Saratoga 141st meet concludes. That's all folks!

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Note in the next race today (Saratoga - Race 6) will mark the maiden of Drover the 2-yr old colt is by Storm Cat x Goulash … which makes him half brother to Ashado and also Sunriver. Ridden by Johnny V and trained by Todd Pletcher.[/QUOTE]

As an aside … Todd Pletcher trained Sunriver who was the full brother to Ashado (and as mentioned above to Drover), who finished 3rd behind Barabro in the Florida Derby and then 3rd in the 2006 Belmont Stakes, retired to stud ($12,500) after he raced until he was 4. Unfortunately it was announced he died August 27th <a href=“http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/52312/grade-i-winning-stallion-sunriver-dead”[/url">Grade I-Winning Stallion Sunriver Dead

Empire Stud announced Aug. 27 that second-year stallion Sunriver has died at age 6 from what preliminary results indicate was either a heart attack or aneurysm.

“It is a sad day for Empire Stud, a sad day for New York, and a sad day for all of the shareholders who so strongly supported the horse during his two years at stud,” said Jamie LaMonica, Empire Stud president.

Sunriver scored his big win at 4 in the Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes (gr. IT). He also won that year’s Bowling Green Handicap (gr. IIT) at Belmont Park. At 3, he won the 2006 Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II)

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Interesting changes as noted with Saratoga today vs. just a decade ago:

Steve Crist, DRF, 9-11-09 “Condition book played to Rice’s strength”

Perhaps most remarkable, though, is how Rice’s title so perfectly reflects how New York racing and the Saratoga meeting in particular have changed in just the last five years. This does not denigrate her achievement at all; in fact, it shows how cannily she has adapted a modest racing operation to capitalize on an almost radically different racing program.

This year, for the first time, more than half of all Saratoga races were carded for the grass - 195 of 365 races. All 20 of Rice’s winners were in races scheduled for the grass; she won two on the dirt that were rained off the turf. In races carded for the dirt, she was 0 for 12.

Turf sprints, which did not exist at Saratoga six years ago, now make up nearly 15 percent of all Saratoga races. Eleven of Rice’s 20 victories were in turf sprints, all of which are run at just 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga.

Rice does not have access to the kind of horses bought by Godolphin or sent to Pletcher, Mott, and Asmussen, and won her title with a stable of just 50 runners, most of them five-digit purchases or homebreds. To win the Saratoga training title without the expensive 2-year-olds and stakes horses who run for the other top outfits would have been not only unthinkable but also impossible in the Saratoga of just a few years ago.

A nice article on Commentator - Alicia Wincze 9-10-09 “Commentator’s new job - racing ambassador”

Though Commentator only arrived at the farm this morning, the two-time Whitney Handicap winner already looked like he was ready for the Life of Riley. Fit and dappled out, the venerable gelding dutifully posed for the cameras - ears up the entire time - before finally indulging himself in a hearty roll in the grass.

“That’s retirement right there,” Collins said with a laugh as Commentator literally leapt up from his roll, flung himself into the air, and then reared up playfully.

Whether Commentator ends up at the Horse Park or Michael Blowen’s Old Friends facility or simply stays at Sheltowee, his handlers know he will continue to be an ambassador for his sport. Though various injuries and ailments held him to 24 career starts over six seasons, few could get close to Commentator on the days he was on his game.

This photo of Commentator “in retirement” at his new home is great

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Postscript with the stabling review by Blackburn Associates

Times Union October 7, 2009 “Track buildings need fixing up”

New York Racing Association president Charles Hayward downplayed a report that 23 percent of facilities on the Saratoga Race Course backstretch are in “poor” condition.

NYRA hired Blackburn Architects of Washington, D.C. to conduct the study released Monday as part of a long-range plan to improve the world-famous thoroughbred track.

“If they were unsafe, we wouldn’t be using them,” Hayward said Tuesday.

The assessment of 221 structures listed 67 percent in moderate condition and another 10 percent in good condition.

Hayward said the term “poor” is only to determine which buildings will receive first priority when NYRA has the funding to fix or replace them.

“This is a long-term planning document for long-term use,” Hayward said. “All the buildings are safe and secure.”

Blackburn Architects inspected barns, dormitories where stable workers sleep and utility buildings.

Hayward said NYRA is spending $400,000 to develop the long-range plan, which includes new dorms with heat and insulation to replace the current cement-block structures.

Hayward said funding for wholesale improvements, which could cost as much as $100 million over several years, won’t be available until the state approves video lottery terminals at Aqueduct.

“We don’t have enough resources right now,” said Hayward, who added NYRA performs necessary maintenance every year.

Trainer Rick Violette said his Barn 19 on the backstretch is safe.

“There are some facilities that need significant improvement, some that probably need to be torn down and some that just need a coat of paint,” Violette said.

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Also adding this here. 2010 will have 4-extra days of racing at Saratoga plus a big Grade 1 race will move from Belmont to Spa (just as the Woodward did a few years ago) …

NYRA press-release Oct 7, 2009 “NYRA Expands 2010 Saratoga Meeting By Four Days”

Next year’s Saratoga meet will begin on Friday, July 23 and consist of 40 racing days. It will feature a Wednesday through Monday live racing schedule that will go through Labor Day, Monday, September 6. Each day of the meet will include a stake, and pending approval from the NYRA Board of Directors, the Grade 1, Coaching Club America Oaks, traditionally run at Belmont Park, will shift to the first weekend at Saratoga.