Fall at Saratoga Race Course

Malathaat and a fellow Todd Pletcher charge are exercised at Saratoga Race Course earlier this fall.

Saratoga Race Course calls itself “The Summer Place to Be,” but there’s still plenty to see there in the fall. Horses train in Saratoga through mid-November, and watching them exercise among the fall foliage is a sight to see. Here are some of my favorite photos I took at the main track and the Oklahoma Training Track this fall.

A horse gets a bath at the Oklahoma Track.
Capensis, one of several Todd Pletcher trainees I photographed in their stalls.
Malathaat recently prevailed in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Keeneland.
Life Is Good recently ran in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but could not outlast favorite Flightline.
Forte recently defeated favorite Cave Rock in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
Another photo of Forte.
Over at the Steve Asmussen barn, the morning light was shining through.
Grade I Travers Stakes winner Epicenter pauses for a moment while being hot walked. Epicenter recently underwent surgery for an injury he sustained during the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Grade I Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap winner Jackie’s Warrior.
The morning light hits Jackie’s Warrior’s face.
The track looks a lot different in fall!
Life Is Good breezes for the last time at Saratoga before heading to Keeneland where he competed in the Breeders’ Cup.
Trainer H. James Bond smiles for the camera.
Trainer Todd Pletcher watches Life Is Good breeze.
I took this “shadow selfie” (I take a lot of those) in the winner’s circle looking up at the empty grandstand, and I thought about how many famous horses and connections have stood in this spot. Maybe I will be lucky enough to stand here as an owner when Mary Union Ave, a filly I have a small piece of, starts racing. Her half sister, Vallelujah, won her second race this summer here!
The track almost looks abandoned in the off season. Such a stark contrast to July and August.
Not a soul (human or equine) in sight.
The fall foliage is beautiful at the Oklahoma Track in fall.
A beautiful fall evening at the Oklahoma Track.
Across the street from the track, Fasig-Tipton is another place that I love to photograph in fall.

To see more of my Saratoga area photography be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook. All photos in this post © Samantha Decker and may not be reused without permission.

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