Notes - August 29

- I did the handicapping column for Thursday's races in the Saratoga Special, and it should be up here, if not now, then shortly. I'm doing Friday's too, so I gotta go but I'll squeeze in a quick post here.

I'd love to get a hold of some old Racing Forms, from the late 70's or so, when the meeting was only four weeks. I'd be interested in checking out the races for the last few days of a season, to see how many races horses typically ran there during the course of the meet. It's quite noticeable to me this week that most of the horses, if they've run here at all, did so once, during the first week or so of the meet. It's no wonder the cards became so shaky midway through - all the good horses that ran in the competitive races during the first week or so need the 4-5 weeks in between, and the races probably wouldn't have filled had they been written. I have little doubt that a look at a Form from late August, 1980, would show that the horses ran more frequently, perhaps far more so, in the four weeks then than they do in six now.

Another record-setter at 5 1/2 furlongs today, this time a Baffert/Zayat Del Mar import named J Be K who won by seven in 1:03.13. This $350,000 juvenile purchase by the good debut sire Silver Deputy, out of a mare by Valid Wager (Valid Appeal). Not much on the catalog page, so he must have looked good in the breeze show. The trainer has another one on Thursday - Indian Blessing, by Indian Charlie, has a five furlong work of 57.12 at Del Mar.

A winner and a close second for Graham Motion, as Good Day was beaten by.....Prom Party? Yes, it's true, the Toddster, back in the winner's circle!! That gives him 11 winners out of 99 runners, for an even 11%. He'd won just one of his last 43, having gone 14 in a row without a win since Wait A While became his first winner in 29.