billrock
08-02-2007, 03:03 AM
On this date in 1864 America's oldest Thoroughbred racetrack, Saratoga Racecourse, opened its inaugural meet with four days of racing. Since then it has been the site of some of racing's most famous upsets. Man o' War suffered his only loss in 21 starts while racing at Saratoga, and Triple Crown champion Gallant Fox was defeated by a 100-1 shot named Jim Dandy in Saratoga's 1930 Travers, prompting the track to be called "the graveyard of favorites."
On this date in 1969 jockey Robyn Smith, one of the first female jockeys in the U.S., won her first career race, at Ferndale.
On this date in 1969 jockey Robyn Smith, one of the first female jockeys in the U.S., won her first career race, at Ferndale.