John Pricci

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Horseplayers love this time of year. It’s when racing’s two exquisite boutique meets, one on each coast, provide glimpses of what thoroughbred racing can be when it’s done right. And you can’t mention one, Saratoga, without the other, Del Mar. That would be like using Affirmed without Alydar in the same sentence.

But didn’t Alydar always finish second?

Saratoga and Del Mar are all about a respite from the same old, same old, a chance to get out of town and spend summer’s dog days enjoying mountain air or ocean breezes. But that’s where the similarities end. This piece might emanate from the East Coast but this is not about provincial bias. It’s just that when it comes to day-to-day fare there’s simply no comparison.

The opening programs at Del Mar and Saratoga were a great success by any measure. More than 42,000 turf and surf enthusiasts jammed the house that Bing built and bet more than $4.6 million, a per capita of $109 and not bad for a tourist crowd. More than 27,000 people were on hand for Wednesday’s Spa opener and pushed almost $3.8 million through the wickets, roughly $139 each.

The $30-per-head differential is not because the upstate New York crowd is any more affluent than the downstate SoCal swarm. Rather it’s the competitive quality of the races that makes all the difference.

Otherwise there would be no way to explain that total handle on the July 19 Del Mar opener was $6.1, only $1.5 million more than the live handle on the nine-race program. Saratoga’s opener attracted total handle of over $15.5 million, $11.7 million from all other sources on the 10-race card. The Spa averaged 8.9 runners per race; Del Mar 9.1 Figures like these make an irrefutable argument.

A study of past performances for each opening-day program shows why: There were four claiming races on the Del Mar card, a classy optional claimer, split divisions of the Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-olds going a mile on turf, two allowance races for elders and a juvenile dash for special-weight maidens.

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At Saratoga on Wednesday, only the opener was for straight claimers going two turns on turf,  three grass races in all, one for special-weight maidens. Of the three optional claimers carded, two attracted 14 runners had stakes credentials showing in their past performances.

The high class optional claimers were in addition to a state-bred stakes, three more races for special-weight maidens, including a 2-year-old dash, an allowance sprint for state-breds and the return of the Schuylerville Stakes for juvenile fillies to its rightful place as Grade 3 Spa lid-lifter.

The races demonstrated why the card attracted record opening-day handle. They were as competitive and hard fought on the track as they promised to be on paper. And there was something to bet on for every manner of handicapper. The angle guys no doubt noticed right away that trainer Graham Motion was 25 percent efficient off layups of six months or more. The layoff, class drop and a well timed move from Johnny Velazquez produced a 5-2 winner in the opener.

Speed figures people completed the double with Rondo, a very fast maiden breaker June 18 in recent of a free shot vs. non-winners again because his rider inadvertently struck a rival with a whip while finishing first last time out. He paid $2.70 straight for his six furlongs in 1:09.81. Then there’s the people angle, as in owners who love to win at the Spa. Former NYRA president Barry Schwartz and trainer Mike Hushion, who broke Star Dabbler’s maiden on opening day at Belmont, won his preliminary allowances on opening day in Saratoga.

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And how about Javier Castellano driving up the fence to win with Awesome Twist, just like he did last year, at six and a half furlongs, just like in 2005. There was Todd Pletcher dominating a juvenile stakes just like he has in this millennium, with Dogwood Stable’s Cotton Blossom, who found more when Desire To Excel loomed a serious danger. Cot Campbell, founder of Dogwood, likes to win here every bit as much as Schwartz does. And despite odds of 11-1, was anyone that surprised when Bobby Frankel won the finale with Brilliant Cut, going long and on grass for the first time?

All this is not to disparage Del Mar, where an unlucky import, Porto Santo, should have won the Oceanside’s second division if not for a rival making a right turn in front of him just as his late kick was gaining winning momentum. And who likes to win at Del Mar more than owner David Milch, creator of "NYPD Blue" and "Deadwood."

Of course Del Mar has racing stories to tell, too. But even with a plethora of Hollywood types in attendance, they just don’t do it as good as the Spa does. Saratoga’s been doing it longer and with better horses.