Vibe Check: BBQ at the Barn
Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's annual fundraiser, jockey signings at the track, a Complexions Spa/BARE Blends crossover event and more Saratoga happenings!
One of the things I love about Saratoga? You can go from a glamorous, trackside fashion show to a country-loving backyard barbecue (complete with three miniature horses!) in just two days’ time. If you couldn’t guess, that’s exactly what SLAH photographer Zach Skowronek and I did this week.
While Sunday’s Tribute to Transforming Lives fashion show was at the track, allowing for attendees to step outside to watch the afternoon’s races, Tuesday’s BBQ at the Barn event was a fundraiser for those horses—well, more accurately, for their future.
Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) is a Saratoga-based nonprofit that saves Thoroughbred horses that are no longer able to compete on the racetrack from possible neglect, abuse or slaughter. While some of the saved horses are adopted out to loving homes, others go to TRF’s Second Chances, a vocational program in which inmates in eight states care for them. The annual BBQ at the Barn is one of the organization’s largest annual events; this year it celebrated its 40th anniversary by welcoming hundreds of horse-lovers to Saratoga Winery on a gorgeous evening that raised more than $50,000 for the cause.
“Tonight,” TRF Director of Donor Engagement Kim Weir said to the crowd, “I want to say first and foremost thank you to you each of you for taking the time in your busy Saratoga summer to come celebrate the horses that bring us all together.”
In attendance? Retired jockey Ramón Domínguez, who stated the obvious when he said that Kim talks fast, before adding that she also speaks fast in Spanish—something I didn’t know about the member of our Saratoga 25. When I caught up with Ramón later, I asked him what he thought about skijoring, a winter sport in which skiers are pulled by a horse. “That doesn’t seem safe for some reason,” he said. (Riding on a horse though—no problem.)
We also ran into NYRA Analyst Maggie Wolfendale Morley, who told me she’s a big fan of track shoeshiner Bobby Wilson; photographer Cathy Duffy, who said what we were all thinking: “I wish the weather was like this all year long”; Impressions owners Mare Barker and Maddy Zanetti, with mascot Upset in tow; former MLB pitcher Chris Carpenter, who was signing copies of his children’s book The Long Shot, illustrated by local artist Dave Papa; friends Matt Snyder of Snyder’s Brooms and Tony LaVallo of Blinkers On, a horse racing–centric clothing brand that launched last month; and Congressman Paul Tonko, who spearheaded the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020 that implemented a uniform anti-doping and medication control program to promote the safety of Thoroughbreds.
“This organization has been active since 1983,” the congressman said. “They’re the oldest serving organization to care for our equine athletes. This is a powerful moment of celebration that is raising a lot of money and attention and awareness, but it’s also a great way to recognize 40 years of legacy of caring for our great Thoroughbred friends.”
—Natalie
More photos from BBQ at the Barn by Zach Skowronek:
Quote of the Week
“I spent the majority of my life trying to become a celebrity but I’m happy it didn’t work out.”
—Zac Denham
Cutting Class
Saratoga’s Tru Cutz Barbershop is now raising money for its “Go Back Tru School” event, which will provide free haircuts, free backpacks and free school supplies to area students in need on September 4 and 5. (The barbershop is even teaming up with neighbor The Little Market at Five Points to fill the backpacks with free lunches.) Just $10 is enough to buy and fill one backpack with school supplies—you can donate on the shop’s GoFundMe page.
Beauty & Bare
On Tuesday, Complexions Spa for Beauty & Wellness teamed up with BARE Blends for the launch of Dubois Beauty & Wellness, a new line from Denise Dubois, the owner of the Saratoga (and Albany) spa. Health took center stage: Dubois Beauty’s focus is on helping customers achieve their best skin health, while BARE Blends has become known throughout the Capital Region and beyond for its healthy yet delicious smoothies, juices, salads and more. Guests (who all wore green and white for the ultimate garden party aesthetic) had the chance to sample two new BARE smoothies made with ingredients promoting skin health, and voted on the one they liked best. The winning recipe will become available at all BARE locations come October.
Sign Us Up
Yesterday was a tough day of racing, but the Travers Stakes brought a stunning rainbow over the track—and an amazing win for jockey Javier Castellano aboard rockstar Arcangelo, and the only female trainer in the field, Jena Antonuci. If you were there in person, hopefully you caught Hall of Famer Ángel Cordero, Jr., who signed autographs at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s satellite location (the former Saratoga Walk of Fame space near the Fourstardave Sports Bar). Headed there today? You’ve got a few minutes to catch the aforementioned Ramón Domínguez at the same spot, from noon to 1pm. Artist Greg Montgomery even produced exclusive, limited-edition poster prints of Cordero and Domínguez for the signings; each signed poster is $20, and each additional autograph is also $20.
From the Mag