Claire Novak

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - I have ridden against Corey Nakatani.

I know this because, between the pounding hooves and my pounding heart, I could faintly hear the voice of Hollywood Park track announcer Trevor Denman as he screamed out a final stretch call: “… and Corey Nakatani ….”

I don’t remember the rest of the sentence. Funny what registers in your mind when you’re hurtling down a racetrack at 40 mph perched atop 1,000 pounds of highly toned thoroughbred.

Or at least that’s the feeling I had when I took the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s one-of-a-kind equine simulator for a spin.

Melding a mechanized horse with synchronized video footage shown on a 50-inch screen, the computerized exhibit that opened on Aug. 3 allows racing fans to experience the exhilaration of a thoroughbred horse race from the jockey’s point of view.

Developed by Ed Ostberg of Design Function Inc., the $125,000 simulator is programmed to three separate levels: a warm-up gallop around the training track at Saratoga Race Course; an easy break from the gate to a slow gallop on the same surface; and a challenging 1 1/2-mile turf race filmed at Hollywood Park that lasts well over 2 minutes. All three scenarios were filmed using a "helmet cam" mounted atop a rider's protective headgear.

Retired Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey gave the exhibit his stamp of approval shortly after it opened.

Bailey gives stamp of approval
“It’s amazingly similar to an actual race,” he said after putting the simulator through its paces. “The fans will definitely get a good idea of what a jockey goes through when they ride.”

A quarter horse trainer and longtime racing fan, I’m no stranger to the saddle. But even so, I was awestruck by the intensity of the simulation.   

The first thing I realized was that perching on two thin metal stirrups and trying to hold your balance above a slice of leather saddle puts a tremendous strain on muscles you didn’t even know you had. Arms pull. Neck snaps. Back strains. Legs ache. Heart races.

Mike Kane / National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The video display and audio track put you in the thick of the action. "It's amazingly similar to an actual race," retired Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey said.

You think about rhythm and motion, keeping your eye on the front-runner, judging your position and conserving your horse’s energy for the long trip around that vibrant green oval.

You see your fellow riders in front, sense them at your side, hope the rest have fallen far behind.

You stretch and weave and lean and bend your way through the closely bunched field, pass on the rail, swing to the outside in pursuit of an opening. One chance. A shot at the money.

You hear the swish of wind, the drone of the announcer, the ragged breathing of laboring runners, the thundering of hoof beats that shake the ground and your horse and your world.

You lick the beads of sweat from your lips.

Driving to the wire
A strong competitive drive kicks into gear when the wire looms ahead, and you find yourself straining and coaxing with every ounce of energy in your exhausted body as you fly down toward the finish.

You become enveloped in the blur of flashing silks and fluid motions and shrieking voices and whipping manes and heaving muscles and your own athletic fervor.

You know what it is like to ride to win but come in third.

You pop out of the hellish crouch and stretch your throbbing muscles, absorb the rocking-horse movement while your horse gallops out around the turn and realize the race is over.

"You discover that your knees are aching, your legs are trembling and your heart is pounding — and you can’t wait to do it again — but a short break is most likely a good idea."

One reporter who rode a race on the simulator warned that “your thighs… will burn for hours.”

Mine burned for days.