Saratoga Living's 2024 Summer Issue

THE BELMONT IS COMING!

Nestled in the Southern Adirondacks of Upstate New York, the Lake George Area seamlessly blends awe-inspiring landscapes with diverse wedding venues, attractions and amenities, creating an experience that combines romance and the joy of uniting with loved ones in a breathtaking setting

Contact the Lake George Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau for complimentary venue ideas,

and more!

Photo: Dave Bigler Photography

The Boathouse Restaurant, Dave Bigler Photography

A Dream Wedding Destination in the Heart of the Adirondacks

In the serene embrace of the Southern Adirondacks lies a destination where love intertwines with the majestic natural beauty to offer an unparalleled wedding experience — the Lake George Area. This region, known for its breathtaking landscapes and an abundant variety of venues, offers the perfect blend of romance, adventure, and the joy of celebrating love.

ADIRONDACK CHARM

Venture into the heart of Upstate New York, where the Lake George Area serves as the gateway to the sprawling 6 million-acre Adirondack Park. The area radiates an upstate charm, boasting quaint villages and picturesque downtowns brimming with local shops, stunning vistas, and hidden gems. No matter the season, the Lake George Area presents a tapestry of backdrops, from serene lakeside settings to the rustic elegance of barns and the refined grandeur of historic hotels, ensuring every wedding is as unique as the couple.

AN EXPERIENCE BEYOND THE CEREMONY

Dubbed the “Original Vacation” spot, the Lake George Area enriches your wedding with activities that will captivate your guests. From steamboat cruises under the fireworks-lit sky to post-wedding adventures on groomed ski slopes or leisurely days spent at local amusement parks, the region promises an unforgettable wedding weekend extravaganza.

VENUES FOR EVERY VISION

Whether you dream of a luxe celebration at a four-star resort or an intimate gathering in a historic setting, the Lake George Area delivers with its diverse range of venues. Each location offers something special, accompanied by professionals dedicated to making your wedding journey seamless. Imagine exchanging vows on a mountain top with panoramic views, celebrating in a lush garden, or dancing the night away beside the tranquil waters of Lake George.

SEAMLESS PLANNING WITH COMPLIMENTARY SERVICES

Elevate your destination wedding with the Lake George Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau’s complimentary wedding services. From finding the perfect venue to coordinating accommodations and everything in between, our team is here to ensure your planning process is as joyful and stress-free as your wedding day.Let us assist you in bringing your dream wedding to life in the enchanting Lake George Area.

For personalized venue recommendations, accommodation assistance, and more, reach out to the LGRCVB’s Convention Services Coordinator, Lexi Carroll, at lcarroll@lakegeorgechamber.com or 518-668-5755.

Visit us online at meetlakegeorge.com/weddings for further inspiration from our Lake George Area Wedding Guide and to embark on your journey toward an unforgettable Adirondack wedding.

The Queensbury Hotel,

Photo Studio by The Pinckards

The Promise Gardens, Redfield Photography

Inn at Erlowest, Hitlin Photography, Inc.

TAOS, NM • SANTA FE, NM

ASPEN, CO

TELLURIDE, CO

DURANGO, CO

DENVER, CO

BRECKENRIDGE, CO STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO

JACKSON HOLE, WY

PARK CITY, UT

NAPA, CA

TRUCKEE, CA

SUN VALLEY, ID FORT WORTH, TX

OMAHA, NE

FAIRFIELD, IA

LAKE GENEVA, WI

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY

starting gate

After becoming the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown Race at last year’s Belmont Stakes, Jena Antonucci will be in Saratoga this June for its first running of the Test of a Champion.

BY TOM PEDULLA

SONNY HUGHES

Montgomery’s 2024 PosterPalooza

The Saratoga artist is known for his beloved annual Travers posters. But in this historic year for horse racing in Saratoga, a single poster simply wouldn’t do. BY

This June, the Triple Crown’s oldest race will be run at the country’s oldest racetrack for the first time ever. Are you ready?

BY BRIEN BOUYEA

54 SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND New York City Ballet celebrates its 75th anniversary with a rousing program of contemporary pieces and crowd favorites such as Swan Lake and Jewels. BY ABBY TEGNELIA

55

LEADING LADIES

A record number of female artists— led by the great Norah Jones— headline this year’s Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival. BY ABBY TEGNELIA

56

THE ORCHARD PROJECT HAS DEEP SARATOGA ROOTS

The NYC performance laboratory, which has brought performing titans such as actor Alan Cumming and jazz giant Esperanza Spalding to the Spa City, returns to Saratoga for its ninth year. BY JEFF

DINGLER

55

ANOTHER TYPE OF FESTIVAL

Contemporary music takes center stage as the Mostly Modern Festival rolls into Saratoga just in time for the Belmont. BY NATALIE MOORE

opportunity knocks “It’s a great opportunity not only for the city but for the sport,” says Jena Antonucci about the Belmont being run in Saratoga. “The energy level will be absolutely amazing.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY G. SONNY HUGHES

starting gate

OFF TRACK

62 saratoga living’ s Overdress to Impress and Walrath Recruiting panel, plus 4 more Saratoga events

HOME STRETCH

71 FASHION & STYLE: Pommenkare Fine Millinery 72 FOOD & DRINK

72 compliments to the chef: THE WINE BAR

74 party time: HARVEY’S RESTAURANT & BAR

74 product placement: SPIRITS WITH SMOKE

76 expansion pack: FOSSIL STONE FARMS

78 open for biz: THE MARKET BAR & CAFÉ

79 on the menu: DUNNING STREET STATION 80 SPA & BEAUTY: Sacred Saratoga

FEATURING BROADWAY, POP & CLASSICAL MUSICIANS

Cash bar opens 1/2 hour before showtime

Urgent Care For Everyone.

At Hudson Headwaters, our urgent care centers in Glens Falls and Warrensburg provide prompt care with no appointment needed. Seven days a week, including evening hours, we’re open to everyone, not just existing patients. We’re here for you—when it matters most.

In InBloom Bloom SARATOGA

May 24, 2024 at 6 pm

Lift up our neighbors in need with an unforgettable evening at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs, NY with live music by Garland Nelson and Soul Session and host Mark Mulholland, NewsChannel 13 Anchor. SCAN CODE TO

Owned by the iconic Queen of Saratoga, the late Marylou Whitney, and her husband John Hendrickson, this property embodies the beauty and history of Saratoga Springs!

• 120.92 Acres

• 6,218 Sq. Ft. Mansion, Including:

• 7 Beds

• 7.2 Baths

• 2 Enclosed Porches

• Library

• Formal Living Room and Dining Room

• Recently Renovated Kitchen

• Butler’s Pantry

• Meticulously Maintained Gardens, Featuring the Marylou Rose

• Chapel

• The George Washington Tavern

• 9-Car Detached Garage and 2-Car Detached Garage

• 2 Additional Single-Family Ranch Homes

• Maintenance Shop

• Listed for $16,000,000

See the full description, video, and photos of 40 Geyser Road, Saratoga Springs, by scanning our QR Code:

Cady Hill

presented by:

Your o wn P rivate i sland

This Hudson River Private Island offers a rare, once in a lifetime chance to acquire a unique natural wonder in upstate New York. Nestled in the Hudson Valley between the Adirondacks to the west and the Green Mountains of Vermont to the east is this nearly one mile long private island with a stunning stone house, horse barns, training track, private ferry, with acres of pastures surrounded by hand split Locust rail fencing and a forest of ancient trees. Anyone can build a forty five thousand square foot mansion but only Mother Nature can build a forty five acre island in the Hudson River, only ten miles from the City of Saratoga Springs, New York. To be sold to the highest bidder on June 28, 2024 at 3:00pm. Nature lovers, horse lovers or someone wanting a unique private retreat shouldn’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to realize your dream. hudsonriverisland.com Call or email:

ON THE COVER Belmont-winning Thoroughbred trainer

Jena Antonucci photographed at Gulfstream Park by G. Sonny Hughes exclusively for saratoga living.

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saratoga living

8 Butler Place Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 518.294.4390

Volume 26, No. 3

Summer 2024

Copyright © 2024 Empire Media Network, Inc. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from Empire Media Network, Inc.

All editorial queries should be directed to editorial@saratogaliving.com; or sent to 8 Butler Place, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.

saratoga living assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions.

Abby

Tegnelia CEO

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kathleen Gates

DIRECTOR OF CONTENT Natalie Moore

SENIOR DESIGNER Linda Gates

SPORTS EDITOR Brien Bouyea

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Dori Fitzpatrick

EDITOR AT LARGE Susan Gates

WRITERS

Vanessa Geneva Ahern, Natalli Amato, Lisa Arcella

Karen Bjornland, Claire Burnett, Chris Carola, Tony Case

Dan De Federicis, Jeff Dingler, Elissa Garay

Benjamin Lerner, Daniel Nester, Tom Pedulla, Kathleen Willcox

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Morgan Campbell, Francesco D’Amico, Samantha Decker, Elizabeth Haynes G. Sonny Hughes, Hannah Kuznia, Shawn LaChapelle, Rachel Lanzi

Konrad Odhiambo, Alyssa Salerno, Nate Seitelman, Zach Skowronek, Alex Zhang

Annette Quarrier

DIRECTOR OF SALES

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER Tina Galante

PUBLISHER, CAPITAL REGION LIVING Teresa Frazer

SALES DIRECTOR, CAPITAL REGION LIVING Tara Buffa

ART DIRECTOR, MARKETING Steve Teabout

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Terese Russell

SALES ASSISTANT Tracy Momrow

SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Rachael Rieck

Anthony R. Ianniello CHAIR

Abby Tegnelia PRESIDENT/CEO

Tina Galante

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

Belmont Mania

It’s always fun to relive our Overdress to Impress event while choosing photos for our summer issue. And boy did we have a ton of pictures to go through this year, thanks to the addition of a red carpet. (Turn to p. 62 for party pics.) It’s our most light-hearted party of the year and is just what it sounds like—after a long winter in loungewear, there is at long last a big bash to get as dressed up as possible for and make a night of it with your friends. But there’s something deep about the experience as well. For so many women, their daily lives are a chaotic blur of kids’ soccer games or working two jobs, whatever it may be. There simply isn’t time for getting dressed up and putting expressing yourself first.

Per the guests’ demands, anyone at the party who wants to walk the “runway” and show off their look has a chance to do just that—and the crowd cheers for every single person. The first year, we scrambled to find a prize for the Most Overdressed to appease the crowd, and this year’s winner for Best Overall summed it up best. “This event ended up being more than I had anticipated,” wrote Mindy Gilman in a passionate Instagram post that touched my heart, before acknowledging that her friends “work hard and all juggle so much in their dayto-day lives. They deserved this—a night to feel celebrated.” We agree.

And now it’s time for Belmont fever! It’s hard to believe that after what seemed like a long wait, the first-ever Belmont Stakes in Saratoga is finally here. We interviewed Jena Antonucci—last year’s Belmont winner and the first-ever female trainer to win a Triple Crown race (p. 42), took a look back at the race’s history (p. 50), and talked with the great artist Greg Montgomery about his multiple Belmont posters (p. 48).

The beginning of summer is also a special, jam-packed time for Saratoga’s world-renowned performing arts scene. The New York City Ballet turned 75 this year (p. 54), and the opera offers some powerful contemporary works before moving into its thrilling season based on the art of the wager (p. 58).

I hope everybody’s rested up for this summer, and thank you for reading saratoga living

proof of a dress (clockwise, from top) saratoga living’s Abby Tegnelia at Overdress to Impress with Seana Mosher and Jacky Ross; meeting people at Walrath Recruiting’s business panel with Standard Co.’s president and CEO, Jennifer Keida, and panel member

Yvonne Clark Rogers; with Tiina Loite at Overdress; Overdress judges Andrea Zappone, Jenna Hotaling, Loite and Ashlee Tighe.

ABBY TEGNELIA CEO @abbytegnelia info@saratogaliving.com

Discover Waite Meadows

Conveniently located off of Route 146 in Clifton Park, Waite Meadows is an exclusive new community, happily situated in a quiet, picturesque setting.

Just a short drive from downtown Clifton Park, Waite Meadows has easy access to great shopping, dining and the Northway. Large wooded lots, extensive green space and a walking trail make Waite Meadows the perfect spot for both young families wanting to move into the Shenendehowa School District and mature families looking to downsize or“right size.”

•Exclusive 34-home community with large 1+ acre lots

•Great location, close to downtown Clifton Park

•Community walking trail & lots of green space

•Shenendehowa Central Schools

•In-home fire suppression system

• Variety of floor plans (including ranch & primary down)

NEW MODEL HOME/SALES CENTER

8 Scarlet Street, Clifton Park, NY

Open Tuesday - Saturday, 12 pm - 5 pm Sunday by appointment, Closed Mondays

Contact Spencer Lewis: 518-512-9646

spencer@belmontebuilders.com

Silks by Steve

Make your love of Saratoga horse racing personal with a custom piece of décor from SILKS BY STEVE. Local artist Steve Labate has become known for his jockey silks made from birch wood and painted in all sorts of designs—use them as wall décor, house number markers, wedding table indicators or to celebrate your favorite sports team or school. Contact Steve directly for your custom design, or shop store-specific silks at Celtic Treasures, Crafters Gallery and Impressions of Saratoga.

518.330.3818 ● stevelabate44@gmail.com

Hot Crispy Oil

Make your Saratoga summer even hotter with HOT CRISPY OIL, a Covid-born condiment created right here in the Capital Region that turns any snack or meal from boring to bold. A unique blend of olive oil, fried garlic, shallots and chili peppers, HCO is handmade in small batches. Use it to elevate your pizza, pasta, eggs and so much more—before long, it’ll become your kitchen arsenal’s secret weapon. hotcrispyoil.com

Bobbles & Lace

If you haven’t already checked out BOBBLES & LACE, one of Broadway’s hottest new boutiques, it’s high time you pop in. The staff prides itself on offering high fashion at affordable price points— everything from workday wardrobe essentials to statement pieces for a day at the races. Beyond carrying a carefully curated selection of shoes, accessories, jewelry, jeans, tops, jackets and dresses, Bobbles & Lace aims to be an empowering and comfortable experience where every woman can have the confidence she deserves.

322 BROADWAY, SARATOGA SPRINGS 518.932.1287 bobblesandlace.com

Gloww by Jill

The Belmont may be in early June, but you can get your skin looking as sunkissed as it does mid-summer by making the short trip up to Glens Falls spraytanning studio GLOWW BY JILL. Better yet, book owner Jill Cerrone’s mobile

spray-tanning service! Gloww by Jill utilizes an organic spray by Aviva Labs that makes your skin both beautifully bronzed and healthy. Book a spray tan or go all in on a tanning and teeth whitening package to complete the look.

147 RIDGE STREET, GLENS FALLS 518.361.6330 ● glowwbyjill.com

Samantha Nass Floral Design

If you’re throwing the ultimate Belmont weekend bash in Saratoga, there’s only one person you can trust to make sure your party is as fabulous as this historic occasion deserves. Florist Samantha Nass is now offering full-service floral design for private parties of all types, from formal occasions at one of Saratoga’s chicest venues to intimate get-togethers in rented Airbnbs or hotel suites. Whatever you can dream up, she can make it happen. Book now for the Belmont—the schedule is sure to fill up quickly—or for parties later this summer when the racing world returns for the Saratoga meet. In need of a bouquet for an anniversary, funeral or hostess gift? SAMANTHA NASS FLORAL DESIGN has an arrangement for every occasion. Not sure what you’re looking for? Pop into the Lawrence Street shop for home design and gift-giving inspo.

61 LAW R ENCE STREET, SARATOGA SPRINGS 518.886.9461 snfloraldesign.com

Impressions of Saratoga

When you’re looking for a Saratoga souvenir this summer, shop where the locals shop. IMPRESSIONS OF SARATOGA has been the “Everything Saratoga Store” since 1978

and for good reason. The shop carries everything from equestrian-themed gifts and pet products to locally made goods and garments for the whole family. New this year: Belmont at Saratoga merchandise, including artist Greg Montgomery’s special Belmont poster. Top off your visit with an exceptional shopping experience! Impressions doesn’t just sell souvenirs—it provides memories.

368 BROADWAY, SARATOGA SPRINGS 518.587.0666 ● impressionssaratoga.com

The Dark Horse Mercantile

THE DARK HORSE MERCANTILE celebrates Saratoga’s rich racing history— and the fact that many a dark horse has come out on top at the track! The gift shop carries a curated selection of garments, gifts, memorabilia, one-of-a-kind racing collectibles, and a great selection of locally authored books celebrating dark horses! A Barbour partner store, Dark Horse is a unique shopping experience where horse racing plays on TVs in the store. Stop by on select days to meet Upset, the shop’s real-life miniature horse mascot!

445 BROADWAY, SARATOGA SPRINGS 518.587.0689 ● darkhorsesaratoga.com

Get Saratoga Summer-Ready at Kiki Hair Slayer Studio

Cosmetologist Kiernan Brennan is ready to make your dream hair a reality.

Kiernan Brennan, owner of KIKI HAIR SLAYER STUDIO, wants to help you embrace your dream Saratoga summer style. “I’m thinking big curls, a lot of volume and hair accessories like bows,” she says. “Like what you’d see at the track.”

But if bows and volume aren’t quite your vibe, no worries. Brennan prides herself on her creative and unique approach to hair—she considers her trade an art—as well as her willingness to work with people on what they want, be it a bold new color, creative cut or natural-looking extensions. Owning her own salon allows Brennan to get personal with her clients and work closely with them one-on-one. “I can give them the kind of attention that they need,” she says.

Born and raised in Saratoga, Brennan started studying cosmetology at the age of 16, and trained at Vidal Sassoon Academy in Santa Monica, CA. She spent nearly 10 years studying under some of the beauty industry’s greatest artists, has amassed

numerous advanced certifications including color specialist and balayage artist, and is a certified member of the Dream Catchers Hair “dream team” of hair extension experts.

In 2020, Brennan’s own personal dream was realized when she opened Kiki Hair Slayer Studio at 368 Broadway in downtown Saratoga (near the corner of Broadway and Phila Street). “I like being in Saratoga because I’m from here, and it’s a great community,” she says. “My aim is to utilize this business as a tool to create a positive impact on the local community.” ■

Follow @kikihairslayer on Instagram and visit kikihairslayer.com to book an appointment before Saratoga summer hits!

Photography: Rachel McNair/The Content Agency

Dresses: Lucia Boutique

Hair/Makeup/Styling: Kiernan Brennan/Kiki Hair Slayer Studio

Models: Livia Rossi and Maaya Wilson

Placid’s Finest”

An Authentic Adirondack Experience

Experience all that Lake Placid has to offer with our “Buy 4, Get a 5th Night FREE” package. That’s right, stay 4 or more consecutive nights from now through December 19th and we’ll add a 5th, mid-week night onto your stay for FREE! This popular package is sure to sell out, so call to book your reservations today!

first turn

shoe’s there Horseshoes decorated by local artists Megan Cortes, Donald Shore, Amy Baringer and Susan Rivers, plus this year’s horseshoe of the year (center), which came from a quarter horse and is actually three times the size of a Thoroughbred shoe.

Finders Keepers

THE HUNT FOR SARATOGA HIDDEN HORSESHOES IS ON. n BY NATALIE MOORE

Sure, you can buy a Saratoga souvenir to commemorate this unique Belmont summer—but wouldn’t it be more fun to find one? Saratoga Hidden Horseshoes, a city-wide, summer-long scavenger hunt that features 300 horseshoes worn by Saratoga racehorses hidden around the Spa City,

is back for its second season.

“We knew people would like it,” says Saratoga Hidden Horseshoes cocreator Jenn Cleason, who drew inspiration from a similar initiative involving hand-blown glass orbs on Block Island. “But we never thought the community would embrace it to the level that it did. Some people

were disabled, and this was their first time getting back out walking. Some people commented that this is a great bonding activity to do with their grandkids. There are little kid pictures, there are parents and their kids, there are girly getaways. It’s multi-generational.”

Indeed, last year, hundreds of horseshoe

hunters took to the city’s parks and trails in search of a hidden treasure, sharing a photo with the organizers to post on social media when they found one. The luckiest hunters found one of the 30 horseshoes that had been decorated by a local artist, and one fortunate local man went home (with much fanfare and a spot on Channel 10) with the golden horseshoe, which was dipped in real 18K plated gold by artist Frankie Flores and valued at $3,000.

The 2024 hunt, which kicked off just before Earth Day and runs through Labor Day, is much the same, featuring 270 regular horseshoes, 30 decorated horseshoes and one “horseshoe of the year,” all of which will be hidden periodically throughout the summer. While you’ll have to wait until mid-June to search for the horseshoe of the year—this year it’s a giant shoe of King Tut, a Saratoga police quarter horse that passed away last fall—you can start looking for one of two Belmontthemed horseshoes now. Happy hunting!

For more information, including a list of horseshoe hunting locations, visit saratogahidden horseshoes.com

SNEAK PEEK

first turn

Lorna Chavez is Enjoying the Ride

HOW A SHOW JUMPER FROM ENGLAND BECAME THE MOTHER OF THE SARATOGA BACKSTRETCH.

BY NATALIE MOORE

photography by SAMANTHA DECKER

If you’ve never had the pleasure of meeting exercise rider Lorna Chavez, chances are you haven’t spent much time on the Saratoga backstretch.

“She knows everybody and everybody knows who she is,” says fellow rider Caroline Nally. “Even the spectators know her.”

Part of the reason for Chavez’s celebrity is that she never misses an opportunity to tell someone “Good morning” or ask “How are you, sweetie?”

Plus, she’s been exercise riding for nearly 35 years.

Born in England, Chavez grew up around horses. After her pony died when she was 18, she got a job

to save up to buy another horse and eventually get a show jumping sponsorship.

“Flipping through the yellow pages, I found a racehorse trainer,” she says. “I had no clue what that was. I ended up going for an interview and got the job.”

But instead of getting paid and getting out, Chavez began riding for the trainer, eventually becoming the first female professional, licensed steeplechase jockey in England. It was that move that led her to America, where she got a job working for trainer Jonathan Sheppard. She didn’t immediately take to racing in America, and even considered moving back home. But she changed

america the beautiful “Saratoga is very much like England,” says Chavez, seen here at The Spa. “I love the place. It reminds me of home because of all the countryside and greenery.”

her mind upon coming to Saratoga for the first time. “That was it,” she says. “Once I went to Saratoga I was like, ‘Whoops, I don’t think I’m going anywhere.’”

That was back in the mid’90s, and Chavez has been exercise riding in the States since then. She has a house in Saratoga and splits her time between the Spa City, where she works for trainer Jeremiah Englehart, and Florida, where she freelance rides. After exercising horses in the morning, she returns to the track for more in the afternoon, when she runs a pony business that takes jockeys to the starting gate. Her husband, Mark, is a retired jockey who now works on the starting gate. She’s never worked the Belmont before, but will be riding for Englehart as well as ponying in the afternoons at this year’s four-day racing festival at Saratoga.

“I live for horses,” she says. “There’s nothing else I could do. There’s nothing else I want to do. I just love riding horses.”

And the rest of the backstretch community loves having her ride horses. “She makes you smile, she makes you feel cared for,” Nally says. “She’s a phenomenal horsewoman—a great rider—and she knows so much. She is the Saratoga backstretch.”

MVP

first turn

MOVIES

Screen Time

SPENCER SHERRY AND RYAN JENKINS’ ANOMALY IS ONLY THE LATEST LOCAL MOVIE TO PUT THE CAPITAL REGION’S FILM SCENE IN THE SPOTLIGHT. n BY JEFF DINGLER

Move over, Hollywood. Many filmmakers have a new cinema hotspot they’re hitting up these days: Saratoga. “I’ve found that the Capital Region public really values art and wants to see it thrive,”

the tall and short of it Former roommates Ryan Jenkins and Spencer Sherry teamed up on a new short film called Anomaly that premiered at the Coney Island Film Festival in early May; (opposite, from top) a seen from Anomaly, which was filmed at Cohoes Music Hall; the movie’s poster.

says Spencer Sherry, a local filmmaker and producer from Laurens (near Cooperstown). “The generosity and excitement for the work is invaluable, and it’s the sort of support that doesn’t really exist in places like NYC or LA. It makes it all possible.”

Sherry recently became president of the 518 Film Network, a nonprofit that was formed in 2020 to help support and connect about 300 local filmmakers and members. He’s also an upand-coming filmmaker who just released a new short movie called Anomaly The film is about a magician who performs an inexplicable illusion that draws the unwanted attention of an overly curious government agent. Anomaly was written and directed by one of Sherry’s closest friends, Ryan Jenkins, who came up with the plot while they were living together in Galway. The movie stars real illusionist Eric Mead and was filmed over three days at Cohoes Music Hall, where the movie will make its Upstate premiere on June 23. (The world premiere was at the Coney Island Film Festival in early May.)

“We’re incredibly excited to screen the film in the same historic space it was shot in, as well as curate some other entertainment to round out the experience,” says Sherry. “That’ll be an unforgettable evening for sure.”

Upstate certainly looks glam on the big screen, but much of its current time in the limelight is due to less cinematic reasons. For one, big-name production companies including HBO (which recently filmed in the area for huge hit shows Succession and The Gilded Age) enjoy various New York tax credits for production work, specifically in the Upstate

area. In turn, these bigbudget shows and movies employ some local talent (think crew, tech, extras and background actors). As for smaller, independent projects such as Anomaly, they succeed in and around Saratoga because, according to Sherry, of the local community. “Many of the local filmmakers are striving to create a film culture here,” he says, “and help each other succeed.”

To that point, Sherry’s first film, The Monkey, based on a Stephen King short story, was shot all over the 518: The Rock Motel in Amsterdam, Albany Rural Crematorium, Hudson Valley Community College, the Jewish Community Center’s abandoned Camp Olam, and Haviland Cove in Glens Falls, to name a few. “Saratoga residents will definitely recognize the bar in the film: King’s Tavern,” says Sherry. “The signage made it impossible to rename the bar for the movie, so it’s immortalized in local film (and Stephen King) history forever.”

Saratoga, it’s time for your close-up.

nerves of steele (from top) Will Ferrell and Harper Steele hit the road in Josh Greenbaum’s new film; a graphic for Mark O’Rourke’s Saratoga: The Turning Point; C.R.E.A.T.E. Community Studios’ documentary Erasing Faces & Spaces looks at the negative impact of urban renewal on the Spa City’s Black population.

3 More Movies With Upstate Connections

WILL & HARPER

Saratoga native Josh Greenbaum had a hot, new documentary drop earlier this year. Will & Harper covers a quirky, heartfelt cross-country road trip with famed comedian Will Ferrell and best friend (and fellow SNL alum) Harper Steele, who transitioned at the age of 61. It received a standing ovation when it premiered at Sundance in January.

ERASING

FACES & SPACES

Premiering last year, this short documentary looks at the long-lasting, negative impact of urban renewal on the Spa City’s Black population. C.R.E.A.T.E. Community Studios on Beekman Street made Erasing Faces & Spaces as part of a series of community conversations and art-making events. Look out for a final version of the documentary this summer.

SARATOGA: THE TURNING POINT

Nearly 250 years after the Battle of Saratoga, local producer and veteran Mark O’Rourke is looking to turn the battle into a feature film. Although previously covered in documentaries, the Revolutionary War’s turning point hasn’t yet received the silver-screen treatment. O’Rourke aims to premiere the picture in 2026 for the 250th anniversary of the Revolution.

TBT

Oh What a Night

FOURTH GENERATION SARATOGIAN SUE JEFFREYS WAS A WIDE-EYED YOUNG BALLET STUDENT ON A DATE WITH HER GRAMP WHEN GEORGE BALANCHINE HIMSELF TOOK TO THE STAGE ONE MAGICAL NIGHT AT SPAC.

BY ABBY TEGNELIA n PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL KOLNIK

The great choreographer George Balanchine not only created the New York City Ballet (NYCB) to rival the great companies in Europe, but he solidified its summer residency at SPAC in 1966. In 1977, he premiered his brand-new blockbuster hit Vienna Waltzes, first in NYC and then at SPAC in front of a packed house that included young ballet student Sue Jeffreys, who was on a date with her gramp, local celeb Joseph Tarantino, Sr. “It was magical,” she says. “When it ended, the audience stood and clapped through countless curtain calls. Finally, Balanchine came on stage with an uproar of even louder clapping.” The evening was one of many beloved NYCB memories for Jeffreys, who would swim at McGregor Country Club all day in July and hit SPAC with

by george George Balanchine and two of his muses, Patricia McBride and Kay Mazzo, during the standing ovation for his 1977 ballet Vienna Waltzes.

Tarantino at night. “My mom would put me in a pretty dress and white patent leather shoes with gloves—the whole thing,” she says. “Gramp would pick me up, and we’d park in the members lot, so it felt special. He would get tickets in the box in the balcony—the same exact one every season. By the time the 1990s came, Gramp was getting on in years and I was pregnant with my first child. During the performance, my son kicked me in my tummy as the music came on. It was the first time I had felt that, and my last memory of being at the ballet with my gramp.” Now a member of SPAC, Jeffreys still religiously goes to see NYCB when they’re in town, although nothing could rival the magical night of the Vienna Waltzes debut. “There were tears of joy and tingles,” she says. “We knew we had just experienced greatness.”

New York City Ballet’s 75th anniversary celebration continues at its summer home in Saratoga Springs, NY

NYCB On and Off Stage

July 9 | 7:30PM

Jewels

July 10 | 7:30PM•July 11 | 2:00PM

Contemporary Choreography

July 11 | 7:30PM•July 13 | 7:30PM

Swan Lake & Stars and Stripes

July 12 | 7:30PM•July 13 | 2:00PM

TRACK STARS

Kings of the Belmont

LEGENDARY RACING FIGURES JAMES ROWE AND JAMES M c LAUGHLIN DOMINATED THE BELMONT STAKES LIKE NO OTHERS BEFORE OR SINCE. n BY BRIEN BOUYEA

In the rich history of the Belmont Stakes—the oldest of the American Triple Crown races— nobody has distinguished themselves in the legendary event quite like James Rowe and James McLaughlin, two Hall of Famers from the yesteryear days of the sport.

Among the greatest in their respective disciplines, trainer Rowe (eight Belmont victories as a trainer, two as a jockey) and jockey McLaughlin (six Belmont wins) still rank atop the leaderboard of the historic contest generations after their glory days.

Rowe, a native of Richmond, VA, was one of America’s finest jockeys before he transitioned to the training

game. He was just 14 when he rode the first of his consecutive Belmont winners, Joe Daniels, in 1871. Rowe piloted Springbok to win the Belmont the following year, but his days in the saddle were numbered because of a growth spurt that necessitated a new career.

Jumping ahead a decade, Rowe had established himself as a top trainer in the sport. One of the elite riders in the game during the 1880s was McLaughlin, a brash 21-year-old from Hartford, CT. McLaughlin won his first Belmont in 1882 aboard Forester— and was just getting started. The budding talent partnered with Rowe to win the next two Belmonts with

George Kinney (1883) and Panique (1884), both owned by the powerful Dwyer Brothers Stable.

In the mid-1880s, Rowe had a dispute with the Dwyers and quit as their trainer. McLaughlin, meanwhile, continued to prosper for the stable and its new trainer, Frank McCabe. The decorated jockey ran his incredible record in the Belmont to six wins in seven years with his second three-peat, achieved with Inspector B. (1886), Hanover (1887), and Sir Dixon (1888). (Only one other rider, Hall of Famer Eddie Arcaro, has won six Belmonts, his over a less dramatic 14-year span; McLaughlin’s record stood for 70 years until Arcaro’s sixth win in 1955.)

After retiring from the saddle in 1892, McLaughlin had some success as a trainer and spent time as a racetrack official. He died in 1927 at the age of 65.

Splitting with a prominent stable like the Dwyer Brothers would have been a major detriment to the careers of most trainers, but the best was still to come for Rowe. Seventeen years after winning the 1884 Belmont, Rowe remained a dominant trainer in the new century. In the Belmont, he scored victories in 1901 (Commando), 1904 (Delhi), 1907 (Peter Pan), 1908 (Colin), 1910 (Sweep), and 1913 (Prince Eugene)

king james James Rowe (at left) with 1915 Kentucky Derby–winning filly Regret and owner Harry Payne Whitney; (left) jockey James McLaughlin (center); (opposite) a print of McLaughlin from the 1880s.

to give him eight wins in the event as a trainer and 10 overall, spanning 42 years. He also won the race at three tracks— Jerome Park (1871, 1872, 1883, 1884), Morris Park (1901, 1904), and Belmont Park (1907, 1908, 1910, 1913).

The year after he won his 10th and final Belmont, Rowe scored one of the most monumental victories in the history of the Kentucky Derby, training Harry Payne Whitney’s legendary Regret, who became the first filly to win the Run for the Roses in 1915. Rowe continued to have success at the top of the sport and died in Saratoga during the 1929 racing season at the age of 72. Almost a century later, Rowe’s all-time records of champions trained (34), Hall of Famers trained (10), and combined Belmont wins (10) seem otherworldly.

Rowe and McLaughlin were inaugural inductees of the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1955, their remarkable success in the Belmont Stakes serving as a central narrative in their respective legacies.

at the rail Trainer Jena Antonucci at Gulfstream

on Easter weekend; (opposite) Antonucci becomes the first woman to hoist the August

Park

Belmont Trophy at the 2023 Belmont Stakes.

FULL CIRCLE

AFTER BECOMING THE FIRST FEMALE TRAINER TO WIN A TRIPLE CROWN RACE AT LAST YEAR’S BELMONT STAKES, JENA ANTONUCCI WILL BE IN SARATOGA THIS JUNE FOR THE CITY’S FIRST RUNNING OF THE TEST OF A CHAMPION.

BY TOM PEDULLA PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY BY G. SONNY HUGHES

Trainer Jena Antonucci knew she had Arcangelo primed for the 155th Belmont Stakes as she watched him stride powerfully into a stalking position behind frontrunning National Treasure. As the final turn loomed, it was going to be a matter of opportunity. Would her horse, seemingly with no place to go in the 11/2-mile Test of the Champion, find room to unleash the overwhelming closing kick she knew he possessed? Jockey Javier Castellano soon spotted a seam between National Treasure and the rail and implored his mount to seize the chance. Arcangelo responded with the heart of a champion, squeezing through the narrowest of openings as they turned for home.

And off Arcangelo went, dashing into history.

Not only did the Thoroughbred win Castellano his first Belmont that day, but in a male-dominated industry in which women have always scratched and clawed for opportunities, the victory meant Antonucci had become the first woman to train the winner of

a Triple Crown race. A year later, the national spotlight on her continues to shine brightly. Antonucci became a role model for girls who find themselves dreaming her dream come true. Her message to them: “Just because it hasn’t been done, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.” It took 451 Triple Crown races before Antonucci’s breakthrough; as for the Belmont specifically, she was only the 11th woman to start a horse in the race.

NBC commentator Britney Eurton describes the outcome of last year’s Belmont as “one of the most significant moments in racing history.” And she would know. Her father, Peter, is a prominent West Coast trainer, so she keenly understands the against-theodds battle Antonucci and others have faced. “When I grew up, it was primarily male trainers,” Eurton says. “The women that you see in the sport now, especially what Jena is doing, it goes to the younger generation to show, ‘You can do this. There is a seat at the table for women.’”

Antonucci and her team will be celebrated June 6 at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s

two for one Arcangelo racing to victory in the 2023 Belmont Stakes; (left) Arcangelo provided both jockey Javier Castellano and trainer Jena Antonucci with their first Belmont wins.

(Arcangelo racing) WALTER WLODARCZYK; (with Antonucci) SUSIE RAISHER

Belmont Gala at Canfield Casino. It will be a special evening because Antonucci has enjoyed summers here in Saratoga Springs since she was a child. She even says that she embraces our city as a “second home.” (Antonucci, Castellano and Arcangelo also won the Travers Stakes last year—she’s only the second female trainer to do so—before the Thoroughbred retired due to an issue with his left hind hoof.)

“There’s a huge sense of community and family that happens at Saratoga and the surrounding region,” Antonucci says. “It’s not only the horse racing history but the history itself. It just feels very rooted and very much like a big, warm hug.”

After the glittering gala, Antonucci looks forward to the Belmont’s first run at The Spa. “It’s a great opportunity not only for the city but for the sport,” she says. “The energy level will be absolutely amazing.”

Antonucci’s historic wins are one piece of a smallbut-mighty surge of female trainers currently taking on the Sport of Kings. Linda Rice is enjoying unprecedented success on the rugged New York circuit and was celebrated at the end of last year for producing a singleyear record 165 victories, one more than David Jacobson’s mark set in 2013. She also holds the distinction of being the first woman to win the coveted Saratoga title outright—no woman had topped the standings at a major track before that—edging Todd Pletcher’s massive outfit in 2009. When as a young woman Rice told her father, trainer Clyde Rice, of her determination to follow in his (and her three older brothers’) footsteps, his response neatly sums up what it’s like for a female to eye a career in the sport:

“Well, it would be a lot easier if you were one of my sons.”

Last season also saw the rise of two other women in horse racing, Brittany Russell and Cherie DeVaux. Russell, who began training in 2018, emerged as the first woman to lead Maryland’s year-end trainer standings—the motherof-two registered 118 victories between Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, breaking the stranglehold on the top that Claudio Gonzalez had maintained since 2017. She also ranked 11th

Antonucci always knew her life would, in some way, revolve around working with horses. Growing up in south Florida, she rode show horses at a young age, participating in her first show before her fourth birthday. At the start of her career, she learned invaluable lessons while working for legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas, before veering away from racing. She worked as a veterinary assistant for four and a half years and then opened Bella Inizio Farm in Ocala, FL. There, she first cared for broodmares, foals, weanlings and yearlings, and then moved into rehabilitating Thoroughbreds. At last, she made her return to racing when she took out her trainer’s license in 2010. In a vivid reminder of how difficult it can be to find good stock and good opportunities, she had never started a horse in a Grade 1 race before the life-altering Belmont.

nationally for the year with 177 victories overall, and stood 16th in purse earnings with $7,999,367. For her part, DeVaux, assisted by younger sister Adrianne, also produced a banner year. She set a career high with 56 wins, and her earnings more than doubled what they had been the season before, reaching $5,558,777. “I’m loving seeing the growth,” Eurton says of the female presence in horse racing as it stands today. “We have a long way to go of course, but I do see the progress.”

Arcangelo’s owner, Blue Rose Farm’s Jon Ebbert, has known from the start of their partnership that Antonucci had something special. The two met at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington at which Arcangelo was sold and quickly connected. Over time, Ebbert came to appreciate her for, among other things, her communication skills. In contrast, he says he heard from some of his previous trainers only when bills came due. “She’s a great trainer,” he says. “She cares about her owners. She cares about her horses.”

Antonucci’s love for all horses can be seen at horseOlogy, which she established in November 2022 with business partner Katie Miranda. Based at idyllic GoldMark Farm in

soul sister “Horses genuinely make my soul happy,” Jena Antonucci recently told America’s Best Racing. “I love being around them, the smell of them, their energy.”

Ocala, it differs from other training and ownership operations by providing every in-house service from conception to retirement. And each horse receives the same high level of care, regardless of pedigree or price. “They don’t know their value to a human,” Antonucci says. “We’ve been able to resurrect some careers because we didn’t classify them as being this or being that.”

“There’s a huge sense of community and family that happens at Saratoga and the surrounding region.”

There, she has successfully created a family atmosphere that’s indicative of her all-in approach. “She does more for people than any trainer I’ve ever worked for,” says assistant trainer Fiona Goodwin, who has been with her from the start.

While Arcangelo’s success created opportunities and allowed her to upgrade the quality of her 30 or so runners, Antonucci made sure the operation remained hands-on. “We do us really well, and so we are committed to staying who we are and not having huge numbers,” she says. “If that means we have to say ‘no’ to some opportunities, then that’s what that means. I don’t want to be a horse manager. I enjoy being a horse trainer.”

She’s excited about the 2-year-olds in her barn and hopes to unveil some of them at Saratoga’s summer meet. Time will tell whether the Belmont was a harbinger of other great things to come for her. Goodwin, for one, is convinced her boss will soon return to the grand stage of the Triple Crown races.

“She’s as good as any if not better than most of the others,” Goodwin says. “It’s inevitable. It’s going to happen again, for sure.”

GREG MONTGOMERY’S 2024 POSTERPALOOZA

THE SARATOGA ARTIST IS KNOWN FOR HIS BELOVED ANNUAL TRAVERS POSTERS. BUT IN THIS HISTORIC YEAR FOR HORSE RACING IN SARATOGA, A SINGLE POSTER SIMPLY WOULDN’T DO.

BY NATALIE

MOORE

trophy life This isn’t the first time Montgomery has illustrated a trophy: His 2019 poster featured the Travers Cup. “The difference between the Belmont Trophy and the Travers Cup was that when I did the Travers Cup, I know the man whose responsibility it is to take the cup in and out of the safe, so he brought it to me and put it right in front of me,” Montgomery says. “For the Belmont Cup, I’m looking at photos of it for a month, but it’s not in front of me, and I’m never getting that level of detail. Ever.”

GREG MONTGOMERY ADMITS he was in the dark when the whole Belmont-coming-to-Saratoga thing was announced. “Someone said, ‘Aren’t you doing something for the Belmont?’” the graphic illustrator remembers. “And I said, ‘I’m sorry, I’ve been sick or something. Tell me what you’re talking about.’ And they said, ‘The Triple Crown is coming to Saratoga. It’s only the most important thing that ever happened!’”

Nearly 40 years after he started creating Saratoga’s now-iconic Travers posters, Montgomery knew how big of a deal this was. And he knew that as the Spa City’s preeminent visual documentarian of major horse racing events, he had to do something The only problem? He had nothing on which to base his design—a prerequisite simply didn’t exist.

“My formula has been to take last year’s [Travers] winner and some recognizable location at the track and put the two of them together through the magic of Photoshop,” he says. “I can’t do that. This has never happened before.”

To further complicate matters, the winner of last year’s Travers was

Arcangelo, son of 2016 Travers winner Arrogate. If Montgomery put Arcangelo on this year’s Travers poster, it’d look too similar to the poster he did commemorating Arrogate’s victory less than a decade ago. But at the same time, the artist felt he had to honor Jena Antonucci, the first woman to win the Midsummer Derby since 1938. Montgomery’s solution to the conundrum? Three posters—one in honor of the Belmont being run at Saratoga, one in honor of Jena Antonucci’s historic wins in both the 2023 Belmont and Travers, and the regularly scheduled, yet-to-bereleased Travers poster.

While we can’t unveil what Montgomery came up with for the Travers poster just yet, we can show you the other two. The Antonucci one, featuring Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano and the aforementioned Arcangelo, will be gifted to attendees of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s Belmont Gala on June 6 at the Canfield Casino, with a limited number of signed prints becoming available later this summer. The other? A poster featuring the August Belmont Trophy, which was commissioned by the eponymous namesake of the Triple Crown race in 1896 and fashioned by Tiffany & Co. out of 350 ounces of sterling silver. Montgomery’s illustration of the trophy took more than a month to draw, and utilizes 1,100 pieces of color to capture all its reflections just right. Behind it, you can just make out the Saratoga grandstand’s iconic skyline.

“Impressions sold 75 of them in seven days,” says Montgomery, who will be donating proceeds from the poster to charities including the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. “The scale of this race and its interest is new to me.”

And you’d better believe that shortly after this year’s race, Montgomery will start collecting photos of its winner. Why? Well, in preparation for his 2025 Belmont at Saratoga poster, of course.

girl power “A female trainer just won two of the most important, most prestigious races in the Thoroughbred world,”

Montgomery says of trainer Jena Antonucci. “I felt strongly that that fact had to be recognized and celebrated.”

august’s place to be American Pharoah winning the 2015 Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park; (opposite) August Belmont I, the historic race’s namesake.

BRING ON BELATOGA

THIS JUNE, THE TRIPLE CROWN'S OLDEST RACE WILL BE RUN AT THE COUNTRY'S OLDEST RACETRACK FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. ARE YOU READY?

BY BRIEN BOUYEA

FEW THOROUGHBRED RACES WORLDWIDE CAN MATCH the stature and historical significance of the Belmont Stakes. While the Kentucky Derby has greater name recognition to casual fans as an event of widespread cultural appeal, the Belmont can claim two significant honors the Derby can’t—its role of stamping greatness as the definitive third jewel in the American Triple Crown and its legacy impact as the race that has produced more Hall of Fame members than any other. (Through 2023, the Belmont has had 40 of its winners enshrined in the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame— more than both the Derby [36] and Preakness Stakes [34]). As a championship-level contest, the Belmont ranks among racing’s most important and iconic events.

The history of the Belmont traces back to 1867, giving it the distinction of being the oldest of the Triple Crown races, predating the inaugural Preakness (1873) by six years and the first Derby (1875) by eight. More history will be made in 2024 and 2025 with the 156th and 157th runnings of the Belmont taking place at Saratoga Race Course, America’s oldest racetrack.

To say the Spa City is buzzing with anticipation for the arrival of the Belmont is a grand understatement: Saratoga is downright electric Hotel rooms were scarce months in advance of the four-day racing festival, and numerous restaurants were also quickly booked solid. The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival begins Thursday, June 6, but the special events in town kick off earlier that week, beckoning tens of thousands of racing fans to the Spa City. For the thousands of fans who will be in town without tickets to the track—Belmont Stakes day tickets were sold out almost immediately—numerous venues throughout Saratoga Springs and the surrounding area are planning viewing parties. The week-long bash concludes with a loaded card featuring New York–breds on Sunday, June 9.

The two-year venue change to Saratoga and the tweaks that come with it are but the latest twists and turns in the story of the Belmont. Long referred to as the “Test of the Champion,” the Belmont has been a signature contest in Thoroughbred racing since its inception—a challenge requiring the talent, stamina and heart possessed by all great racehorses. But while the traits of its winners have remained consistent, the race itself has undergone substantial variations. Distance, location and race conditions have fluctuated…and that’s only the beginning. A deep dive into the Belmont’s archives reveals an event that

BELMONT STAKES FACTS

SARATOGA RACE COURSE WILL BE THE FIFTH TRACK TO PLAY HOST TO THE BELMONT STAKES.

The event has previously been held at Jerome Park, Morris Park, Belmont Park and Aqueduct Race Track.

THE RACE HAS BEEN CONTESTED AT FIVE DIFFERENT DISTANCES:

1⅛ miles

1¼ miles

1⅜ miles

1½ miles

1⅝ miles

LARGEST MARGINS OF VICTORY:

31 lengths (SECRETARIAT, 1973)

25 lengths (COUNT FLEET, 1943)

20 lengths (MAN O’ WAR, 1920)

MOST WINS BY AN OWNER: 6

(BELAIR STUD: 1930, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1939, 1955)

6

(JAMES R. KEENE: 1879, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1910)

MOST WINS BY A JOCKEY: 6

(JAMES McLAUGHLIN: 1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888)

6

(EDDIE ARCARO: 1941, 1942, 1945, 1948, 1952, 1955)

has experienced significant alterations to many of its characteristics since Hall of Fame filly Ruthless prevailed in the inaugural 1867 edition. Customarily held in early June, the Belmont once took place in November. There was also an edition that was held at the same track on the same card as the Preakness Stakes.

Truth really can be stranger than fiction.

MOST WINS BY A TRAINER:

(James Rowe, Sr.: 1883, 1884, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1913)

WOMEN WHO WON THE BELMONT:

JULIE KRONE (jockey, 1993)

JENA ANTONUCCI (trainer, 2023)

FILLIES WHO WON THE BELMONT: RUTHLESS (1867)

TANYA (1905) RAGS TO RICHES (2007)

FOREIGN-BRED HORSES WHO WON THE BELMONT:

SAXON (1874, bred in England)

BOWLING BROOK (1898, bred in England)

HOURLESS (1917, bred in England)

JOHREN (1918, bred in England)

GALLANT MAN (1957, bred in Ireland)

CAVAN (1958, bred in Ireland)

CELTIC ASH (1960, bred in England)

GO AND GO (1990, bred in Ireland)

VICTORY GALLOP (1998, bred in Canada)

Anyone clutching their pearls at the Belmont Stakes not being run at Belmont Park (or screaming “asterisk!” at the distance reduction to 1¼ miles) surely doesn’t know the history of this iconic race. America was in a traumatic struggle to piece itself back together in the aftermath of the physical carnage and emotional strife of the Civil War when Ruthless took the inaugural Belmont at the grand old venue of Jerome Park in Westchester County. The contest was named for August Belmont I, a wealthy financier and sportsman who helped fund Jerome Park’s construction and served as its first president. Jerome Park played host to the first 23 runnings of the Belmont from 1867 through 1889. When that track closed, Morris Park—built near Jerome Park on land that was later annexed into the Bronx—served as the race’s home from 1890 through 1904.

By the time Belmont Park opened in 1905, the Belmont Stakes had already been contested 38 times at two sites and five distances: 1⅝ miles from 1867 through 1873; 1½ miles from 1874 through 1889; 1¼ miles from 1890 through 1892 and in 1895 and 1904; 1⅛ miles in 1893 and 1894; and 1⅜ miles from 1896 through 1903. Whew.

One of the more obscure editions of the Belmont Stakes was when Burlington won in 1890, the first year the race was held at Morris Park. A crowd of 15,000 was on hand and the spectators had the unique experience of also witnessing that year’s Preakness, an undercard race won by 5-year-old gelding Montague under handicap conditions and without an age restriction. Another oddity of the 1890s was the 1895 edition being postponed and almost scrapped because of new laws that banned bookmaking in New York; it was eventually rescheduled for November 2. Won by Belmar (also that year’s Preakness winner), the 1895 Belmont race chart noted that the “New York Jockey Club closed out its affairs. Race run under the jurisdiction of the Westchester Racing Association.”

One of the most notable renewals of the Belmont was the first one held at Belmont Park in 1905. A chestnut filly named Tanya stole the show and earned her place in Belmont lore by becoming the first filly since Ruthless to win the race. After Tanya, 102 years passed before another filly, champion Rags to Riches, achieved the glory of a Belmont victory.

Since its 1905 opening, Belmont Park has played host to its namesake race annually, with the only exceptions being 1963 through 1967, when a renovation project necessitated a move to Aqueduct that was not unlike what we’re experiencing now during the race’s two years at The Spa.

The race was not contested in 1911 and 1912, when the sport was shut down in New York because of antigambling legislation.

Thirteen horses—Sir Barton (1919), Galant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018)—have earned immortal status by winning the Triple Crown, but the history of the calendar placement for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont has been jumbled on numerous occasions.

Since 1931, the order of Triple Crown races has been the Kentucky Derby first, on the first Saturday of May, followed by the Preakness two weeks later, and then the Belmont three weeks after that. (The only exception to this since 1931 was in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the Belmont leading off the series on June 20, followed by the Derby on Sept. 5, and finally the Preakness on Oct. 3. The 2020 Belmont was also shortened to 1⅛ miles, marking the only time since 1926 the race has not been contested at 1½ miles.) Before the current established coordination of the series, the Preakness was run before the Derby 11 times. Twice, in 1917 and 1922, the Preakness and the Derby were held on the same day. On 11 occasions, the Belmont was run before the Preakness.

history in the making (from top)

The term “Triple Crown” was not popularized until the 1930s, when Gallant Fox and his son, Omaha, came along. Prior to that, as accomplished as he was, Sir Barton, inaugural winner of what would later be known as the Triple Crown, found his 1919 achievement quickly overshadowed by the mighty Man o’ War. Owned by Samuel D. Riddle, Man o’ War was not entered in the Kentucky Derby in 1920, but he won the Preakness with ease and dominated the Belmont by 20 lengths. A footnote to Man o’ War’s Belmont victory was that

The August Belmont Trophy, created by Tiffany & Co. in 1896; a page from the 1973 Belmont program, when Secretariat set a record that still stands today; 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation at the Belmont; (opposite) an illustration of Jerome Park, which hosted the first 23 runnings of the Belmont Stakes.

it was the last of 51 editions run in the English tradition of the clockwise direction. In 1921, the route was flipped counterclockwise, which has remained the format ever since.

Count Fleet’s 25-length margin of victory in 1943 stood as the Belmont record until Secretariat’s 31-length romp in 1973. Secretariat also ended a 25-year drought between Triple Crowns and his time of 2:24 set and remains both the Belmont and American record for the distance on dirt 51 years later. CBS announcer Chic Anderson famously described Secretariat as a “tremendous machine” during his jaw-dropping Belmont run. More than 50 years later, the legacy of Secretariat and what he accomplished on June 9, 1973 remains the standard by which all others are measured in racing and, specifically, the Belmont.

The Belmont has also been known for monumental upsets and has thwarted many Triple Crown hopefuls. Twenty-three horses that won both the Derby and Preakness have failed in their attempt to win the Belmont, including Hall of Famers such as Northern Dancer, Spectacular Bid, Silver Charm, Sunday Silence and Alysheba. A record crowd of 120,139 attended the 2004 Belmont when Smarty Jones was denied the Triple Crown by Marylou Whitney’s Birdstone. It was the third straight year a Triple Crown hopeful was defeated in the Belmont.

The gracious Whitney, understanding the impact of a potential Triple Crown on the sport, apologized to the owners of Smarty Jones for her horse winning the race. When California Chrome faded in the stretch of the 2014 Belmont with a Triple Crown on the line, many wondered if the sport would ever see another horse accomplish the feat. Then came American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify three years later.

Who’s next? Perhaps America’s 14th Triple Crown winner will be crowned in the Spa City. What an amazing chapter in Saratoga’s distinctive history that would be.

SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND

NEW YORK CITY BALLET CELEBRATES ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A ROUSING PROGRAM OF CONTEMPORARY PIECES AND CROWD FAVORITES SUCH AS SWAN LAKE AND JEWELS .

BY ABBY TEGNELIA

photography by ERIN BAIANO

New York City Ballet will hit the SPAC stage July 9-13 for its annual summer residency—and this year, the dancers’ arrival also marks an opportunity to skip down memory lane. That’s because the world-famous company—founded in 1948 by famed choreographer George Balanchine and impresario Lincoln Kirstein—is celebrating its diamond anniversary.

“Saratoga is going to be a nice culmination of this 75th anniversary year,” says Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford. “We’re going to bring lots of energy. It’s been such a special year for us, and we can’t wait to be up there in front of those great audiences in Saratoga.”

Stafford, who was also a principal dancer and ballet master at the company, joined NYCB in 1998 and has been coming here for almost as long.

“My wife and I went on our first date in Saratoga,” he says of Brittany Pollack, a NYCB soloist. “So it’s been a special place for us for many years. I’ve gone up to Saratoga every summer since 1999. I have not missed one, including during Covid—my wife and I drove up here to go to all of our favorite spots. We walked around the grounds just so I could keep my streak intact. I love seeing the people who’ve been coming to the ballet for many, many years who I’ve gotten to know. We all have a great love and appreciation for the community here and love reconnecting every year.”

Dancing outside on the SPAC stage always comes up while chatting with performers, who have in the past reminisced about magical moments such as seeing fireflies while dancing Midsummer Night’s Dream. Stafford, however, falls for the more passionate side of Mother Nature. “I have a memory of performing in a severe thunderstorm and

justin time NYCB’s contemporary works feature (from top) Justin Peck’s The Times are Racing sneaker ballet; and Gustave le Gray No. 1; (opposite, from top) the company will bring crowd favorite Swan Lake back to SPAC; members of the ballet company celebrate 75 years.

how fun that was because of the drama of the thunder and lightning in the background while we’re doing a dramatic piece on stage. Another time I was dancing Emeralds in Jewels. It was a hot and hazy night, and with the scenery, I felt like I was in the forest—it didn’t feel like that when dancing inside in the theater! It was such a cool experience.”

We’ll see what the weather does this year—the company is bringing back Jewels, plus crowd favorite Swan Lake, Stars and Stripes, Steadfast Tin Soldier, and scenes from Coppélia, which will feature 24 local children. The contemporary program includes the SPAC debut of Gustave le Gray No. 1, the dynamic Red Angels, and Justin Peck’s The Times are Racing

“I hope people come out and see us, and enjoy one, two, three evenings at the ballet,” Stafford says. “We’re really excited about the programming we’re offering for this special year. And then let’s just hope it’s not too hot!”

LEADING LADIES

A RECORD NUMBER OF FEMALE ARTISTS—LED BY THE GREAT NORAH JONES —HEADLINE THIS YEAR’S FREIHOFER’S SARATOGA JAZZ FESTIVAL .

Female performers are coming out in force for this year’s 47th annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, June 29 and 30 at SPAC. Led by the singer-songwriter-pianist Norah Jones (winner of nine Grammys and best known for “Come Away With Me” and “Don’t Know Why”), the record-breaking number of female headliners include the Grammy-nominated TikTok phenom Laufey and Samara Joy, the second jazz performer in history to win the Grammy award for best new artist. The rest of the exciting two-day line-up includes Lake Street Dive, legend Stanley Clarke with his band N*4Ever, Terence Blanchard Sextet and Coco Montoya. Afro-Cuban and funk bands Cory Henry, Cimafunk, The New Orleans Groove Masters and Pedrito Martinez Group will take the stage as well. In all, the rousing performers will put on a nonstop powerhouse weekend, with food, beer and an arts and crafts fair rounding out the perfect family day for locals, and a destination stop for jazz lovers following the festival circuit.

hey girl, hey girl Grammy-winning phenom Norah Jones headlines this year’s jazz festival; (inset) the festival is a fun family day out.

Saratoga Springs might be the next off-off Broadway hotspot. No joke. That’s the vision of Ari Edelson, Artistic Director of New York City–based The Orchard Project, which Edelson describes as a “Yaddo for performance” that’s helped workshop, incubate and accelerate hundreds of plays and dramatic stories, including many that went on to off-Broadway and Broadway, winning Obies and Tonys along the way. For the last nine summers, Edelson has been bringing his artists and their creative output to the Spa City as a kind of creative testing ground for new works that will be produced across the country.

THE ORCHARD PROJECT HAS DEEP SARATOGA ROOTS

THE NYC PERFORMANCE LABORATORY, WHICH HAS BROUGHT PERFORMING TITANS SUCH AS ACTOR ALAN CUMMING AND JAZZ GIANT ESPERANZA SPALDING TO THE SPA CITY, RETURNS TO SARATOGA FOR ITS NINTH YEAR.

BY JEFF DINGLER

“When I was growing up, my understanding of Saratoga was the racetrack and my grandparents’ house,” laughs Edelson, whose mother is from the city. “But it’s its own really wonderful mini-city. In terms of the quality of work that comes through town, it seems to only make the town more and more attractive.”

After earning a theater degree from Yale, Edelson directed off-Broadway, in London and in Tokyo. In 2008, he took over the renowned Jean Cocteau Repertory, and transformed it into The Orchard Project (OP). Since then, OP has helped 1,500 artists/creators and hundreds of successful productions, including Robert Schenkkan’s All The Way, which won Tonys for Best Play

and Best Actor (for Bryan Cranston’s performance as President LBJ).

OP used to take its simmering summer performance pieces to Hunter in the Catskills. “But when it got big enough, we started looking at other places,” says Edelson, who made the switch to the Spa City in 2015. “I had a slight bias to Saratoga because of my personal history.” (Edelson’s grandfather ran a pharmacy on Broadway called Carroll Cut-Rite; Fred Menges of current downtown apothecary Menges & Curtis was his assistant.) Edelson also points to Saratoga’s “flexible creative infrastructure” with facilities such as UPH, SPAC and Caffè Lena, and the cultural life and “vibe” of the city as reasons for making it OP’s summer home. “There’s

(Cumming, Spalding)

JULIA LEVY

cumming to saratoga Esperanza Spalding and Howard Fishman at the old Putnam Den; (opposite) Alan Cumming performing a comedic cabaret at Universal Preservation Hall in 2015.

this sophisticated vocabulary in Saratoga with the Writers Institute, with SITI Company and Yaddo,” says Edelson. “With all of this taking place in the area, everyone understands what it takes to make something.”

Since then, OP has brought some performing paragons to the Spa City, including Alan Cumming to UPH (before renovations were complete) for a comedic cabaret, and jazz master and bass prodigy Esperanza Spalding for a kickass show at the then-Putnam Den (in the space where Putnam Place is now). Most recently, Edelson points to Penelope, a rock opera retelling of the Odyssey from the perspective of Odysseus’ wife, Penelope. With music and lyrics by Alex Bechtel, the musical was performed at Caffè Lena in 2022 and is currently running at DC’s Signature Theatre. “It’ll probably get ten productions around the country next year,” Edelson says. “It’ll be one of those shows that people will have seen everywhere.”

The NYC-based nonprofit’s 2024 program includes more than 14 projects, culminating in a weekend of concerts, readings and showings July 12-14 in Saratoga. Pieces include a new musical adaptation of the 2012 film Safety Not Guaranteed, written by the rock band Guster and Nick Blaemire from Maestro, plus a new show featuring Ethan Slater of the new Wicked movie and boyfriend of Ariana Grande. Edelson says, “We always pick six or seven works about which we say, ‘This would be really fun to share with folks in Saratoga.’”

ANOTHER TYPE OF FESTIVAL

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC TAKES CENTER STAGE AS THE MOSTLY MODERN FESTIVAL ROLLS INTO SARATOGA JUST IN TIME FOR THE BELMONT.

June 6 may mark the beginning of the four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival in Saratoga, but it’s also the start of the 5th annual Mostly Modern Festival (MMF), which brings some of today’s top composers, conductors and musicians to the Spa City. “[We] wanted to create a glorious summer festival experience that is modern within the context of the magical classical music tradition,” says MMF cofounder Robert Paterson. “We favor new and then flavor with the old. We are finding that, increasingly, new music can be the gateway to older music.”

On the docket for this June are seven open-to-the-public orchestral, vocal and chamber concerts, beginning with the Mostly Modern kickoff at Caffè Lena on June 6. From there, things move over to Skidmore’s Arthur Zankel Music Center, which will host an Enchanted Equestrian Evening of Modern Songs (June 8), a Family Father’s Day Special (June 16), the Dior String Quartet (June 20) and a trio of performances by the Mostly Modern Orchestra with conductors David Amado (June 9), Ankush Kumar Bahl (June 15) and JoAnn Falletta (June 21).

So, if horse racing isn’t your thing, or you have some down time while in town for the Belmont, there’s another type of festival that deserves— no, demands—your attention.

modern days General admission to each of Mostly Modern’s seven public performances is $20, with VIP premium seating and a festival pass also available.

High-Stakes Fun OPERA SARATOGA GOES

ALL

IN ON A THRILLING, BETTING-FOCUSED SEASON— FROM A ROUSING RENDITION OF GUYS AND DOLLS AND A CASINO-THEMED GALA, TO COSÌ FAN TUTTE ’S 200-YEAR-OLD MARS VS VENUS WAGER.

BY ABBY TEGNELIA

If you’ve never been to Opera Saratoga, this is the year to start. And if you’ve attended various one-offs over the years, it’s time to go all in. After all, there’s the excitement of the Belmont (watch out for the opera’s performance at the track on Friday between races three and four), the razzle-dazzle of Guys and Dolls (the only full-fledged musical in town), and an ultra-glam post-Belmont gala at Canfield Casino. From betting on the ponies and Sky Masterson’s betting on… everything, to the Monte Carlo-esque ball, it’s a low-risk wager that the summer festival is going to be an absolute thrill.

“Our summer festival's theme this year revolves around the art of the wager, and we’re having a lot of fun with it,” says Mary Birnbaum, the company’s hip general and artistic director who also teaches at the world-famous Juilliard. “Guys and Dolls has been a favorite for musical theater lovers for 50 years because it’s so funny, romantic and tuneful.” And the fact that the company’s found a new home at Universal Preservation Hall means you can make a whole night of it: dinner and a show, and maybe some post theater-cocktails. This summer, the opera is the place to be downtown.

If Guys and Dolls wasn’t enough of a hint that today’s opera is different than any stereotypes that newcomers might be holding on to, take a look, too, at the contemporary works being performed in June as part of a series called Listen to This (flip the page for more). The 60-minute shows tackle themes such as technology’s mark on one’s individuality and loneliness among men. There’s even a pop performance, too. Classic opera buffs will enjoy all if it, in addition to the company’s rendition of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, during

which Don Alfonso lays a wager that he can prove—in less than 24 hours, no less—that all women are fickle. Director Gisela Cardenas will put a feminist spin on this classic, as Don Alfonso learns his lesson, too.

“These works are timeless masterpieces with beautiful music,” Birnbaum says. “Così has appealed to audiences for 200 years and counting.”

Newcomers to Opera Saratoga often feel a palpable, excited energy among the audience members, one that’s reciprocated by the performers and which amplifies their larger-than-life talent. That’s because, unlike touring companies that stop in town for a few days, Opera Saratoga’s festival artists live in the Spa City for six weeks, staying in locals’ homes and really getting to know and love Saratoga. By the time the lights go up, the faces on stage are familiar to the community and vice versa.

“To somebody who’s never been before, you have to experience the enthusiasm and the talent that these singers bring to the stage—it’s just fantastic,” says Laurie Rogers, director of the Festival Artist program, for which only 22 applicants were chosen out of almost 1,000. “When you look at those numbers, you can see how they all really want to be here. As an artist, you put yourself out there, and you try and try and try. When you finally get an opportunity like this, it’s huge.”

The Opera Saratoga Festival Artist Training Program is the second oldest in the country, and graduates have gone on to sing at The Metropolitan Opera, the great stages of Europe, and the West End. But no matter where they travel, they hold onto the relationships they forged as part of our local community. One Saratoga couple recently flew to London to see the singer they

Opera Saratoga’s Guys and Dolls and Così fan tutte will be performed by opera singers chosen from across country including (from top) Ariadne Greif, Aubrey Allicock, Mikaela Bennett; (opposite, from top) Michael Hawk, Nicoletta Berry and Maximillian Jansen.

housed sing Christine in Phantom of the Opera, and two visiting artists even recently got married at Yaddo. The company’s managing director, Amanda Robie, was once a festival singer herself. “As an artist, you live a nomadic lifestyle, and it can be very easy to go to your rehearsals and then go home and not do anything else,” she says. “But in Saratoga, there are many fun events—house concerts at patrons’ homes, cocktail parties—where Opera Saratoga’s community eagerly meets the artists and gets to know them as people. As a solo freelance artist, that community is precious, and hard to cultivate! But in Saratoga, by show time, you have all these friends in the audience who are there to cheer you on.” operasaratoga.org ■

CALE NDAR

JUNE 2

Cabaret at the Mansion • 2pm & 7pm

JUNE 4, 11 & 18

Listen to This

Universal Preservation Hall • 7pm

JUNE 5

Festival Preview at The Sembrich • 7pm

JUNE 9

Gala at the Canfield Casino • 6pm

JUNE 15, 23, 29 & JULY 2

Free Family Shows

June 15: 11am

Saratoga Springs Public Library

June 19: 3:30pm

Saratoga Springs Farmers Market

June 23: 11am • Saratoga Arts

June 29: 11am • UPH

July 2: 11am • UPH

JUNE 19

A Juneteenth Celebration with Anthony Davis The Sembrich • 7pm

JUNE 28, 30 & JULY 3, 6

Così fan tutte

Universal Preservation Hall

June 28: 7:30pm

June 30: 2pm

July 3: 2pm

July 6: 7:30pm

JUNE 29 & JULY 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 Guys and Dolls

Universal Preservation Hall

June 29: 7:30pm

July 2: 2pm

July 3: 7:30pm

July 5: 7:30pm

July 6: 2pm

July 7: 2pm

JUNE 30 & JULY 5

World Premiere Opera by inti figgis-vizueta

Universal Preservation Hall

June 30: 7pm

July 5: 2pm

Opera Saratoga’s innovative world-class performances and programs inspire, educate, and heal audiences and artists through the power of the human voice.

OPERA SARATOGA is a 501c3 nonprofit. In addition to fostering the next generation of opera stars in a climate that is particularly challenging for the performing arts, the company runs Songs by Heart, which reaches Alzheimer’s and dementia patients through the power of music.

Taking up Residency

Opera Saratoga rolls out a new artist-in-residency initiative capped off by a world premiere by composer inti figgis-vizueta .

BY JEFF DINGLER

Even though she’s never composed an opera before, that won’t stop award-winning, NYC composer inti figgis-vizueta from writing one—in a tight six-week window no less, and entirely based on the unique talents of this year’s festival artists, whom she won’t meet until they land in Saratoga.

Earlier this year, Opera Saratoga selected the composer, renowned for her collaborative and surreal cinematic style, for the opera company’s inaugural composer-in-residence position. The opera, which at press time figgis-vizueta had not yet even begun writing per her contract, will have its world premiere

at Universal Preservation Hall on June 30, with a second performance on July 5.

Unlike other composer-in-residence positions, where composers are expected to trot out extant works, Opera Saratoga’s Ritzenberg Composer-in-Residence is being hired to take a risk on something entirely new and bespoke for the festival. The art of hedging risks is this season’s exciting theme—which will be highlighted by the big bets in Guys and Dolls and a funny wager in Mozart’s Così fan tutte and the pièce de résistance of this daring and adventuresome season is a living artist crafting something unique.

inti figgis-vizueta will compose and debut an entire opera during her time with Opera Saratoga this summer.

“It’s important to have a living composer with us this season,” says Mary Birnbaum, Opera Saratoga’s general and artistic director. “We want to invite our audiences into the kitchen to see how the sauce gets made and to honor or introduce new ways of composing opera.”

figgis-vizueta is up for the challenge. “The format of this residency is unique and lends itself to the kind of collaboration that I usually request or ask for from ensembles,” says the composer, who will generate new music material for the piece specifically for the voices of the Opera Saratoga singers. “Composing for me is much more collaborative—bringing in materials that the performers and I play with and transform, and eventually that is represented on stage.”

Of Andean and Irish descent, figgisvizueta has been laying the groundwork for a non-traditional opera that will draw its libretto and title from two of her Irish greatgreat grandfather’s creative works: a neoCeltic, illuminated manuscript called Book of the Resurrection, and his lost autobiography, Irons in the Fire As for the score, figgisvizueta is again defying tradition, planning for five singers, the use of electronics, and a fairly small and unusual ensemble of viola, trombone and piano. “Through this work, I’m trying to figure out what my relationship is to opera,” she says about the challenge of taking on a new form. “How can I play with structure, with the idea of making phantoms of these traditional forms while still giving arias to the soloists?”

figgis-vizueta has carved out a reputation in the classical music world for bold, experimental works liberated from traditional structures. Her music shimmers, bristles and roars with a virtuosity for blending and venturing into far-ranging and, at times, unexplored soundscapes punctuated by storms of lyricism and harmony. She’s worked with big names too—including two-time Grammy-winners the Kronos Quartet—and was named by Washington Post as one of 21 “Composers and Performers Who Sound Like Tomorrow.”

“inti’s process and ideas about collaboration are truly inspiring to me,” says Birnbaum. “I think audiences will respond to inti’s optimism, her humor, and the real beauty of her music.” ■

Beauty in Power

OPERA SARATOGA’S THREE-PART LISTEN TO THIS SERIES BRINGS CUTTING-EDGE CONTEMPORARY VOCAL WORKS TO THE UPH STAGE, INCLUDING A POP PERFORMANCE, A MASCULINE LOOK AT LONELINESS AND THE WORLD’S FIRST KNOWN OPERA TO USE SYNTHETIC VOICES.

BY ABBY TEGNELIA

Before the swinging, gamblingthemed summer season kicks off with great fanfare, Opera Saratoga welcomes three powerful contemporary works collectively called Listen to This. These pieces are not just modern, but they push the envelope in mind-blowing ways, handing the mic to cutting-edge creators who break through old-fashioned boundaries of what people think opera even is. Performed at Universal Preservation Hall in a 60- to 90-minute workshop form, these Tuesday evenings are a chance for the public to see firsthand the intense and vital early stages of the creation of new vocal works.

June 4 brings the composer Robert Whalen’s The Other Side of Silence, the first known opera to use acoustic or synthetic voices. “Robert runs ensembles at RPI, and he was really interested in writing an opera,” says Mary Birnbaum, Opera Saratoga’s general and artistic director. “He started this

work during the pandemic, with people who use synthetic voice. When people hear that, they think of Stephen Hawking. But these lyricists he works with, they have speech or language disorders and use synthetic voices to communicate. They constantly feel kind of misunderstood.”

The performance is Saratoga’s chance to see this compelling piece of technology-driven music that is otherwise being workshopped in Troy, as part of a partnership with RPI via an NYSCA research grant. “This piece is a story about how language and sound are produced,” Birnbaum says of the piece that also explores technology’s impact on individuality. “It gives voice to the voiceless.”

Next up: Winterreise, with bass baritone William Socolof; director George Miller, an Albany native who started out with Lake George Opera (now Opera Saratoga); and pianist Chris Reynolds, who met Birnbaum at Juilliard (where she’s been on faculty since

Bass baritone William Socolof explores masculine grief, loneliness and hope in Winterreise.

2011) but is originally from Saratoga. “George is a stage director who pitched me a reimagined version of the iconic song cycle by Schubert,” Birnbaum says of the piece that is all-male by design. “A man wanders in a winter landscape in this piece about desolation and despair—and then he finds hope again. It deals with male loneliness and masculinity.” Attendees will be treated to a short talk with the popular local musicologist Tom Denny after the performance.

Rounding out the series is I woke up in the sky, by the Regina Spektor-esque singer/songwriter Catherine Brookman. “It isn’t really an opera at all,” Birnbaum says. “It’s more for lovers of pop. But the scope and emotion of it is operatic—Catherine will be singing about her adventures during 2020, when she was a Covid nomad. The title comes from the time she skydove, fell asleep in the sky, and then woke up! Her vocals and lyrics are as powerful and personal as every great opera libretto." ■

off track

SARATOGA’S HOTTEST TICKETS

saratoga

living’s 3rd Annual

Overdress to Impress

APRIL 10 • PANZA’S RESTAURANT PHOTOGRAPHY BY

SHAWN LACHAPELLE AND ZACH SKOWRONEK

New theme, new location, same over-the-top vibes. Our Overdress to Impress Grand Entrance Edition welcomed more than 100 immaculately dressed ladies (and a handful of men) to Panza’s Restaurant for an evening that kicked off as every proper high fashion soirée should: on the red carpet. Attendees posed for photos and did interviews with Heidi Rotter of TV show The American Dream and local news anchor Noel McLaren before picking up a welcome glass of Champagne by Bocage Champagne Bar and ascending Panza’s elegant staircase to the party. Upstairs, they found samples from GOLD-N-GO Real Cocktails, hair and makeup touch-ups by Complexions Spa for Beauty & Wellness, a raffle (complete with a $1,000 California Closets gift card), a signature cocktail by Curamia Tequila, live music on the Panza’s Starlight Lounge stage, passed hors d’oeuvres and a buffet of Italian classics. After grabbing some food and liquid courage, the bravest attendees strutted their stuff in a runway show hosted by Bocage’s Zac Denham, with Andrea Zappone, Tiina Loite, Jenna Hotaling and Ashlee Tighe serving as judges. Winners, chosen in the categories of Sparkle & Shine, Most Elegant, Most Overdressed and Best Overall, went home with prizes from Complexions, Bocage, Kindred, Saratoga Olive Oil, Grit + Grace and Samantha Nass Floral Design. And everyone, whether they walked the runway or cheered from the sidelines, went home with something just as special: plenty of photos from their big night out with friends.

Judges Andrea Zappone, Jenna Hotaling, Tiina Loite and Ashley Tighe

Randi Poillon, Nicole Nicholas and American Dream’s Heidi Rotter

Michelle Wink, Morgan Choquette, Mindy Gilman, J’nelle Oxford, Alex Koren, Talia Habeckk and Maddie Beecher

The four fashion show winners celebrate.

Emcee Zac Denham

Reporter Noel McLaren takes a break from red carpet interviews to walk the runway.

Chris Ramos and Mars Williams

California Closets’ Alicia Novak and Sarah Laranjo

Complimentary Champagne by Bocage

Best Overall winner Mindy Gilman with a flower arrangement by Samantha Nass Floral Design

Food by Panza’s Restaurant

Carina Rodriguez and Andrea Zappone

saratoga living’s Fostering Retention & Engagement Panel With Walrath Recruiting

APRIL 9 • PUTNAM PLACE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZACH SKOWRONEK

Walrath Recruiting’s Renee Walrath works with business owners every day who have all had the same struggles since the pandemic, so she did something about it. She brought a panel of business experts—Rachel Malik, Yvonne Clark Rogers, Sarah Delaney Vero and moderator Catherine Hover—to Putnam Place to discuss current challenges with employee retention. Attendees mingled and networked over drinks and snacks by PDT Catering before sitting down to the panel—the conversation got the room buzzing, and guests lingered and chatted until 10pm.

Catherine Hover, Renee Walrath, Rachel Malik, Sarah Delaney Vero and Yvonne Clark Rogers

Mocktail Mommy Club

Saratoga Springs Lions Club’s Night at the Brewseum

APRIL 12 • CANFIELD CASINO

Packages starting at $109

DISCOVER TRANQUILITY ON LAKE PLACID’S COURSES:

Go Beyond

Book your Lake Placid golf trip now!

Northcountry Golf Guide

CRAIG WOOD GOLF COURSE 141 COUNTRY CLUB WAY, LAKE PLACID

Craig Wood Golf Course offers a challenging round of golf in a spectacular setting. Designed by Seymour Dunn in 1925, this carefully maintained municipal course was strategically carved into the Adirondack countryside. The back nine is narrow, tree-lined, and an excellent challenge. With quick, true greens, Craig Wood offers the perfect opportunity for a great round, plus a pro shop and restaurant with impressive views!

518.523.9811 | craigwoodgolfclub.com

HIGH PEAKS GOLF COURSE SANTANONI DRIVE, OFF ROUTE 28N, NEWCOMB

Snuggled up to big views of the highest mountains in the state, the High Peaks Golf Course offers golfers exceptional scenery that will make keeping your eye on the ball a challenge. Located in Newcomb, the heart of the Adirondacks, this 9-hole, par 33 course is ideally situated for days full of golf and other outdoor adventures including hiking, paddling, and birding.

518.582.2300 | newcombny.com/high-peaks-golf-course

INLET GOLF CLUB

300 STATE ROUTE 28,

INLET

Challenging yet serene is the name of the game at Inlet Golf Club, an 18-hole, 6,131-yard, par 70 championship course offering beautifully manicured greens and an impressive layout. The course boasts well-maintained fairways and greens, and golfers who’ve played can’t stop talking about the tough sixth. Stop by the fully-stocked pro shop and enjoy the scenery at Double Eagle Bar and Grill.

315.357.3503 | inletgolfclub.com

LAKE PLACID CLUB GOLF COURSES 88 MORNINGSIDE DRIVE, LAKE PLACID

The Lake Placid Club offers 45 holes of spectacular golf in the Olympic village. Awardwinning courses offer a unique variety of golf for players of all abilities. Choose from the Seymour Dunn–designed classic Scottish links course laden with bunkers: the straight, treelined mountain course; or the short, iron-friendly “Pristine Nine.” Discover why President Bill Clinton and other esteemed dignitaries golf here!

518.523.4460 | thelakeplacidclub.com/golf

LAKE PLEASANT GOLF COURSE

2537 STATE ROUTE 8, LAKE PLEASANT

Fans of Donald Ross courses adore his design for this tree-lined, 9-hole, par 35 course in the scenic small town of Lake Pleasant. Overlooking Sacandaga Lake, the course, with four back nine tees and five black tees for longer play, is a hidden gem in Adirondack golf. The challenges on this course are plentiful, packing a lot of play into nine holes.

518.548.7071 | lakepleasantgc.wixsite.com/lpgc

Northcountry Golf Guide

SARANAC INN GOLF CLUB 125 COUNTY ROUTE 46, SARANAC LAKE

The Saranac Inn Golf Club is one of the Adirondacks’ most stunning courses, challenging golfers since 1901. Legendary course architect Seymour Dunn called it his masterpiece! Noted for its lightning-fast and true greens, the classic Scottish design has a great mix of long, medium and short par threes, fours and fives and is fun for a range of skill levels.

518.891.1402 | saranacinn.com

SCHROON LAKE GOLF COURSE 36 CLUBHOUSE DRIVE, SCHROON LAKE

The Schroon Lake Golf Course is a 9-hole, par 36 course close to the amenities of its classic Adirondack vacation town namesake. Make your way through rolling hills and over a picturesque landscape as you glimpse Pharaoh Mountain in the distance. This public course has been in action for nearly a century, its fun holes surrounded by natural beauty standing the test of time.

518.582.2300 | schroon.net/golf%20course.htm

TICONDEROGA GOLF COURSE 609 STATE ROUTE 9N, TICONDEROGA

Friend to beginners and seasoned golfers alike, Ticonderoga Golf Course is built into the historic Lord Howe Valley. Scenic panoramic views, babbling brooks and tree-lined fairways make for a truly memorable round. A par 71 with 18 holes, the course is ideal for those looking to fine-tune their game in a historic, legendary town. Exceptional dining at Seymour’s Restaurant caps off an ideal day.

518.585.2801 | ticonderogagolfcourse.com

TUPPER LAKE GOLF CLUB

141 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD, TUPPER LAKE

With stunning views of lakes and the Adirondacks, the Donald Ross–designed Tupper Lake Golf Club is a “must play.” Established in 1932, this mountain course provides the perfect balance of challenge and beauty. Rolling terrain, tree-lined fairways, and undulating greens offer a rewarding round of golf to both the low and high handicapper.

518.359.3701 | tupperlakegolf.com

WHITEFACE CLUB & RESORT

373 WHITEFACE INN LANE, LAKE PLACID

Luxury awaits at this historic course perched on the shores of Lake Placid. The only course on the lake, it features tight, rolling fairways paired with challenging greens that keep golfers exhilarated and on their toes. Opened as a 9-hole course in 1895 and later expanded to a full 18 holes by architect John Van Kleek, the Whiteface Club is known for excellent play and rewarding post-round celebrations.

whitefaceclubresort.com/amenities/golf

home stretch

fashion & style :: food & drink :: spa & beauty :: design & haute property

may is always a busy time of year for Karen Sewell, owner of Pommenkare Fine Millinery. But this year, it’s not just the Saratoga racing season that’s coming around the bend—the Belmont Stakes is also rapidly closing in on the finish line. To Sewell, that means one thing: more hats.

But while Saratoga will host tens of thousands of potentially hat-wearing out-of-towners for June’s final leg of the 2024 Triple Crown, the hat designer isn’t letting the pressure get to her. “It’s very exciting for the area for sure, and I’m definitely focusing more, but I just kind of make my stuff,” she says. “It’s not a conscious decision that ‘Oh, this hat will be great for Belmont,’ because this time of year I always have the track in mind.”

Hat’s On

WHY KAREN SEWELL OF POMMENKARE FINE MILLINERY WANTS YOU TO TRY ON A HAT. n BY NATALIE MOORE

For those who consider themselves “not a hat person” (more on that later), millinery is a fancy word for the design and manufacture of hats and other headwear. Sewell has been working in the field for more than a decade, and her designs have been worn to the Royal Ascot in England, the Dubai World Cup in the UAE, the Triple Crown races in the US and, of course, Saratoga Race Course. You can purchase the hats and fascinators seen here locally at Saratoga Trunk, where they sell for anywhere from $280 to $500.

But back to all those skeptical souls who claim hats aren’t for them. “A lot of people say, ‘Oh, I’m not a hat person,’” Sewell says. “Then they stand there and try a few on, and you can see it in their face. They’re like, Oh, this looks pretty good.’”

One client in particular stands out. “I had a special order to make a hat for a girl who was going to the Derby, and she sent me the sweetest note afterwards,” Sewell says. “She said, ‘The moment I put it on my head, I realized how elegant a woman can be.’”

to the brim “I really like the large floral one,” Sewell says of the wide-brimmed hat seen here. “It may not look like it, but it took probably 10 hours to make. They all take longer than I think they're going to.”

home stretch

fashion & style :: food & drink :: spa & beauty :: design & haute property

COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF

Three’s Company

THE WINE BAR ’S NEW TRIO OF CHEFS IS PUTTING A DOWNTOWN CLASSIC BACK ON THE MAP. n BY NATALIE MOORE

with a name like The Wine Bar, it’s not entirely surprising that a lot of Saratogians don’t know that the longtime Broadway establishment serves entrées in addition to small plates and wine. But thanks to the arrival of not one, not two, but three ambitious, up-and-coming chefs, all of Saratoga will soon be aware: The Wine

Bar doesn’t just have food. It has some of the best food in the Spa City.

“It’s hard to compete in the culinary world of Saratoga,” says Wine Bar owner Melissa Evans, who opened the restaurant in 1999, back when there weren’t nearly as many fine-dining establishments in town as there are today. “Everyone is doing such a nice

pretty as a peach The Wine Bar’s Spring Salad, made with arugula, brûléed peaches, havarti, crispy shoestrings, pickled radish and a charred peach vinaigrette.

job, and being the old kid on the block, we’re not thought of as ‘the hot, new place to go.’”

Evans hopes to change that perception in time for the Belmont and track season with her notso-secret weapons: Chefs Peter Wurtmann, Skyler Jackson and Joseph Augustine. Since their arrival in February, the co-chefs have gotten to work not so much remaking The Wine Bar’s menu as elevating it.

“We’ve always had tenderloin and rack of lamb and venison,” Evans says. “This is just a lot more creative.” Now, instead of mashed potatoes, the venison is served with thousand-layer potato pavé, cherry bordelaise and charred Romanesco. Other standout dishes? The 14-day dry-aged duck breast, served with a mushroom parmesan risotto; mussels, which come with sausage in a slurp-able beer sauce; and ratatouille, served atop a creamy Romesco sauce.

And then there’s dessert. “Peter’s our in-house artist,” Evans says. “He’s got a very artistic brain, and he loves doing the desserts because he can be really fun and creative with those.” Case in point: His angel food cake comes served with a slightly spicy Szechuan strawberry syrup and pomegranatesumac whipped cream. (You also must try the lemon curd layer cake.)

So, with three chefs, is there risk of there being—literally—too many cooks in the kitchen? It doesn’t seem like it. “We wanted them to work together as a team and see how that works out,” Evans says. “And so far, so good. They’ve all settled into their specialties and work together to make it all happen.”

WALT & WHITMAN BREWING SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY

550 WATERFRONT BY DRUTHERS SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY

COAT ROOM SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY

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dynamic

duo Harvey’s owners Adam Humphrey and Matt Bagley.

Over the Hump

HARVEY’S RESTAURANT AND BAR SURPASSES THE 10-YEAR MARK, AND IS THROWING A BIG BIRTHDAY BASH TO CELEBRATE.

every few years, Harvey’s does something that draws major attention. In the mid 2010s, they became an official Buffalo Bills Backer Bar. During Covid, the restaurant’s $1 “Cuomo Chips”—offered in response to then-governor Andrew Cuomo’s rule that you couldn't order an alcoholic drink without also getting food—made headlines across the country. In 2021, they launched an annual Bloody Mary Festival and, more recently, unveiled a new logo and greatly improved social media presence.

“It’s been a lot of trial and error on our part,” says co-owner Matt Bagley, who joined the team as restaurant manager in 2016, two years after it opened on Phila Street. “We’ve tried a million different things, and maybe 10 of them have worked.”

This summer, Bagley and partner Adam Humphrey will try the million and first thing: a 10-year anniversary event on June 29 that will feature a special menu of 10 items for $10 each, $10 cocktails, a DJ, and a raffle for two Guinness Factory VIP experience tickets. Yep, in Ireland.

“Ten years is a big hump,” Bagley says. “Five is like, ‘OK, you were able to not close.’ But 10 is like, you made it.” Not that that means the Harvey’s team is ready to sit back and relax. “We’re still trying to do new things and stay ahead of the curve,” Bagley continues. “Hospitality is about more than just serving food and beverage— it’s about providing an experience for people. As long as that’s what we continue to do in the next 10 years, that’s all I need.”

Smoke Show

HARNESS THE FLAVORS OF SMOKE—AND ITS INSTA-WORTHY AESTHETIC—WITH THESE NEW COCKTAIL KITS NOW AVAILABLE AT DARK HORSE MERCANTILE.

thanks to a new product available at Dark Horse Mercantile, you can now turn up the heat at your home bar. Literally.

Spirits with Smoke is a Canadabased company that allows both professional and at-home mixologists to infuse their drinks with the smoky flavors of cherry, maple, hickory, walnut and oak wood. There are two methods used for harnessing aromatic smoke tendrils into a drink: one by igniting a block of wood with a blow torch and smothering the flame with a cocktail glass, and the other by utilizing wood chips and a “smoking saucer” that funnels smoke into the glass. Dark Horse will carry everything you need for both methods, including a kit for making smoked old fashioneds, beginning in May.

“We met Antonio at a tradeshow in January and loved the product, the story and the quality,” Dark Horse co-owner Maddy Zanetti says of Spirits with Smoke co-founder Antonio Querin, a general contractor who specializes in wood products for the hospitality industry. “It’s a great fit for Dark Horse and we’re really excited to bring it in.”

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Tasting Time

GREENFIELD CENTER’S FOSSIL STONE FARMS OPENS ITS STUNNING TASTING ROOM JUNE 1, JUST IN TIME TO PROVIDE WINE LOVERS A WELCOME REPRIEVE FROM THE BELMONT HOOPLA.

BY ABBY TEGNELIA

when mike spiak decided to plant grapes on the family farm—which dates back to 1802—where he grew up, he never envisioned it growing into a full winery. Now, he is gearing up to open a rural-chic tasting room to provide vino lovers a chance to taste his wines among his treasured vineyards or in his new Amish-built, timber frame barn. “We started planting the vineyards in 2009, and it took us five years to get a full crop,” says Spiak, who lives in the farm’s original farmhouse with his wife, Kelly, and two daughters. “My initial intention was to just sell the grapes. I spent a lot of time in New Zealand, in places blanketed with Sauvignon Blanc vineyards, and I always liked them. Then I went fishing with a buddy who makes wine. So, he started taking some of the grapes and making wine. That’s when I thought, ‘Maybe we’ve got something here.’”

Fast-forward to last August, and Spiak found himself with a portfolio of Fossil Stone wines and a new barn, which he barely got open in time to celebrate the harvest of that year’s grapes with anyone who came out to help—a party that swelled to 100 of his closest friends. Now, after closing for the winter, Fossil Stone’s new tasting barn will celebrate its grand opening to the public June 1. “There are barrels to sit around if you want to do your tastings among the wine barrels,” he says. “And then we have a small courtyard, which sits between the barn and the vineyard, where you can just sit and have some wine. There are also horses here, so when you’re sitting out in the courtyard, you’re looking at horses and vineyards and it’s just very relaxing and peaceful.”

Fossil Stone’s wine collection includes a crisp white wine called La Crescent, a medium-bodied red with pinot vibes

waning for more La Crescent is Fossil Stone’s citrusy white that’s perfect for summer gatherings.

called Marquette, and its cousin Oak Aged Marquette, which is aged—as the name suggests—in oak barrels. There’s also a fruit-forward rosé, a chardonnaystyle white called Amber, and a dry red called Petite Pearl that’s the newest in the portfolio. “And then we have a blend of Marquette and Petite Pearl that we call Pearl Mar,” Spiak says. “There’s nothing to compare it to. It’s on a level all by itself.”

Walk-ins are welcome at Fossil Stone Farms Friday to Sunday, noon to 6pm. Expect a laidback atmosphere and delicious wines to pair with a cheese board while you take in the tranquility of the vineyard. Bottles are available for purchase to open later, so you can resurrect your memory of the peaceful new spot that’s just minutes away from Saratoga Springs.

Blue skies are here again. Summer is coming and The Gideon Putnam Resort & Spa is now open. Enjoy a timeless Saratoga Spa State Park hotel, right next door to the acclaimed Roosevelt Baths & Spa. From Saratoga Performing Arts Center to Saratoga Race Course, The Gideon Putnam is close to everything and close to perfect.

Blue skies are here again. Summer is coming and The Gideon Putnam Resort & Spa is now open. Enjoy a timeless Saratoga Spa State Park hotel, right next door to the acclaimed Roosevelt Baths & Spa. From Saratoga Performing Arts Center to Saratoga Race Course, The Gideon Putnam is close to everything and close to perfect. PICK A DATE. PACK YOUR BAGS. VACATION IS BACK.

PARK YOURSELF IN SARATOGA THIS SUMMER.

PARK YOURSELF IN SARATOGA THIS SUMMER.

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Something Delicious Is in Store

GROCERY STORE AND PREPARED FOOD MECCA FRANKLIN SQUARE MARKET GETS THE ONE THING IT’S BEEN MISSING—A FULL-SERVICE RESTAURANT.

BY NATALIE MOORE

mark and jullie delos came to Franklin Square Market in a conscious effort to slow down their lives—to be in the restaurant business without exactly being in the restaurant business. That is, of course, until they decided to open up a restaurant.

This past winter, the downtown market and bar announced that the powerhouse couple, formerly of Mazzone Hospitality, had come

on board as operating partners. “We made the decision to buy into Franklin Square Market as a career change, but also a retirement plan to finish out our golden years,” says Mark, who’d been at Mazzone for 35 years and most recently served as vice president of culinary operations.

For Jullie, who previously managed Mazzone’s popup restaurant division and

more recently worked as director of sales and events for Friends Lake Inn, it was the community surrounding the Market that drew her in. “I love the fact that the residents [in the apartments] upstairs come in,” she says. “We’ve gotten to know them and we love seeing the same faces every day.”

But the Deloses never really got to live out their vision of a slowed-down lifestyle. Shortly after coming

shuck yeah The Market Bar & Café will capitalize on Franklin Square’s access to fresh seafood from the wharfs of Boston.

on board, they announced that they’d be opening a fullservice, à la carte restaurant in the market. Previously, small plates were available at the existing bar, but the new venture—The Market Bar & Café—will have table service and a full menu.

On that full menu?

Mediterranean dishes with an Italian influence that capitalize on ingredients Franklin Square already carries in the market and at the fish counter, plus a full wine list. That menu will be available beginning at 5pm daily, while a lighter fare menu of finger foods will be available beginning at 3pm. “It’s a highquality Saratoga restaurant,” Mark says. “It just happens to be in these four walls.”

At press time, the Deloses were full steam ahead, aiming to have The Market Bar & Café up and running by early to mid-May.

“We kind of just said, ‘If we’re going to do it, let’s do a full-service restaurant,’” Mark starts.

“We already had the pieces,” Jullie adds.

“Everything’s here—the food’s here.” (Mark again.)

“And there’s a demand for it.” (Yup, Jullie.)

If their work partnership is as seamless as their communication, we have no doubt it’ll be a huge success.

All Aboard!

DUNNING STREET STATION ROLLS OUT A NEW MENU.

ON THE MENU

not interested in battling the crowds in Saratoga for a dinner reservation and parking spot come Belmont weekend? Dunning Street Station has given its menu a refresh, just in time to beckon locals and visitors away from the downtown mob scene—and to a converted diner just 10 minutes down the road.

Located on Route 9 in Malta, Dunning Street is an Italian-inspired bar and grill (with its own parking lot). Its new menu is a mix of longtime favorites—including

calamari, an eggplant stack and shrimp pesto alfredo— and new concoctions such as a burrata salad, grilled portobello mushroom sandwich and chicken riggies. Chef Bruce Jacobsen has also added a flatbread of the day, though the kitchen staff is ready and willing to create pretty much any flatbread you can dream up. “We can put meatballs on it, we can

put shrimp on it…anything that you want,” owner Bob McKenna says. “If we have it in the house, we can put it on a flatbread.”

In essence, the new menu is eclectic. “We’ve got some salmon, we’ve got shrimp, chicken, steak, and then the short rib, which

street food Dunning Street Station’s new Shrimp Mediterranean pasta and (inset) existing meatball appetizer served with rosemary garlic bread are two dishes on the current menu.

has been a fan favorite because we used that as a special,” McKenna says. “It’s basically a little something for everyone.”

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Relax, It’s Your Wedding Day

SACRED SARATOGA ’S ON-SITE SPA AND IN-HOUSE SERVICES MAKE THE SCHUYLERVILLE HORSE FARM THE MOST SERENE SPOT FOR YOUR SARATOGA COUNTY “I DOS.” n BY

if there’s one thing most modern-day weddings are not, it’s relaxing. Between wrangling the florist, photographer, hair/ makeup artists and venue, there’s not much time left to sit back and enjoy your big day. But at Sacred Saratoga, a new wedding venue that opened last year in Schuylerville, all those details are taken care of. And if you require even more relaxation during your wedding weekend, Sacred also just so happens to be one of the area’s most luxurious holistic spas. It all started when chiropractor, acupuncturist, yoga teacher and massage therapist Dr. Abby Melfi fell

NATALIE MOORE

in love with a guy on the East Coast. She relocated from Kansas City, MO to Saratoga, and Abby and Anthony Melfi teamed up with partner Gary Gullo to buy GMP Farm, a 100-acre horse rehabilitation facility located 20 minutes from the Spa City that’s complete with cold water therapy, a vibration plate and several equine hyperbaric chambers.

“It’s basically a spa for horses,” says Melfi of the farm. “And then we have a spa for humans.”

Sacred Spa and Wellness opened in August 2022 in a 10,000-square-foot converted horse barn. That’s right: The horse stalls are

mane events In addition to weddings, Sacred Saratoga can host events of all sizes, from intimate bridal showers to galas for 500.

now treatment rooms where Melfi and her team provide noninvasive medspa treatments including laser genesis, laser hair removal, microneedling and body sculpting as well as traditional spa offerings such as massages, Hyrdrafacials, infrared sauna sessions and lash extensions. There’s also an on-site yoga studio, and in the summer, when Melfi is in Saratoga full time, chiropractic services.

While Sacred Spa is open to the public year-round, it shines especially brightly during wedding season. Couples can pamper their bridesmaids with massage treatments the day before the wedding, or host a yoga class for their entire guest list the morning of. For favors, Sacred offers guests discounted spa treatments, whether the wedding is for 500 (hosted in Sacred’s horse arena) or 50 (hosted in the intimate eurociser building). All-inclusive wedding planning services, an in-house florist and photographer, and on-site hair and makeup services are just icing on the (wedding) cake.

“My husband and I got married on the farm, and we were like, ‘Why aren’t we sharing this with other people?’” Melfi says. “It was a perfect setting for our love story. The whole point of Sacred is that it’s a sacred journey.”

Still not sure what a horse farm/ wedding venue/spa hybrid looks like in practice? Well, it seems a trip to Schuylerville is in order.

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Wellness Retreat

THIS BACKYARD SHE SHED, DESIGNED BY JACKCY JACOB , GIVES NEW MEANING TO THE TERM “SUMMER GETAWAY.”

BY NATALIE MOORE

what if we told you there was a way to enjoy the tranquility of your garden this summer…without the bugs? That’s exactly what Jackcy Jacob of Jackcy J Design created in her own Delmar backyard.

Close up, you’d think you were looking at a regular (albeit gorgeously decorated and immaculately lit) living room. But pan out a bit, and you’ll realize the entire scene—electric fireplace, bar cart, West Elm sofa bed and all—is contained in what was once a utilitarian garden shed.

“Inside, the cottage is divided into a charming lounge area and a compact

dining space suitable for small gatherings or a meal,” Jacobs says. “The ceiling height was maximized to make the room feel airy and beautiful, and French doors open to the garden.” Outside is a rustic garden gate and archway that twinkles with fairy lights in the evening, and a self-irrigating garden that produces flowers and vegetables all summer and fall. Come winter, the cottage’s small-but-efficient heating system keeps the space warm enough for overnight guests to sleep on the sofa bed surrounded by lightly falling snow.

“This project was a testament to the idea that any space, no matter how small or overlooked, can be transformed with creativity and thoughtful design,” says Jacob, who calls interior and exterior design her creative passions and her @JackcyJDesign Instagram her “rightbrain account.” (By trade, she’s medical director of Ascend Wellness MD, a concierge medical practice focused on longevity and aging gracefully.) Born out of Covid, a time during which Jacob was under immense stress at her day job, the garden shed, she says, is a “well-designed space fit for a well-designed life that prioritizes health and wellness.”

shed light This West Elm sofa converts into a bed to accommodate overnight guests; (left) the inviting exterior of Dr. Jackcy Jacob’s she shed.

Complete Horse Facility Project Management

Arena construction and maintenance

Racing/Training Track construction and maintenance

Footing specialist—ESS proprietary blended footing We also work with GGT, Premier Equestrian, and IGK products

General Contractor | Excavation and Site work

Site Development

Septic/Leach field design and installation

Rough and Finish | Grading Lot clearing | Driveways Trucking

Adirondack Winery

With tasting rooms in Queensbury and Lake George, Adirondack Winery offers two craft beverage experiences unlike any other in the region. Enjoy wine, whiskey and cider tastings, wine by the glass, snack plates and wine slushies—and stock up on retail wine and gifts—all while enjoying the fresh air on outdoor patios. Visit the Queensbury location for a more extensive menu of flatbreads, sandwiches, cocktails and Sunday Bottomless Brunch. Plus, they’ve got a jam-packed event calendar and private event space! See website for hours.

285 CANADA STREET, LAKE GEORGE

395 BIG BAY ROAD, QUEENSBURY adirondackwinery.com 518.668.9463

Radici Kitchen & Bar

AThe Lagoon

What’s better than wood-fired brick oven pizza? Wood-fired brick oven pizza served lakeside! You’ll get that and much more at The Lagoon, one of Lake George’s hottest spots for lunch, dinner and late-night dining and drinking. Located in the heart of Lake George Village on the shore of The Queen of American Lakes, The Lagoon is known for its live music, extensive draft beer list, best-selling hot lobster roll and espresso martinis, which are widely accepted as the best around.

t Radici Kitchen & Bar, located in the heart of downtown Glens Falls between Saratoga Springs and Lake George, Chef Brian Bowden’s distinct style blends artistry with the freshest seafood and locally sourced foods to bring you innovative cuisine steeped in the traditions of Italian cooking. In addition to a diverse menu of dishes (house-made pasta? Yes, please!), Radici serves up a wide selection of craft cocktails made with premium spirits and seasonal ingredients as well as exceptional wines from around the world. Open Monday-Thursday 5-9pm; Friday and Saturday 5-10pm; closed Sunday.

26 RIDGE STREET, GLENS FALLS radicikitchen.com • 518.804.1007

Open SundayThursday noon-9pm; Friday-Saturday

noon-10pm.

204 CANADA STREET, LAKE GEORGE lagoonlakegeorge.com 518.685.5009

The Lakeside Restaurant & Lounge

The Lakeside Restaurant & Lounge is Fort William Henry Hotel’s upscale, indoor/outdoor dining option serving breakfast and dinner year round. The Lakeside serves a curated selection of family recipes by Chef John Holmes—favorite dishes include butternut squash arancini and the citrus-marinated brick chicken pictured here. Stop by for live music, which is hosted on Fridays throughout the summer, as well as fantastic happy hour drink specials. Open for breakfast every day 7–11am and for dinner Wednesday–Sunday 4-9pm.

48 CANADA STREET, LAKE GEORGE fortwilliamhenry.com • 518.668.3081

Prime Restaurant

Prime Restaurant is honing its culinary skills and re-opening as a contemporary American restaurant. What’s on the menu? To start, duck dumplings, land and sea rolls and compressed watermelon salad, followed by housemade pasta, veal chop, steaks and more. Prime’s upscale vibe meets affordability, and with casual, sleek and finedining spaces, the restaurant truly has something for everyone—inside and out. Enjoy lunch overlooking the 18th hole at Saratoga National Golf Club or an intimate dinner in the main dining room. Reserve a table now on resy.com. See website for seasonal hours.

Panza’s Restaurant

Treasured family recipes have kept Panza’s a Saratoga staple since 1938. Expect authentic Italian food that meets modern American fare in a classic setting, an everevolving menu that keeps regulars coming back for new takes on their favorite dishes, and weekly live music at the intimate piano bar and Starlight Lounge stage. The Panza’s team would like to thank all who helped vote the restaurant Best Romantic Dining, Best Italian Restaurant and Best Saratoga County Restaurant in this year’s CAPITAL REGION LIVING Bestie Awards. Open ThursdayTuesday 5-9pm; closed Wednesday.

458 UNION AVENUE, SARATOGA SPRINGS primeatsaratoganational.com • 518.583.4653

Putnam’s Restaurant

The Gideon Putnam’s signature dining experience, Putnam’s Restaurant, offers historic charm, first-class service and seasonally changing menus. But the restaurant isn’t just open to guests of the historic hotel—the public is welcome to stop by for breakfast and dinner as well. Locally sourced and seasonal ingredients are used whenever possible in dishes such as shrimp and lobster risotto, crab and avocado salad, and grilled filet mignon au poivre, all of which are served by highly trained staff who provide personalized service to each and every customer. During the summer months, stop by the Gideon to enjoy a cocktail or meal on Putnam’s patio. See website for hours.

24 GIDEON PUTNAM ROAD, SARATOGA SPRINGS gideonputnam.com • 866.890.1171

129 SOUTH BROADWAY, SARATOGA SPRINGS panzasrestaurant.com • 518.584.6882

Dunning Street Station

Located less than 10 minutes from downtown Saratoga Springs just off Exit 13S, Dunning Street Station is known for its laidback environment and frontof-mind customer service.

Chef Bruce Jacobsen, formerly of sister restaurant Lake Ridge, has curated an all-new menu that features many Italian-inspired classics with a twist, which are available for dine-in or takeout. Stop by Dunning Street Station, which this year was voted best restaurant for family dining, to see what everyone has been raving about.

Open Tuesday-Saturday 3-9pm.

Mittler’s Restaurant and Market

Open just in time for the onslaught of hungry racing fans is Mittler’s, a convenience store/appetizer bar hybrid located on Saratoga’s East Side. At the lower-level market, owner Steve Mittler is serving up grab-and-go cooler items, grocery essentials, packaged snacks and allday breakfast sandwiches. And on the upper level is a casual bar serving up hearty appetizers (hummus, dips, charcuterie, salads, soups, etc.) as well as beer, wine and craft cocktails and mocktails. When you need a bite to eat, Mittler’s has you covered.

2853 STATE ROUTE 9, MALTA dunningstreetstation.com • 518.587.2000

Kindred

F33 PHILA STREET, SARATOGA SPRINGS @mittlers_saratoga

Cantina

rom the owners of Henry Street Taproom, Kindred is a new wood-fired restaurant and wine bar focused on great food, fun wine and good times. The owners’ goal is a simple one: Make wine fun again in a comfortable, chic atmosphere. On the food side, Kindred’s menu focuses on small plates (think burger bao buns, wood-fired calamari and pork schnitzel) and flatbreads (topped with buffalo burrata, prosciutto or lamb ragu), with select entrées including Moroccan chicken and teres major steak. And don’t forget Sunday brunch! Open Tuesday–Saturday 4pm-midnight; Sunday 10am-3pm. 84 HENRY STREET, SARATOGA SPRINGS kindredsaratoga.com • 518.886.1198

Broadway dining hotspot Cantina has been serving up fresh Mexican dishes and signature margaritas in the heart of downtown Saratoga for the last 17 years. Guests flock to the restaurant for its festive vibe, creative and delicious fare, and craft cocktails— happy hour, anyone?!

Grab a seat on the patio or in the stylishly airy interior to enjoy warm-weather favorites including salads, seafood, tacos and fajitas, or head up to the Cantina Rooftop, which has a summertime vibe you simply have to experience for yourself. See website for seasonal hours and social media for Rooftop hours.

408 BROADWAY, SARATOGA SPRINGS cantinasaratoga.com • 518.587.5577

Adirondack Winery

adirondackwinery.com

 518.668.9463

285 Canada Street, Lake George

395 Big Bay Road, Queensbury

The Brook Tavern

thebrooktavern.com

 518.871.1473

139 Union Avenue, Saratoga Springs

Dunning Street

Station

dunningstreetstation.com

 518.587.2000

2853 State Route 9, Malta

Henry Street Taproom

henrystreettaproom.com

 518.886.8938

86 Henry Street, Saratoga Springs

The Hideaway

hideawaysaratoga.com

 518.306.1900

35 Grace Moore Road, Saratoga Springs

Hills & Hollows

@ McGregor Links

hillsandhollowsny.com

 518.306.5327

359 Northern Pines Road, Wilton

Iron’s Edge

ironsedgeny.com

 518.602.9995

1366 Route 67, Ballston Spa

Kindred

kindredsaratoga.com

84 Henry Street, Saratoga Springs

 518.886.1198

The Lagoon

lagoonlakegeorge.com

 518.685.5009

204 Canada Street, Lake George

The Lakeside @ Fort William Henry fortwilliamhenry.com

 518.668.3081

48 Canada Street, Lake George

Lake Ridge Restaurant

lake-ridge.com

 518.899.6000

35 Burlington Avenue, Round Lake

Mint

mint518.com

80 Warren Street, Glens Falls

 518.741.0584

Putnam’s Restaurant

gideonputnam.com

 866.890.1171

24 Gideon Putnam Road, Saratoga Springs

Prime Restaurant

primeatsaratoganational.com

 518.583.4653

458 Union Avenue, Saratoga Springs

Radici Kitchen & Bar

radicikitchen.com

 518.804.1007

26 Ridge Street, Glens Falls

The Wishing Well

wishingwellrestaurant.com

 518.584.7640

745 Saratoga Road, Gansevoort

Franklin Square Market

franklinsqmarket.com

 518.430.2049

55 Railroad Place, Saratoga Springs

Mittler’s Restaurant and Market

@mittlers_saratoga

33 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs

Restaurant

panzasrestaurant.com

 518.584.6882

129 South Broadway, Saratoga Springs

Cantina

cantinasaratoga.com

 518.587.5577

408 Broadway, Saratoga Springs

In Good Taste

EAT UP ALL THE LATEST FOODIE NEWS ON SARATOGA LIVING AFTER HOURS .

A few weeks ago, my aunt texted me: “Are there any new Sunday breakfast or lunch places in Saratoga?” My first thought was, Why is she asking me? But then I realized I knew the answer. “Kindred has a new Sunday brunch!” I shot back. It was at that moment I knew I’d made it—I have officially replaced Yelp as the Spa City’s go-to resource for restaurant recommendations.

Now I can’t say I know everything about Saratoga’s bar and restaurant scene (Hamlet & Ghost’s Brendan Dillon won’t return my emails about the new spot he’s rumored to be opening on the East Side). But I do spend a good portion of my workweek scrolling through @saratogaliving’s Instagram feed in search of foodie news—everything from new Stewart’s ice cream flavors to Prime’s rebrand and menu refresh—as well as harassing restaurateurs about establishments they have yet to open (sorry, Brendan…and Alyssa and Derek and Wilson and whomever mans the info@treehousebrew.com email). I keep a running list of Saratoga’s 160ish bars and restaurants on my desktop, and have a ragtag team of chronically downtown informants who know to text me the second they hear about some new foodie gossip. I can tell you where to find the best turkey club on Caroline Street, why the opening of Wilton’s new bakery was delayed, and when the next Bun Guy bao bun pop-up is. If I had speed dial, Henry Street Taproom’s Ryan McFadden would be on it. So, yeah. I’d say I know more than Yelp.

kindred without spirit

But it’s not like I’m just sitting on all this juicy intel. In fact, I practically spew it in regular installments of foodie news bulletins on SARATOGA LIVING AFTER HOURS, our Substack newsletter. In the past, such roundups have appeared under different headlines, but going forward, we’re going to title them all “In Good Taste.” Scan the QR code below to subscribe so you don’t miss out on a single piece of the Saratoga restaurant pie.

At the time of this column’s writing, I was actually gearing up to head to Kindred—home of Saratoga’s hottest new brunch—for Mocktail Mommy Club, a women-only meet-up that bills itself as a fun night out, without the hangover. Want to know more? You know where to find it.

Natalie Moore outside Mocktail Mommy Club, hosted at Kindred this past April.

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