The opening of this storied place is always greatly anticipated, but no more so than this year, for obvious reasons. Now it's time to see if racing's Renaissance Age truly has begun. The movie, the New York-bred colt, the Super Trainer, the Attorney General's report (an attempt at levity, dear diary), have all combined to make this meeting one of the most anticipated in recent years.

Actually, the game is already enjoying a renaissance of sorts. Handle is up mostly everywhere, except this week at Saratoga, for some reason, and people have been talking horses in places where that usually doesn't happen, people who don't normally take an interest. It is a good time for the sport. However, there is a huge difference between the sport and the game.

The game is not in trouble, not this minute, but it can be if issues like medication and technology are not dealt with in a meaningful way.

This is a time when prominently successful owners are writing magazine guest editorials threatening to leave the game because they have a hard time reconciling today's huge vet bills, a time when more trainers are sending two bills to owners, one for day money, the other for the learned man with the black bag.

Now is a time when turf writers are asking how and why some horsemen have become "super trainers," sporting percentages that exceed the winning rate of post-time favorites. A time when the graded stakes committee, to their credit, are demanding a full array of tests for winners of Grade 1 events.

It is a time when no less prominent a practitioner as Dr. George Maylin of Cornell University has promised by fall a test for Epogen, once illicitly used as a blood doping agent by cheating Olympic athletes. Epo, as it is known on the backside, provides for the production of red blood cells, thus increasing oxygen levels in the bloodstream. It is the reason why athletes, human or equine, never seem to tire. If this weren't a concern, there would be no need for Dr. Maylin's new test.

This, too, is the era when unscrupulous employees combine with outdated technology to steal money from winning Pick Six Breeders' Cup horseplayers. And a time when racetracks come up with temporary solutions, throwing pennies at a problem instead of the dollars it will take. The money the tracks are saving on these half measures is our money. And there is no distinction between the horseplayers that spend a week in Saratoga each August and the A-train riders of February. And as for the millions of simulcast fans throughout the country? It's their money, too.

Without Monday-through-Friday blue collar owners or the horseplayers forced to accept 5-1 instead of the 8-1 odds offered when Congress Park left the starting gate for Saturday's first race, the game won't have a healthy future no matter how many Seabiscuits and Funny Cides warm the hearts of America's sporting public.      

There is some sentiment among horsemen on the backstretch here that racing's regulators might finally be interested in a level playing field for all with respect to medication. Regulators had better be. Loyal owners are being priced out of the game.

The time has come when the racing industry no longer can afford to take horseplayers for granted. The NTRA's horseplayer panel is in the process of formulating a position paper that it will soon submit to the industry, making suggestions to address the main concerns of bettors; pari-mutuel takeout and badly out-dated technology.

In terms of excitement and aesthetics, casinos pale in comparison to a day at the races but they enjoy a market-place advantage. The takeout rates on their games of chance are much lower. And the payoff on a hard eight doesn't drop once the dice leaves the shooter's hand.  

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Wednesday, July 23: Who'll stop the rain? Who cares? Twenty-eight thousand hardy horseplayers, a redundant term to be sure, braved the wet and thick atmosphere to welcome the world's best horse-flesh back for a 135th go round. Fans were treated to another excellent renewal of the traditional opening feature, the Schuylerville, the first two fillies acquitting themselves very well. But the day started with an array of speed on the fence, such were the floated wet conditions, alternately posted as muddy, sloppy and good, depending on time of day. And the bias dictated most of the results, such as the state-bred opener when Mystical Fastness outlasted the troubled, two-move first-timer, Seeking the Glory. The latter won't remain winless long... Same result in the second when favored Blue Boat never left the wood and out-finished the very game Seattle Fitz, the outside stalker throughout the 9-furlong two-turner. Switch positions; switch results...Speed on the rail played a huge roll in the victories of Our Tune and Harmony Hall, especially the former, a winner of her second consecutive off-the-turf event. Racing very  well against the conditions were juveniles El Prado Rob and Apple Krisp in the fourth and place finisher Honorary Man in the third...But it was the first two Adirondack finishers in the feature that impressed most. Ashado had a remarkable turn of foot at mid-turn, was confidently handled into the stretch and drew off with authority. Place finisher Maple Syrple impressed with her courage in a two-move performance. After breaking sharply, Canadian miss dropped back on the turn--just as Ashado was flying by--re-broke at the furlong pole to loom a brief threat before settling for second... At the end of the day, Jerry Bailey was awarded a victory, Aaron Gryder scored a double, and bobble-head Edgar Prado hit a home run with four winners. It was that kind of afternoon last year that helped Prado to his first Saratoga title.

Thursday, July 24: More rain, more inside speed on the main track. Steeplechaser Brinton Ridge deserved a better fate, racing between horses much of the 2-1/16 miles before shaking loose too late to finish fourth. Deserves another look vs. similar rivals... The inside helped carry an exhausted Spanish Empire home first and was the absolute difference when first-timer Wild Berry outfinished odds-on Hurricane Hannah. Amazer was a worthy maiden juvenile winner but the ones to watch out of the sixth race were wide-running Marching, wider Charming Honor and place-finishing Shout. The latter might have gotten through on the fence the entire stretch but inexperienced filly made a right hand turn at the break from her extreme outside post. Quite an interesting journey. Yes, Todd Pletcher has bullets left. After taking the Schuylerville and a maiden dash with Amazer, he saddled the impressive Chapel Royal to his third straight victory without defeat, a widening 5-3/4 length winner of the Sanford. The Hopeful is next and why not? There's nothing left to prove at shorter sprint distances, as he answered questions relative to rating and wet tracks affirmatively.

Friday, July 25: I am told on good authority that the bright orange orb in the sky where the clouds used to be is called the sun. What a concept, yielding fast ground and rapidly drying turf. And for that , credit NYRA. They called upon grass specialist Dr. Frank Rossi from Cornell University to totally re-condition the turf courses here. His work has yielded dividends already. Feted for his work at Yankee Stadium and Old Bethpage Golf Course, site of last year's U.S. Open, Rossi's turf blend saw the day's Bernard Baruch run over yielding ground, a course that played firm and we could see no flying divots in the wake of thundering hooves. The time was a highly creditable 1:49 and not even Jerry Bailey could blame the ground for the defeat of firm-loving Del Mar Show. Winning jockey Richard Migliore also was complimentary, and if further proof was required, the next day's Diana was run on "firm" turf by top-of-the-ground mare Voodoo Dancer, who raced 9 furlongs in 1:47.98. On the racetrack, sometimes better living through chemistry is not necessarily a bad thing... Trainer Rick Violette debuted a promising state-bred juvenile named Bond Arbitrage, a clever two-move winner while on the pace; note. Funny Cide's people debuted Saratoga Episode in the same race and was a strong, late-finish second; follow... Alchemist is a good filly, running her undefeated career streak to three, Ashraaf a game come-again second. Both fillies overcame wide trips rounding the first turn...Has Migliore been able to pull up Baruch winning Trademark yet? Wow! After killing them from the pocket through the straight, Keiran McLaughlin trainee galloped out like a rocket and kept tugging at Migliore on the way back to the winners' circle. Must be something in the water here.

Saturday, July 26: Main track a little more honest, although inside paths still the fastest part over the weekend. Grade 1 Saturday featured a double dip of females and in neither the Diana Handicap nor the Test Stakes did they fail to put on a show. Daisy-cutter Voodoo Dancer got her revenge. Losing by a nose to the Juddmonte-owned Tates Creek in last year's renewal, this time she outfinished Juddmonte's Heat Haze in yet another stirring renewal of this event. "Haze's" stablemate Pertuisante could have had an easier trip, stuck behind a wall with run into the stretch. She accelerated strongly once clear... Last year, You and Carson Hollow put on an unbelievable show in the Test. Lady Tak and Bird Town might not have been reminiscent of those two but they weren't lightweights either. Lady Tak earned her first Grade 1 title with authority beneath a confident Bailey, setting a stakes record and just missing the 35-year-old track record in the process. For her part, Bird Town got exactly what she needed for her Alabama date with Spoken Fur. Breaking sharply from the barrier, she stalked the winner from third while at least 3-deep throughout but was no match when the winner accelerated at the three-sixteenths pole. Not prepared to run 6 furlongs in 1:08 1/5 in her return-race prep, she finished with interest under a chilly Edgar Prado. Spoken Fur had better have her Alabama game face on... Horses worth following include Tasting Champagne, a strong rally third behind the extremely promising Todd Pletcher trainee Value Plus; Perfect Cut, who clipped heels then bore out after He's Crafty cut the corner into the first turn, and juvenile Bwana Charlie, a victim of indecisive handling in the fifth.

Sunday, July 27: This day, like many others this season, belonged to Bobby Frankel and Bailey. J.D. rode four consecutive winners and was absolutely the difference in Sir Walter Rahy's narrow victory and, of course, worked out the perfect trip aboard Hidden Ransom. But his noted skills hardly were needed to win his 11th Grade 1 on a Frankel trainee this season, Sightseek was that much the best. Following the 11-1/2 length victory, the trainer of 15 Grade 1 winners this season--36 graded wins in all--invited Horse of the Year Azeri to ship in for the Personal Ensign or any other Grade 1 at Belmont Park this fall. It is unlikely Frankel's barbs will dislodge Laura DeSeroux from the surf and turf of old Del Mar. The champion likely will await the Frankel fillies in California, a Breeders' Cup Distaff that could be as highly anticipated as the Classic... Horses worth noting for the future from today were the debuting A.P. Indy filly Daydreaming from the Phipps barn, the wide premature mover Stackam in the Sir Walter Rahy race and wide late-rally Prima Green, third behind potential Beverly D. entrant, the talented Zenda.

Monday, July 28: Dynamic Lord showed his freshness in the grassy fourth, racing head to head throughout the inner-turf mile, tiring but holding gamely behind one-run upsetter, Taiga Two. Billy Turner trained 4-year-old looks sure to benefit from his return effort... Film Maker looks like a turf filly with terrific potential. She had never taken a backwards step in her career. Now, following her strong rally victory to win the Lake George, the Graham Motion-trained miss will get a lot more respect when these 3-year-old fillies stretch to 9 furlongs in the Lake Placid, Aug. 17.