to walk by the rest of the 'backstage' of the track, even if the view is slightly hidden by cars.

No space is wasted, not even the soccer field ...

... or the basketball court.

We admired the painted pony, entered through the main gate, bought us a program, and made our way to the tony seats in the clubhouse, courtesy of a friend.

 

The view is awesome from our perch under the canopy of one of the oldest parts of the track.

The high wooden ceilings are adorned with huge fans. They did their best, but it was 90+ ...

 

Fixing the turf after a race. (Did I mention it was 90+?)

Seagull photobomb.

Race 1 post parade.

And they're off! (This is a turf race.)

Studying, studying, studying. (We go by the name, it's the more scientific approach.)

 

 

Dancin'!

 

Forgot your hat? No worries.

 

The horses have their own pathway through the track grounds.

 

 

 

 

There are so many Saratoga sights, to be continued Thursday!