Quote:
Originally Posted by Plenilune
Saratoga R11
I hope everyone was able to watch Songbird this evening. What a race horse, awesome win by her. Interestingly enough, earlier on the Saratoga card Bird Song (Marylou Whitney's filly) won her race. I was wondering how the race name came to be. Here's a nice link explaining the name as well as the interesting history of the Coaching Club American Oaks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coachi..._American_Oaks
Fun fact: "Future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Mom's Command won the 1985 Oaks under jockey Abigail Fuller, daughter of the horse's owner, Peter Fuller." |
Plen, very interesting link. The Coaching Club has been one of my favorite races, especially when it was run at Belmont at 1 1/2 miles, as the filly comparable to the Belmont Stakes. I can still visualize the finish when Lite Light (trained by Jerry Hollendorfer) nosed out champion Meadow Star (trained by Leroy Jolley, who had a 2 yr old filly running in today's second race for Hot Scot Stables) - that may have been when they were running at 1 1/4 miles.
Knowing how you and others in our group enjoy racing trivia, I came across a short article on page 14 of today's Saratoga Special. If you have a Coach, you also need a way to enter and exit your coach. They located a stone in Saratoga Springs that had such a history. Here's the quote:
"In the early days, patrons arrived at the track by coach, pulling up to the clubhouse entrance, located in roughly the same place as today’s Wright Street entrance. And according to a plaque on a large stone that until recently sat just outside The Post bar near the paddock horsepath, those patrons stepped out of their high coaches and onto the stone before proceeding into the racetrack"
By the way, if you don't already do so, the Saratoga Special is a superb way to stay on top of all of the activities related to the season at the Spa; very well written also. I strongly recommend it to all.