Back from what’s become a near-annual trip to beautiful Saratoga Race Course. We caught the full Wednesday card and first six races of Thursday’s slate before returning to NYC.

Competition on both the turf and dirt was plenty exciting with several surprising outcomes. The weather was decent and we were there just long enough to enjoy some of the town’s charm.

Thoroughbred racing has been staged in Saratoga Springs since 1863. Although races were halted for a few years here and there for various reasons during the track‘s first century, many businesses and residents in the community are now flying special flags marking what they call Saratoga’s 150th anniversary.

Little has changed at Saratoga since I first visited some 25 years ago. There seems to be more concessions-related clutter which has diminished the beauty of the pathways that one takes in and out of the facility. Despite the unstable and somewhat conflicting oversight of the track in the last decade or so, the main plant at Saratoga has thankfully not been messed with. Fans continue to flock here in big numbers for what’s now a 40-date meet considered to be the best in the country. The air is clean and the vibe in town and at the track is very relaxing.

Just before we exited Saratoga Thursday afternoon, we played the sixth race which was a compelling field of eight 3-year-old male horses running a mile on the grass. All but three of the runners had permanently lost their ability to reproduce via a process that ends with them being referred to as a “gelding.”

The Monmouth-based trainer Kathleen O’Connell rarely ships to Saratoga with any of her string but here she was at the Spa with Kanturk Kid, a Florida-bred son of Act of Duty. Off at odds of 5-1, the Kid sat back and made a big move coming out of the stretch while traveling way wide. We had watched replays of Kanturk Kid’s previous efforts the night before and were intrigued by his chances but thought the rest of the world would feel same. When the Kid’s odds remained juicy near post time, we made some last-minute plays and walked out with a smile after he finished first just ahead of Southern Tier from the Lisa Lewis barn.

We didn’t have a view of O’Connell’s post-race reaction but I’d assume her grin turned into a small frown when she found out that Kanturk Kid was claimed by controversial horseman David Jacobson and his team for 75 grand. Jacobson is famous for buying horses through the claim and then running them more as a businessman than as a passionate lover and caretaker of horses.

Lewis (pictured above from the day before Tier‘s run) is enjoying moderate success at Saratoga this meet teaming with her jockey/husband Alex Solis. TSR remains a big Lewis fan from the days she trained a filly named Silver Strings owned by a group of friends.

We ate well. If you’re going up there, I’d highly recommend the Triangle Diner at the corner of Maple and Marion for breakfast. Very friendly and efficient at a good price. The martini at 9 Maple Ave on Tuesday night hit the spot and we tried Max London’s for the first time for dinner on Wednesday night. Solid.

The beer stands on track seem to tilt in favor of Yuengling and Coors Light. Budweiser exists but you have to hunt for it. I had a couple of Saranac Blueberry Blondes (made by Utica’s Matt Brewing) and those are tasty. You can find the Blueberry Blonde and a bunch of other craft beers at a grandstand side tent on the exterior of the plant. The seller working that tent is a guy named John who travels up from Key West, FL for the meet. He’s very funny. John is accompanied on track by a sleepy dog who always touts the 5 horse no matter the race.

The toughest part with the Saratoga visit, of course, is finding reasonably-priced lodging. That aspect of the trip wasn’t a factor this time around thanks to my travel partner who mixed in just enough business with pleasure to cover the stay at the Holiday Inn on Broadway.

I return to work tomorrow after 18 straight off days. While I prefer vacation over punching a clock, I’m due to restore a little bit of regimen to the routine.