"A few days after he bought a modestly bred horse from a friend named Don Hunt, Tim Snyder took a moment to reflect. He had no money, no horse trailer to get his new acquisition to where he needed to go and a filly that had been rejected by nearly everyone else who had come in contact with her. The horse had a clubfoot, a bad shoulder, a reputation for being slow and was blind in one eye, reason enough for Snyder to second-guess what he had just done."

"Jerkens says he never considers retiring. His life is the racetrack, and he said he would be lost without it. He does not need a lot of horses or a lot of victories to enjoy his mornings on the backstretch, his afternoons at Belmont or Saratoga. He is comfortable in his routine, basically one he has had since he won his first race in 1950."

"NYRA has placed a big wager on the renowned Saratoga meet this year by adding four days of races, a 10 percent expansion. The 40-day meet remains NYRA’s money-maker, and is now the longest in almost 130 years." Related: <a href="http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2010/07/02/sports/horseracing/doc4c2d71ca44631121554616.txt">Ready to gamble?</a>

Leading Nashua into the winner's circle at Washington Park racetrack, September 1955. LIFE photo.

Sport Illustrated's gentlemanly mention of the death of William Woodward Jr. in the November 7, 1955 issue.

"The track was there before OTB, it’ll be there after."

"As are many of Corio’s paintings, this one is named for a thoroughbred race horse, and according to gallery information the arrangement of colors is derived from the artist’s analysis of results at the Belmont and Aqueduct tracks. Whatever. All you really need to know is right before your eyes." (Pieces include Sons of Birdstone, Ghostzapper, Beyer on Speed. Examples: http://www.flickr.com/photos/210gallery/4305170383/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/210gallery/4305067567/)

Photos from Belmont, Saratoga, Suffolk (by Bud)

Photos from Aqueduct, Belmont, New York racing scene