This year marks the 150th anniversary of racing at Saratoga, that spa in upstate New York. That means they began in 1863 during the civil war. Stephen Foster had written his minstrel song "Camptown Races" circa 1850. The meet runs for about thirty days every August when the descendants of the Vanderbilts and Whitneys and just plain racing fans gather to take the "waters" and maybe get taken as on my one visit there I noticed that prices tripled in August. A feature of the meet is the thorobred yearling sale run by that venerable firm of Fasig - Tipton under a big tent. It is a very heady environment as I once attended one of their sales in New Jersey some fifty years ago. The horseflesh is led into the ring by a groom in evening clothes. The young horses are identified by a number adhered to their "hip" which correlates to the number in the program which lists the breeding and bloodline of the animal. You don't dare scratch your ear or you could own a yearling - which at Saratoga average sale was $330,000. with some much higher. These sessions are open to the public, just keep your checkbook in your pocket and don't wave to a friend.
tjs
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/fashion/the-hamptons-on-the-hoof.html?ref=style
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