According to Edward Hotaling in his book "They're Off! Horse Racing at Saratoga" racing at Saratoga in the 1800s took place during the morning with the first post at 10:00 AM. This is a good idea. It's cooler then. The horses are on a morning schedule and this frees up the evenings for social time (for the people -- not the horses).
A little digression:
August 14, 1847 was the first day of organized racing at Saratoga. The Old Gray Mare trotted onto the track about 3:30 PM and won her race against the male Moscow. Moscow pulled a two wheel sulky. The 14 year old mare pulled a 4 wheel sulky.
She won the best-of-5 one-mile heats.
|