Saratoga Springs, New York - August 14, 2008
It's the Fenway Park of horse racing. A track steeped in tradition-- drawing more than a million visitors every year.
John Lee of the Saratoga Racetrack explains, "It's quirky. It's quaint, and people just seem to love it."
...All here to watch some of the best horse racing in the world.
"It's $3 and you can hang out here all day and just bet on the horses," says Jen Gomo, a visitor from Fairfax, Vermont.
"You can't beat the tradition out here," agrees Ramon Diablo, a spectator from San Francisco. "The tradition is great."
And tradition is what this track is all about.
From the ringing of the bell before each race...
"It rings 7 times, 17 minutes before each race and there's no real need for that anymore," Lee explains.
...to the track's infamous Big Red Spring...
"Saratoga's famous for it and people don't like the taste," Diablo says.
"But it is really what Saratoga Springs is here," Lee says.
It's all part of the Saratoga experience.
Visitors pour through the gates several hours before the start of the first race to claim their favorite picnic spots.
"We're betting a little but we're eating a lot," says Al Mancusi, a visitor from New York City. "We bring our own cook, our cleaner, our lunch maker."
Roland Dion arrived on a bus with dozens of senior citizens from Winooski.
"There are some who have been coming here for years, some of them used to come with their families," Dion explains.
Just a handful of the thousands of people who are here to simply take in the sights and sounds of life at the track.
Anne Sawyer helps race-goers dress for the occasion. She makes elaborate hats.
"I made a hat for Laura Bush, Michael Jordan, Usher, Ashante, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Anna Nicole Smith when she was still alive," Sawyer says.
The perfect attire for a day at the races.
But you can't talk Saratoga and not mention betting.
Upwards of $5 million passes through these windows on an average weekday, with another $10-to-$15 million being bet off track.
And whether it's a $2 bet or a $200,000 bet-- it makes the race that much more fun to watch.
Asked if she usually wins or loses, Gomo answers, "You know, usually lose, but according to them if you actually leave with money, then you win."
An experience for young and old -- rich and poor.
"I like to see the thundering of the hooves as they pass here on the dirt track and hear the roar of the crowd, that's what I like," Dion says.
An experience just a few hours away-- and one you won't find in Vermont.
And next week is the Travers Festival at Saratoga, a week-long event leading up to the biggest race of the year on Saturday, August 23.
Admission to the track costs $3 a day. Click here for more information on the track and on visiting the Saratoga Springs area.
Keagan Harsha - WCAX News
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