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Roth, Dubb Unveil The Residences at the Adelphi Hotel

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Four years into their business partnership, longtime friends Larry Roth and Michael Dubb are ready to unveil and start selling condominiums in their massive downtown project, The Residences at the Adelphi Hotel.

Roth and Dubb have scheduled an informational brunch at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 6 at the Adelphi Hotel, 365 Broadway. The event is by RSVP only. The Residences at the Adelphi Hotel features 79 condominiums that are part of a $90-million development on the corner of Broadway and Washington Street. A decade ago, Roth was a partner in the purchase, reconstruction and rebirth of the historic Adelphi into a 32-room luxury boutique hotel that melded the past with the present. It opened in Octtober 2017.

In 2019, after splitting with his partners in the Adelphi, Roth joined forces with Dubb–a highly successful real estate developer based on Long Island–and bought the Rip Van Dam building next door. The Rip Van Dam was built as a hotel in 1840s, but in recent decades the building housed businesses and offices. Their original plan was to expand the hotel, add amenities and build apartments. Last year, following some test marketing, the Thoroughbred owners and businessmen changed course a bit and decided to build condominiums instead of apartments. The first group of condos are expected to be completed and ready for occupancy in February 2024. The entire project will be finished by September 2024.

Roth and Dubb scheduled their meeting right in the middle of a very busy period during the Saratoga racing season. In addition to the programs at Saratoga Race Course, which include the $1-million GI Whitney S. on Saturday, The Jockey Club's annual Round Table Conference will be held Thursday, the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will be inducted Friday and the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale of select yearlings will be held Monday and Tuesday evenings.

“We have so many people who are interested,” Dubb said. “that we thought we would just do an informational brunch, where Larry and I would introduce the team around us, talk about the vision, talk about the lifestyle, and the amenities and kind of let people get a glimpse.”

A residence interior | courtesy Adelphi

Dubb said the offering plan for condominium sales required by New York State was approved by the Attorney General's office last week. He said the condos in the five-story new building will range in price from the high $700,000s for studios to a pair of penthouse spaces priced at $3.5 million.

“We are actually now in a position to sign sales contracts and take binders to hold the units until people go to sales,” Dubb said. “Our sales reps are almost now working 24/7, keeping up with the interest in it.

“We thought, everybody's in town that week, let's get everybody in one room and let's talk and then let's answer the questions. It's one thing to hear it's nice, it's another thing to really get the deep-down on it. I know what it will be. I've done this before, but it's my job to kind of convey to people what the finished product Larry and I have created will look like.”

The nine condo unit types: five studios; 10 studios with den; 21 one-bedrooms; five one-bedrooms with den; 20 two-bedrooms; nine two-bedrooms with den; two three-bedrooms; five three-bedrooms with den; two penthouse suites.

In 2012, Roth and Richbell Capital headed by Simon Milde and his son Toby, acquired the Adelphi Hotel property for $4.5 million. The Adelphi opened in 1877 and is the last of the major hotels that operated on Broadway in the 19th century. The new owners made some improvements to the rundown hotel, had it open for one season while developing a plan then embarked on the major overhaul that took four years. Roth said the hotel has proven to be popular and that occupancy has been at about 100% during the racing season and at an average of approximately 80% for the year.

Roth wanted to continue to grow, incorporating the Rip Van Dam and land behind it on Washington Street, with an even bigger undertaking.

“Basically, the reason I had to separate with my partners was because they did not have the same vision I had,” he said. “I said to them, 'We should do something with the rest of the property because someone's going to do something. Someone's going to take that parking lot and they're going to build a competing hotel. You don't want to compete with a hotel next to the Adelphi because we're getting very good rates at the Adelphi and that hotel was not going to get the same rates.' That's when we completely separated. They said, 'No, we're not going to buy it.' I said, 'Yes, we are.' That's when we separated and I decided to buy the Rip Van Dam and that's when Michael got involved.

“He saw the vision too. We both grew up in that same area of Long Island. We both had the same vision of what this property could be.”

What Roth and Dubb–equal partners in the entire development of the hotel and the Residences–settled on was the expansion into the Rip Van Dam, increasing the Adelphi from its 32 to 45 rooms. Eight more rooms have just become available in a new adjoining structure. The final 12 to reach the total of 65 are expected to go on-line by mid-August.

One of the two penthouses | courtesy Adelphi

Rather than 85 apartments, they opted for the 79 condos in a building being constructed on Washington Street. Among the many amenities available is an underground parking for 100 cars, which includes EV charging stations. A key element of the concept, modeled after top resorts around the world is that amenities, such as gyms, spas, meeting rooms and game rooms, security, as well as hotel concierge and housekeeping services will be available to condominium residents and hotel guests. Condominium owners will be able to rent their properties through the Adelphi, which will handle all the details.

“It's really not just unusual to Saratoga, but I think this is unusual to the entire upstate of New York,” Dubb said.

The foundation of the complex are the historic buildings with their distinctive facades that face Broadway. They required extensive upgrades and the new structures were built behind them. What had been something of a quiet corner on busy Broadway has undergone a dramatic change in the last 10 years.

“This is really born out of a passion and a love for Saratoga. In my case, decades and decades long,” Dubb said. “It's actually 50 years this year since the first time I came to Saratoga and for Larry, kind of love at first sight and he totally immersed himself in it.”

Dubb said the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic slowed the project by six months to a year and added 30% to the cost. Interior work was ongoing for a couple of years, and at the end of last summer, with the permits in place, the structures started to rise.

“In September, there was nothing,” Dubb said. “After Labor Day, we started construction on the additional hotel rooms that would be located in the new building, as well as the 79 condominiums. So if you left Saratoga as a horse person, and left on Labor Day, you came back and you said, 'Wow, there's a whole building standing here.'”

Long gone are the days when Saratoga Springs reverted to a sleepy little upstate city when the 24-day four-week racing season wrapped up in late August.

“What we're finding is Saratoga really stands on its own as a very prominent area in New York state,” Dubb said. “A lot of people who are involved in Thoroughbreds think Saratoga begins and ends with the Thoroughbred season, but it doesn't. It's busy here all year round. In the wintertime, people will come here and use it as a base to ski. Leaf season. Springtime. Skidmore graduation. Parents Weekend in October.”

Roth said his experience through five years with the Adelphi proved there is plenty of demand for luxury accommodations.

“I'm telling you from our own records that the hotel is busy pretty much all year round,” he said.

Construction currently underway, shot from the corner of Broadway and Washington Streets | Mike Kane photo

The purchase of the Rip Van Dam and construction of the building directly behind it has enabled Roth and Dubb to create space to increase the size of the Salt & Char steakhouse on the first floor of the Rip Van Dam. Also, the relocation of a kitchen to a new space, will lead to a larger lobby for the Adelphi Hotel. They have also increased the size of the ballroom.

The condos have open floor plans, are bright with plenty of glass and have balconies.

“We really wanted to provide the highest level of detail,” Dubb said. “Take the detail and the luxury of the hotel rooms, carry it through to the residences. The residences have high ceilings, nice trim, Andersen Windows, Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, Restoration Hardware (now RH) vanities, seven-inch hardwood flooring. All of the really high-end details that you would find in a hotel room. And large bathrooms.”

The Residences are connected to the Adelphi Hotel with its Morrissey's Lounge and Bistro, Salt & Char, Wine Cellar and the ballroom. A salon will be located in the Residences. The Starbucks coffee shop on the corner has been closed during the reconstruction phase, but will re-open. Nearby on Broadway and side streets are many restaurants, bars and shops. Dubb said that through experience with other properties, he knows the combination is an attractive package.

“I strongly believe in this concept, in this way of living,” he said. “We also own apartment buildings, and retail and industrial, so I have a pretty good sense of what people want. Even in large residential communities I've built, I tried to put in a retail shopping area as an amenity to the community. It's a lifestyle.”

Roth and Dubb will be part of the community at Broadway and Washington.

“I kid everybody that Larry and I love it so much the first two homes we sold to ourselves,” Dubb said. “Then our sales representative also bought one. There's no higher testament to what you believe in than putting your money where your mouth is and wanting to live there. I think both of us look forward to living the dream that we've envisioned and work so hard for. And, trust me, we have worked hard on this project.”

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Agenda Set For 3rd Annual Racing & Gaming Conference At Saratoga

Pat Brown, the director of The Racing and Gaming Conference at Saratoga, knows what makes an agenda tick. He has seen his fair share of seemingly endless Power Points, glazed-over eyes and the attendees that surf the Internet in an attempt to multitask. The best way to combat the conference malaise? Just a healthy dose of fun.

“I've spent over 40 years of in and out of government, thinking about and writing about the gaming and horse racing industry,” said Brown, a former advisor to New York's Governor Mario Cuomo and an attorney that lives just south of Albany. “I want everyone to come away from this conference having learned something interesting, but most of all, I want them to have fun.”

As the director of the what will be the third installment of this hybrid conference that will be held at the Hilton in Saratoga Springs, New York from Aug. 14-16, Brown and his planning committee have put forth yet another stellar card. Once again, those in attendance will take in cutting-edge topics under the umbrella of racing and gaming with an ambitious schedule just out this week.

This year's slate runs the gambit when it comes to angles and there is something for everyone that is interested in the intersection between these two worlds. “We've got something for lawyers, thorny issues, where the little guy fits in and how technology shapes and impacts the racetrack and the casino,” said Brown.

After an opening reception at the Adelphi Hotel on Monday, Aug. 14, the conference shifts into high gear Tuesday with experts that will speak on the following topics:

New York Casino Expansion to New York City and Surrounding Counties: Is the Finish Line in Sight?
Consolidation of Gaming: Status and Implications
Tribal Digital Gaming: Has the Moment Finally Arrived?
Technology and Gaming: New Challenges, New Solutions
The Implications of Exclusion for Racetracks and Casinos
Consumer Protections and the Federalization of Gaming

Pat Brown | courtesy of Brown and Weintraub

“We want this conference to not be so New York-centric,” said Brown. “The way you do that is by thinking broadly and topics like tribal gaming, regulatory issues and legal questions like exclusion, are all applicable across state lines.”

Sandwiched within day one is a lunch lineup which includes an address by Stacie Clark Rogers of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and a keynote delivered by Joe Asher, President of IGT Sports Betting. “Joe's is coming to keep us energized, entertained because I think lunch needs to give everyone a break from the conference,” Brown said.

On day two, the conference concludes with four sessions that deal with aspects of racing and wagering, including:

Harness Racing: An Industry in Decline–or in Transformation?
Historical Horse Racing Machines: The Tail Wagging the Horse?
HISA–Legal Limbo and Regulatory Reluctance
Racing's Changing Customer Base, CRWs and the Future of Betting

Each of these hot-button issues draw from an arc of past precedent and are extremely significant to the future of the horse racing industry. “Not everything is about Thoroughbreds,” said Brown, who has also owned shares in racehorses. “We want to expand the vision to harness racing because it has much to teach us about statutory issues concerning aspects like the minimum number of race days.”

Brown knows that a panel concerning HISA is important, but he wanted to find a way to zero in on something specific. How state regulators are handling the current situation seemed appropriate. He also understands that conference attendees will be particularly keen to hear about the impact of Historical Horse Racing Machines and the power behind Computerized Robotic Wagering groups. “I have no doubt that those sessions will generate some interesting questions and debate, especially when everyone is talking about the impact on track handle,” said Brown.

Wrapping up the conference, some 50 attendees who purchase tickets will have the opportunity to take in the Saratoga meet along The Spa Veranda. Pat Brown's idea of fun, indeed.

Click here for more information concerning registration and hotel information for The Racing & Gaming Conference at Saratoga.

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Roth and Dubb Bring New Level of Luxury to Downtown Saratoga

While racing draws thousands of visitors to Saratoga Springs every summer, its biggest appeal day in and day out, 12 months a year, is its graceful, bustling downtown. The city is rich in history, dating back to the 1770s and the Victorian style lends a charm that Saratoga not only strives to maintain, but often mandates through historic preservation codes.

Two buildings on Broadway in Saratoga Springs are now undergoing a huge transformation without losing their historic charm. The Adelphi Hotel, which recently underwent a major renovation, will be merged with the adjacent Rip Van Dam Hotel, expanding the number of luxury hotel rooms from 33 to 78 and adding 85 luxury apartments to the Rip Van Dam.

“We bought the Adelphi in about 2013,” said Larry Roth, a partner with his wife and daughter in LNJ Foxwoods Stable. “It was me and another group that is no longer involved with the Adelphi. The Adelphi at that time was a rundown hotel. It was owned by two individuals that graduated from Skidmore probably in the 1960s. They had the hotel only open two months a year. The rest of the other 10 months of the year, they would travel around the world finding antiques and bringing the antiques back to the hotel. So, when we bought the hotel in 2013, it was really run down, full of thousands of antiques, and we decided that we were going to run it for a year or two and then we were going to renovate it.”

Saratoga's appeal and its offerings have expanded far beyond the track.

In a small geographic area of just 28 square miles, the City of Saratoga Springs boasts the oldest operating racecourse in the U.S., a harness track and casino, a 2,379-acre state park, four golf courses, a top concert and ballet and orchestra venue, a 6.178 square mile lake, historic mineral springs and baths, two colleges, and a 171-bed hospital.

In 1977, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation was organized partly in reaction to the building of the shopping mall just north of the city limits. By protecting the historic facades and buildings downtown, Broadway and its adjoining streets have continued to maintain viable retail businesses and acclaimed restaurants and pubs when many upstate downtown districts have dried up.

The initial renovation of the Adelphi took years and two or three times what the group expected to pay, Roth said, but it re-opened in 2017 to great acclaim. But looming on the south side of the Adelphi was the Rip Van Dam, which had been through a tumultuous era of turnover and suffered from what seemed like a lack of vision and funding. It made sense to Roth that they purchase the Van Dam, which was in need of repair on the same scale. His partners did not share the vision.

“Their philosophy was not the same as mine,” said Roth. “I told them that I think we should buy the Rip Van Dam because the Rip Van Dam had a lot of property. Someone's going to build something there, a hotel, an apartment building, and you don't want to really compete with another hotel. They said to me, 'You're wrong, no one's going to build there.'”

So, in 2019, Roth bought out his partners, became the sole owner of the Adelphi, and bought the Rip Van Dam.

“That's when Michael [Dubb] got involved with me,” said Roth. “I knew Mike was in the horse business and I knew he was a great builder. So, I thought it'd be good to find out if he would be interested in working with me, being my partner on this project.”

“Larry and I had known each other for years,” said Dubb. “And we have a very close mutual friend. And, you know, when Larry correctly purchased the Rip Van Dam property to protect his investment at the Adelphi so he could control it, and that was a very smart move.

“It's a major undertaking. And given my knowledge of Saratoga, my years at Saratoga, and my knowledge of construction, having built buildings like this before, although not 180-year-old buildings, Larry thought it would be a good idea for us to talk. And that's how the partnership was born.”

“Our vision is to just have the most luxurious five-star hotel residence, restaurants, a destination point for people coming from either New York City, Boston, Montreal, Buffalo,” said Roth. “It's all almost equal distance, about a three-hour ride from those locations. And just to have the number one destination in the Northeast.”

“For any city, a vibrant downtown is vital,” said former two-term Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Joanne Yepsen. “This city is successful because we care deeply about historic preservation and we have an appointed design review commission overseeing proposed development on top of a planning and zoning process.

“This project is a diamond in the rough,” said Dubb. “Saratoga is arguably the best town or small city in New York State. It's a one-of-a-kind town, and this is a one-of-a-kind project right in the heart of town. The plan we had was to model this after The Plaza in New York City where you have a five-star hotel, but you also have residences. And the people who live in the residences can avail themselves and do avail themselves of all the hotel services. So here, there are two restaurants here which they would walk directly to through the building. There'll be a gym. There'll be lounges for the guests and the owners, a business center, and underground parking.”

The plan for the condominium apartments will be a mix of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom luxury apartments appointed with hardwood floors, state-of-the-art kitchens, great appliances, marble bathrooms, and molding details. Each owner will have their own storage unit and a coveted parking spot underneath the building. The new hotel rooms will mirror the existing rooms at the Adelphi.

“The hotel units will be and are obviously very, very, very high-level luxury units,” said Dubb. “So, there'll be heated bathroom floors, automatic blinds, suite-type living. Some of the new hotel rooms will have their own den and just all of the services and all the luxury that you would expect in a five-star hotel.”

In addition to the new hotel rooms and residences, there have been significant changes and upgrades to the common areas of the hotels, with more in the plan.

“We've increased the ballroom space. So, the capacity went from about 125 people to 225 people,” said Dubb. “That project is done. We've increased the size of Morrisey's, put additional indoor dining rooms in, and also a sushi bar. And that project is done. The Salt and Char Restaurant, which is part of the building, is through phase one and the interiors of the existing Salt and Char has been completely rebuilt. But as construction progresses, there'll be another dining room, about 800 square feet–state of the art. You know, with that real steakhouse feel, to go with the great food.

“In the original Adelphi, part of the lobby space was lost to the kitchen. The kitchen is moving away into the new structure. So, the lobby of the Adelphi now, which is beautiful, is going to double in size.”

While both Dubb and Roth are deeply ensconced in the upper echelons of the horse business, they've committed to the City of Saratoga and its growing year-round clientele with the Adelphi-Van Dam project. The underground parking garage for 100 cars, and major street and sidewalk and infrastructure improvements add to the entire downtown experience. And both partners are bullish on the long-term success of the project outside of the racing months.

“It's not just the racing industry,” said Roth. “We've been extremely busy even during the off-season. Our occupancy during the off-season runs probably about 70%. During the track season, we're running very close to 100%. Obviously, the July and August period is peak for us. But the rest of the year has, for the last year and a half, two years, has been truly outstanding.”

Preserving the historic façade and feel of the buildings seems to be more of a passion to the partners than a city requirement.

“The architecture and the character are beautiful. One great thing about Saratoga is its intense dedication to preserving its historic feel and its historic character,” said Dubb. “You really feel like you're back in the early 1900s, in the late 1800s. And one thing we went to painstaking lengths to do is to preserve the entire facade of the existing Rip Van Dam Hotel. And previously, Larry did the same thing with the Adelphi Hotel. So, from the street, you know, I see turn-of-the-century pictures, not this century, the century before. And the facade will look just the same as it looked then.”

“The town is very pro-historical sites here,” said Roth. “We went before the board a number of times to show them what we're doing. We made some revisions after they suggested we make some changes that they wanted us to do and we adhered to what they wanted us to do.”

What is the timeline?

“After we finish Salt and Char, we will be looking to get the next group of hotel rooms, some online for late fall this year, others on time for track season,” said Dubb. “And that will be followed by the construction of the 85 condominiums. We're looking at a time frame for completion of about 18 months. So, we'd be looking in its entirety at early '24.”

The lure of Saratoga Springs, the two hotels so steeped in American history, and the racing industry at the Spa seem to give Roth and Dubb a deep sense of pride in the project. It was palpable as we walked around the busy establishment while they interacted with the staff and patrons. Individually and together, they appear relaxed and excited about what seems like a massive undertaking (and crater) in the middle of downtown.

“The combination, first the Adelphi, and then the Rip Van Dam and the adjoining land, is really a unique opportunity to marry two historic, legendary buildings together into one,” said Dubb. “A state-of-the-art five-star luxury hotel and residence building- nothing like this really exists in Saratoga and very few places like this exist anywhere in New York. So, this was really a unique opportunity. And when Larry reached out to me about it, my connection with Saratoga, you know, runs 50 years. And so, I've walked by these hotels for 50 years. I never dreamt I would have the opportunity to be involved and really make a difference in the City of Saratoga.”

“I don't think I could have picked a better partner,” said Roth. “He is, first of all, a great friend. I think we have the same vision. We think alike. Being with him for the last two years on this project, I have learned so much from him about building, and I think even our contractor has learned a lot from Michael. He's made a lot of suggestions to our contractor, which have panned out successfully.”

“I told Larry when we started, that it would be two very challenging years to build the building,” said Dubb. “COVID turned that into three and a half years. So, it's challenging. I think we enjoy the challenge and I know when all is said and done, Larry and I are going to stand on Broadway, look up and be just the two proudest guys in Saratoga.”

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Taking Stock: Postcard from the Spa

The contrast between NYRA's Saratoga and the Churchill Downs, Inc.-owned Arlington couldn't be greater. While the latter died an ignominious death over the weekend, punctuated by Arlington president Tony Petrillo outrageously booting deadline photographers and writers, including this publication's Alan Carasso, from the press box 90 minutes after the completion of the race formerly known as the Gl Arlington Million, Saratoga–or the Spa, as it's known–is flourishing under solid management. The upstate New York track has been welcoming fans at full capacity since it opened for the season after the pandemic kept them out last year.

I was (literally) at the Spa last week with my wife, Cynthia Colt. Saratoga is a place for top-class racing and is known for its select sale, but if you're a visitor, there's lots to do. Yes, we had a great time at the races and at the Fasig-Tipton selected yearling sale, not to mention several restaurants in and around town. But we also visited the Gideon Putnam's Roosevelt Baths & Spa, for example, where you can soak for 40 minutes in deep bathtubs filled with warm Saratoga mineral water so saturated with salt that your body will feel weightless in it. The rooms are dark, soothing meditative music is piped in, and the overall experience is one heck of a tonic for the body and mind.

Perhaps our spa rejuvenation added to our appreciation for the total Saratoga experience, but there were no surly Tony Petrillos from NYRA management to spoil the visit, either.

Matter of fact, just the opposite; direct from Saratoga's press box, NYRA communications manager Keith McCalmont and his fiancée Bailey Gallison, who works production for NYRA's broadcasting programs, had us over one night for a barbeque at their quaint rental on Lincoln Avenue. If you can wrangle an invitation, do so. We had grilled steaks, vegetables, and corn, a meal as good as any we had on our visit, which also included a pretty good one downtown on the back patio of the Adelphi Hotel on Broadway next door to the more celebrated Salt & Char steakhouse–also a part of the Adelphi.

The Adelphi is co-owned by Larry Roth of LNJ Foxwoods, a prominent stable shared with Roth's wife Nanci and daughter Jaime that's done quite a bit in its short existence since 2012. Among other stakes winners of note, LNJ Foxwoods owned part of 2019 Gl Kentucky Derby winner Country House (Lookin At Lucky) and campaigned the brilliantly fast Eclipse Award winner Covfefe (Into Mischief), who was the champion 3-year-old filly and champion female sprinter of 2019.

We dined at the Adelphi after a Sunday of racing, and it was the place to be seen and noted. In fact, we saw Jaime Roth and some friends breeze through the patio next to our table as if they were late for their next destination. Roth is one of the more active and outspoken owners on Twitter, and she doesn't hide or mince her liberal leanings–Covfefe is named after a Donald Trump gaffe–making her somewhat of an anomaly as a member of the staid The Jockey Club, which has more than a few right-wingers on its bench, including two older women who don't hide their politics on Twitter, either. Good on the TJC, however, for recruiting for membership a young person fairly new to the game and without the typical views and gender. That's progress, right?

Speaking of being politically outspoken, trainer Graham Motion, who's been repeatedly admonished by the Twitterati to “stick to racing,” was at the Adelphi, and I stopped him as he walked by our table with Eclipse Throughbreds' Aron Wellman. I've been a longtime admirer of Motion, both for his skills as a Derby-winning trainer and for his convictions, and it was a pleasure to finally meet him. Motion greeted us warmly, and he looked the part of a cool customer, too, a tall, lanky figure casually attired in an untucked long-sleeved dress shirt and jeans, a contrast to Wellman, who was buttoned up in a dark business suit.

Wellman was dressed as he was because earlier that day Eclipse, a successful racing partnership comprised of many owners, had won the Glll Saratoga Oaks Invitational with Texas-bred Con Lima (Commissioner). Trained by Todd Pletcher, who'd been inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame a few days earlier, Con Lima is also owned by several other partners in addition to the Eclipse partners, and it looked like they'd all descended into a private area at the far end of the patio for a victory get-together that Wellman appeared to be hosting. We saw a bunch of racing personalities headed there, including Johnny Velazquez, the legendary Angel Cordero Jr., and NYRA reporter/analyst Acacia Courtney.

Barry Weisbord, the former publisher of this publication, said he wasn't headed to the Eclipse gathering, as I greeted him walking in that direction. I told Cynthia that we'd probably see celebrity chef Bobby Flay soon, as Weisbord and Flay are good friends and are frequently in the same orbit when in the same town, and presto, there came Flay on cue from the opposite direction.

I don't know what Flay thinks of the food at the Adelphi, but the small Duxbury oysters were excellent, as was the crème brulee. The filet mignon was a fine cut and it was good, but it was served a tad overdone. Cynthia, a vegetarian, had the ravioli with sweet pea filling and a watermelon, heirloom tomato, and asparagus salad that she enjoyed. And both of us thought the specialty cocktail called Equinox, a mixture of tequila, habanero-hibiscus syrup, grapefruit, and lime, was excellent.

Fasig-Tipton Sale

Flay had a good sale at Fasig-Tipton. We'd arrived at the sales grounds in time to see his Uncle Mo son from Dame Dorothy hit the million-dollar mark, and from there the bids moved up until West Bloodstock, as agent for Robert and Lawana Low, secured the colt for $1.6 million–a price that would make him the second-highest yearling at the sale behind the $2.6 million that M.V. Magnier of Coolmore paid for the Into Mischief colt out of Paola Queen.

The nighttime atmosphere at the sale was electric, and for Cynthia, who isn't a sales goer, it had a carnival-like feel to it, with the auctioneers barking, bid spotters gesturing, and bidders discreetly messaging their intents. Fasig president Boyd Browning strolled around the grounds like the master of ceremonies, greeting buyers and sellers alike with a smile.

With long hair and a cowboy hat, I wasn't instantly recognizable to most of the people I knew. Claiborne's Walker Hancock walked straight past me without a blink of recognition, but his consigliere, Bernie Sams, did see me. “Get a haircut,” he said, as he briefly shook my hand and scurried by.

Bob Baffert, wearing a trademark crisp white shirt and pressed jeans, was with his wife and son and looked hard before recognizing me, and then he blurted that I looked like Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. We spoke of his situation briefly, and he informed me that “I've got a lot of support from a lot of people.”

As we turned away from Baffert, I was greeted by the outstretched hand of Lane's End's bloodstock advisor/agent David Ingordo and his wife, trainer Cherie DeVaux. Ingordo is one of the sharpest judges of bloodstock in the game, and he's an overall smart guy who can discuss a variety of subjects intelligently. He's assisting with his wife's string at Saratoga, and the next morning he gave us a tour of their barn, which is stacked with fillies and mares by Ingordo's design. While there's a frenzy among buyers at auctions for colts that can potentially become stallions, Ingordo plays the reverse game, buying fillies. His strategy–a good one–is to get them graded black type and then sell, and judging by what I saw, it's succeeding.

Who else did we see at the sale or the track? Trainer Wesley Ward, looking trim, greeted us warmly but briefly before heading to the back ring to bid on a horse. Lesley Campion of consignor Paramount said they were having a good sale, which included the sale of an American Pharoah filly from Funfair for $700,000. Donato Lanni, who buys for Baffert and the group known as “The Avengers” among other high-profile clients, stopped to say hello. Lanni, Ingordo, Kerry Cauthen of Four Star, and WTC bloodstock editor Frances J. Karon were “graduates” of the same “class” at Walmac under the guidance of that legendary cowboy Johnny T. L. Jones Jr., whose approach to teaching young people in the business how to succeed was probably more colorful than the techniques being taught nowadays at Darley's elite Flying Start program.

The day after the sale, I did Steve Byk's “At the Races” radio show live from his setup next to the shoeshine stand outside the racing office at the track. Byk is as sharp as a tack, and it's always a pleasure to do the show live with him, particularly so this year as we'd missed the 2020 season. Plus, he always attracts some interesting and likeable guests, such as Jimmy Ventura, handicapper Michael Beychok, Oaklawn and Kentucky Downs's Rick Hammerle, and Capital OTB's Seth Merrow. I also got a chance to finally meet the excellent journalist Mike MacAdam, who I'd known only from interactions on Twitter.

MacAdam duly noted my “scorched-earth exit” from Twitter, a turn-of-phrase that only someone with his talent could conjure to hit the mark squarely between the eyes.

Another highlight of the trip was meeting an extremely polite woman at the hotel elevator who could have taught Arlington's Tony Petrillo a lesson or two in manners. “Good afternoon, sir,” she said. We struck up a pleasant conversation, and when she said she was from Ocala, I asked her if she was in the racing business. “Yes, sir. I'm Todd Pletcher's mother, and he just got inducted in the Hall of Fame,” she said with parental pride. I asked her to give my congratulations to her son, and she promised she would.

And that's the rough sketch of how the week went down. Saratoga, it was great seeing you.

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

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