From Mary Lou to Tom; Jim Dandy to Fourstardave; Siro’s to backyard tailgating; and morning workouts to give aways; Saratoga has a cast of heroes, customs, and institutions which make it, in our opinion, the most unique sporting venue on Earth. Over the next 40 Days, we will profile 40 of these legends and traditions, adding our own memories and experiences from 30 plus years of summering at the Spa. It’s our Salute to Saratoga. We hope you enjoy following along.
If Saratoga belonged to Angel Cordero in the late-’70s and 80s, then ownership changed to Jerry Bailey in the ’90s. Bailey was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995 — and then he won each and every one of his record 7 Eclipse Awards as champion jockey. He won two personal “Triple Crown,” capturing the Derby on Sea Hero in ’93 and Grindstone in ’96, the Preakness on Hansel in ’91 and Red Bullet in 2000, and the Belmont on Hansel in ’91 and Empire Maker in 2003. He won 15 Breeders’ Cup races, including four Classics (Black Tie Affair, Arcangues, Concern and Cigar). But beyond his general excellence as a jockey, Bailey absolutely dominated at Saratoga.
Bailey won a then-record 693 races at Saratoga, a record that was only recently surpassed by Johnny Velazquez in 2013 (and Johnny V enjoyed longer Saratoga meetings every summer in which to pile up victories). Bailey won 109 graded stakes at Saratoga, including 35 Grade 1 stakes. He won 7 Saratoga riding titles, trailing only Angel Cordero’s incredible 14 riding titles at the Spa. He won the signature race of the Saratoga meeting three times — in 1986 on Wise Times, in 1993 on Sea Hero, and in 2002 on Medaglia D’Oro.
Medaglia D’Oro holds off Repent
When I first started going to Saratoga, I knew nothing more than simply “bet on Jerry Bailey.” That was a profitable strategy for me in the summers of the mid-90s. To me, that is the greatest achievement anyone can reach as a jockey — getting to the point where the simply Jerry Bailey’s presence on a horse at Sarartoga would be the primary handicapping indicator. I can only think of a few in my lifetime that have reached that pinnacle at Saratoga — the most competitive jockey colony in the world — Cordero, Bailey, and Velazquez. Maybe Castellano gets there in the next several years.
Being from Saratoga and getting my start in the sport in the mid-1990s, Jerry Bailey was one of the reasons I fell in love with the sport. He is as much a part of the lore of Saratoga as any other human participant in the sport and is the greatest jockey I have ever seen.
