I was able to get up to the Spa for the first Friday and Saturday of the meet,
and while I try to avoid weekends, and especially opening and closing weekends,
these 2 days fit well into a busy schedule. Observations:

1) The charm of Saratoga when I first started visiting in the mid 70s was that
here you had this awesome racetrack plopped on the outskirts of a small
Adirondack town; the track is still there, but the small town is all but gone.

2) I ended up spending a majority of my wagering time at the harness track: free
parking, free admission, cheaper suds. If you are going to watch the races on
TV anyway, a good alternative to the weekend crowds at the "main" track.
Absolutely no lines at the windows, comfortably air conditioned if you choose
to sit inside.

3) The golf course in the Saratoga Spa State Park is a great value at $29 green
fee for New York State residents; well managed so that a 4- 4 1/2 hour round is
almost assured. The course is in decent shape and provides a very playable
alternative to Saratoga National, which gets something like $135 green fee for
a twilight round.

4) While Lawyer Ron ran a career race (career race can be interpreted many
different ways by many different people) the most impressive animal I saw in my
brief stay was Emirates to Dubai, an even money winner of a 5-1/2 furlong turf
dash on Friday (July 27). ETD is out of Morn of Song, who I believe is a full
sister to Rahy. ETD began his career in England as a 2YO in 05, a beaten
favorite (2.25/1) in a 17 horse dash. ETD disappeared until May of 07, when he
broke his maiden in one of the many turf sprints run at this Spring's Colonial
at Belmont meet. Hopefully trainer bin Suroor will drop this colt into a spot
(I think he could be good up to a mile) where a decent mutuel is attainable.