I've been going to Saratoga every year for so long and can't even tell you when I started. It's a beautiful place, but from my perspective there are counter forces at work.

1. It keeps getting more and more crowded - epsecially on days when there's a very good race. It has gotten to the point where I avoid the best races and try to go on the weekends when there's a great race that doesn't get much publicity (like the Test).

2. As they have stretched out the length of the meet, the overall quality of racing has declined sharply on a per day basis.

As someone that bets primarliy on stakes and other high quality races, I used to gear up secifically for that meet knowing there would almost always be one or more stakes or other very high quality races every day.

The talent and quality has been stretched much thinner as the meet has gotten longer. There are some days up there that remind me of the Aqueduct winter meet except the grass is green.

I don't have a solution to the problem because from a purely monetary perspective I am almost certain they are going to stretch the meet even further. However, with each stretch it is clear to me that Saratoga loses some of the "intangible qualities" that made it special. (at least to me)