Travers at Saratoga shaping up as memorable

There is a lot of talk about how historic it would be in the Travers at Saratoga to have the winners of this year’s three Triple Crown races facing off.

Orb (Kentucky Derby), Oxbow (Preakness) and Palace Malice (Belmont) are on a collision course to meet in the Travers on Aug. 24. The trio will prep in two different stakes: Orb and Palace Malice in the $600,000 Jim Dandy at Saratoga on July 27, and Oxbow in the $1 million Haskell at Monmouth Park on July 28.

The enticement of such a spectacle in the Travers is very good for the sport.

I’ve already been asked if, and when, this has ever happened. The answer is yes, at least once. It was in the 1982 Travers, and I was there. The memories will stick with this racing fan forever.

A crowd of 41,839 was, at the time, the second largest in Spa history. There was barely an open blade of grass available in the backyard picnic area. And seats? Even if you knew New York Gov. Hugh Carey, it wouldn’t have helped.

The 1982 Travers featured Gato del Sol (Derby), Aloma’s Ruler (Preakness) and Conquistador Cielo (Belmont). There were two other long-shot horses in Runaway Groom and Lejoli.

I was on the morning notes team for the New York Racing Association publicity staff and was assigned the two bombers, Runaway Groom and Lejoli.

The thing I remember most was dealing with Runaway Groom trainer John DeMario. He was a nice man, but always disheveled and unshaven. By the third day of race week I figured out why. He was sleeping in his car at night.

I never asked why for fear of embarrassing him. Maybe he wanted to be near his horse 24/7. Or maybe he just didn’t have a place to stay. Regardless, he did a superb job preparing Runaway Groom.

Meanwhile, a few barns away, trainer Woody Stephens was like the King of Siam talking about Conquistador Cielo. He attracted nearly all of the media attention. On the day before the Travers, Conquistador Cielo was syndicated for a then-record $36.4 million.

To make a long story short, Runaway Groom upset the Travers by taking advantage of a speed duel between Conquistador Cielo and Aloma’s Ruler. In fact, many fans mistook the gray blur rallying from last to first to be the other gray in the Travers, Gato del Sol.

After the race, my boss Steve Schwartz asked winning jockey Jeffrey Fell if he would attend a postrace news conference in the press box. He said he would on one condition: if someone could drive his teenage sister and her friend home. Guess who fought the 41,839 people leaving the track that day?

The 1982 Travers was memorable for me on many levels. It defines part of the greatness of the sport, because new memories are being made for us all the time.

Richard Eng’s horse racing column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick.