Racing season gets underway at Saratoga
As we enter this glorious eight-week stretch of racing at Saratoga, one of the biggest misconceptions is that thoroughbred racing is a sport exclusively for wealthy people.
While many well-to-doers populate the “Sport Of Kings,” scores of everyday folks have had the opportunity to feel the same excitement that a billionaire sheikh or the Wertheimer brothers can experience.
In fact, I am one of those everyman schlubs who dipped his toe into the vast waters of thoroughbred racing. Back in 1991, me and four friends put up $1,000 each to purchase a $5,000 claiming horse named “Judge Bowman” from a track in Florida.
Investing in a horse is a risk, and our tale underscores that fact. Our undersized gelding contracted pneumonia on the van ride from Florida to New Hampshire. The infection shelved “Judge Bowman” for four months. At a cost of $1,200 per month to train and feed him, each partner was out $2,000 before the “Judge” ran his first race at Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H.
Still proud nonetheless, I journeyed from Greater Boston to the Granite State to see our horse run. Watching this gutty gelding run was truly exhilarating. However, it was apparent that dealing with pneumonia, weight loss and a long layoff was too much to overcome.
Back-to-back fourth-place finishes led to our decision to retire him and send him to a farm in Maine, where he spent the final decade of his life.
As a single man with no children, I am not ashamed to say that watching “Judge Bowman” race twice was something I will never forget.
Although he was just a $5,000 claiming horse, I can understand and appreciate the thrill that owners and trainers feel when their horse enters the starting gate and races for the finish line.
Over the next eight weeks, racing lovers will cheer for horses of all shapes, sizes and pedigree. But not many will realize that the owners aren’t all millionaires with various investments, but come from various backgrounds and tax brackets.
During the Saratoga Racing Season, listen to “Saratoga Live” on BostonHeraldRadio.com every Friday afternoon at 12:30. Also available as a podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud & Google Play.