There is one constant that I have seen year after year as it pertains to the Del Mar and Saratoga Race Course summer meetings. Horsemen like to showcase their best 2-year-olds and begin their horse’s career on a winning note.
On July 28 at Saratoga as the horses barreled toward the finish line in the Grade 2 Bowling Green Stakes, the crowd around me was going crazy. Longshot Irish-bred Glorious Empire had at least four lengths on the rest of the field, but Channel Maker was gaining on him fast. When they crossed the finish line, they were together, heads bobbing in alternating syncopation.
In one sense, it was not surprising that Girvin won last year’s betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes at 9.20-1 odds as the second longest shot on the toteboard.