Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer and brings with it a double-whammy for horse players: having to say farewell to best of summer racing at Del Mar and Saratoga. For us, it’s time take our final swings at two of the most anticipated meets of the year.
Since I am almost always working during racing’s marquee events, I usually only get to attend Del Mar once a year if I’m lucky (I usually am). And this year that day will be Monday, when I will literally “take a plane, take a train, take a car” to where the turf meets the surf at Del Mar.
My determination to attend at least one day of live racing at one of summer’s two premier meets has officially become a Quest. My itinerary starts with closing up the OTB at about 12:30am Monday morning, boarding a 6:50am flight at SJC to Burbank, grabbing an Uber to Union Station, Los Angeles, and boarding the Amtrak Surfliner to Solana Beach at 11am. It will end with a double-decker bus ride from the train station to the “House that Bing built.”
But before all this takes place, we’ve got a long weekend of racing to look forward to, so without further ado, let’s dig into it. I’m Lucky Kalanges and this is your Pleasanton OTB news for the weekend ahead, Aug. 31 – Sept. 2.