Saratoga Arms:

Embracing Racing with VIP Style Part 2

with L.A. Sokolowski

Read part 1 in our March/April issue star�ng on page 58

Free to read at www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com

Our GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) Wine Dinner with West Point Thoroughbreds featured salmi caprese of heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, soppressata and wine-cured salami in balsamic vinaigre�e, with an Italian San� Sortesele Pinot Grigio, choice of entreés of filet mignon in a mushroom red wine reduc�on with haricort verts, pomme puree, crispy leeks with a Californian Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon, or sea bass on summer succotash, sweet corn beurre blanc, potato chips with a French Château Mont-Redon Châteauneuf du Pape; and chocolate mousse with blueberries and whipped cream, paired with a Portuguese Fonseca Ruby Port for dessert.

West Point Thoroughbreds whet appe�tes for horse ownership with an introduc�on to frac�onal ownership in racehorses led by WPT execu�ve vice president Tom Bellhouse and partner account representa�ve Jason Blewi� (formerly with The Stronach Group), amid ample peppering of great horse story telling by Blewi� and Durkin (ask him about a muddy 143rd Kentucky Derby, Always Dreaming, and a certain white suit). “It’s about access. It’s a chance to be inside the velvet rope,” Bellhouse concluded.

On Tuesday, that access included a trolley trip to Old Tavern Farm, a private bou�que Thoroughbred breeding farm where Saratoga Arms guests got to see where racehorses really begin and enjoyed wine and charcuterie before returning to town for a private dinner at Boca Bistro with execu�ve chef Ian Sinda, star�ng with ham croque�es, poblano peppers, sweet potato quinoa cakes tapas, and entrees of sautéed mussels in curry-garlic sauce, grilled strip steak with scallion aioli, or breaded chicken with roasted corn and poblano peppers.

Saratoga Arms saved its best for last, pu�ng the VIP into Wednesday’s Experience at Saratoga Race Track, delivering us by trolley ride to this Gilded Age favorite where two airy tables of exclusive sea�ng on the Turf Terrace awaited near the finish line, where we could watch our exclusive sponsored race, the Saratoga Arms VIP Day at the Races before (wait for it) our Winner’s Circle Experience being photographed with the winning jockey and commemorated in the official win photo.

Wai�ng for us were buckets of champagne chilling atop the crisp white tablecloths, lunch at our leisure (hello, lobster roll) and complementary be�ng vouchers tucked inside our fluted glasses. For the brave of heart (and impervious to judgment), Saratoga Arms family and friends could join the tables’ pool, not to pick the Win horse in each race but to pick for the Show.

Champagne and silliness assured by this point that there were no more “guests” but only friends among us. We learned that included a surfer scared of horses (but married to an ex-rider), and a woman who had earned a fishing world record.

Thanks to Saratoga Arms, we too happily hustled, from the Terrace down to track level to become immersed in the kine�c energy of a Thoroughbred racing winner’s circle. With or without champagne, it is always a heady experience. EQUINE Lifestyle Whoa.

The pool selects one unabashed soul to both choose the horse and place the bet, and the bet must be placed while wearing the Smith family’s beloved, o�eat and horse-themed ‘Show’ piece necklace (I promised to get back to that).

We celebrated as friends as Relate, under Louis Saez and trained by Todd Pletcher, came in under the wire on 6/1 odds in our Saratoga Arms VIP Experience race. Bred by Hidden Lake Farm LLC/South Elkhorn and owned by LSU Stables, we watched Relate (Connect/ Curlin) hustle from the gate, angle in while going to the front along the inside and then shake clear and stay there with three furlongs to spare in 1:41:98 on the 1 1/16th inner turf open to three year olds and up.

West Point Thoroughbreds whet appetites for horse ownership amid ample peppering of great horse story telling by Jason Blewitt and Tom Durkin (ask him about a muddy 143rd Kentucky Derby, Always Dreaming, and a certain white suit). Photo by Morgan Campbell

Our GOAT Wine Dinner with West Point Thoroughbreds entreés included a filet mignon in a mushroom red wine reduction with haricort verts, pomme puree, crispy leeks with a Californian Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon. Photo by Morgan Campbell

After leaving us with the afternoon to explore shops, parks and cultural attractions (try Saratoga.com), Saratoga Arms presented the first of two nights of multi-course GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) dinners and wine pairings with Thoroughbred legends like Racing Hall of Fame jockey Ramon Dominguez and sports caller Tom Durkin, plus local horsemen like Saratoga Polo School founder Mario Dino Di Salvo (who says ex-racehorses make excellent polo ponies) among our dining companions.

Embrace the Arms

That winning feeling con�nued a�er our return to the Saratoga Arms Hotel, where we found wai�ng for us a canvas VIP Racing “swag bag” from The Dark Horse Mercan�le containing a pair of coffee mugs to share our memories over in the morning, a hardcopy of Saratoga Springs Preserva�on Founda�on’s The Spa: Saratoga’s Legendary Race Course, by Paul Roberts and Isabelle

Taylor, and a framed complementary picture of our day at the races (we cleaned up good) by photographer Morgan Campbell.

I would like to think the historic Putnam family, founders of Saratoga’s grandest hotel experiences, would approve of the Smith family and the Saratoga Arms cura�ng an Off to the Races VIP Experience that invites the inner children who wanted a horse at Christmas to come play racehorse owner for a few glorious days.

Still want a horse?

Come to The Saratoga Arms, where great hospitality includes filling wish lists.

To learn more and preview the 2024 “Off to the Races” experience visit: www.saratogaarms.com/off-to-the-races/

Saratoga Arms Bedside Affirmations

Best accompanied by soothing tea and chocolate-dipped strawberries.

My confidence, health and happiness improve while I sleep. I am grateful for the simple and profound joys of the day.

I trust, I believe, and I know that my dreams are coming true.