Saratoga Track Party - Aug 2025

We went to Saratoga in the middle of racing season and stayed a few days.

Catherine arrived late Wednesday afternoon. We opened a bottle and sat for a while, talking. Nothing else needed doing yet.

Thursday started on the lake. We took the boat out with friends. Sun on the water. Easy pace. No one was in a hurry. That night we went to the Sand Bar. Drinks. Music. People we knew kept turning up. We stayed longer than planned.

On Friday we drove to Saratoga. Four hours. Light traffic. I had booked the wrong hotel. I thought it was the one by the spa, the old building in the park. It wasn’t. It was a motel with the same name. We stood there for a minute and then adjusted. Catherine and Greg took the room. Serge and I stayed with Diane. It worked out.

We had dinner at Sushi Thai. The food was clean and light after the drive. Later we walked through town. Racing season had already changed the place. Better clothes. Louder bars. People moving with purpose.

Saturday was the reason we were there.

We picked up cupcakes early for Diane’s birthday and went to the track. We had a table at The Rail in the 1863 Club. Brunch came first. Then lunch. The track stayed in view the whole time.

People dressed well. Big hats. Linen. Dresses that knew where they were. Drinks arrived steadily. Horses passed in front of us on the way to the paddock. The sound of them carried even when you weren’t watching.

We placed bets. Some worked. Some didn’t. Between races we talked, ate, stood up, sat down again. Jen and Andy came by with the baby. We ran into people we hadn’t seen in years. Everyone looked good.

That night we ate Italian. Loud room. Long table. Birthday cake. Afterward we went to Caroline Street. One bar, then another. Nothing complicated.

Sunday was quieter. We walked around town. Coffee. Shops. Brunch. By late morning the heat was back and it was time to leave.

The drive home was calm. No one needed to say much.