Speaker Identification

Speaker 1 – Host. The speaker introduces the program, conducts the interview, refers to his children Keith and Grace, and is addressed as Mark during the conversation. The transcript does not establish his surname clearly enough to include it without outside verification.

Speaker 2 – Guest, Anthony “Big A” Stabile. The guest is introduced by the nickname “Big A” and is repeatedly addressed as Anthony. The surname is reconstructed from a garbled introduction and should be confirmed against the original recording or production notes.

Speaker 3 – Prerecorded Theme Vocalist. This voice performs the opening Hollywood and Horsepower theme lyrics before the host begins the episode.

Speaker 3 – Prerecorded Theme Vocalist:
I’ve been down roads from Churchill to L.A., met kings of speed and stars along the way. They’ve got stories that the cameras never show. Yeah, the truth behind the fame is what we know.

From the saddle to the silver screen, fast lanes and punch lines on a late-night show. You think you’ve seen it all, but you don’t know the half until the curtain lifts and we all have a laugh.

It’s not just who they are; it’s how they came to be. A little horsepower, a little mystery. Hollywood and Horsepower, baby, take a ride, where the legends laugh and the engines never hide.

From the track to the spotlight, stories unwind. Gathered truths, a little wild and one of a kind. Hollywood and Horsepower, where the real ones show every twist and turn in a tale you didn’t know. So pour a drink, sit back, and enjoy the show, where the fast and famous let it all go.

Speaker 1 – Host:
Welcome to Hollywood and Horsepower, the show about the story behind the story. I’m your host, Mark. We’re brought to you today by Tony’s Steak and Seafood in Lexington, Kentucky; Bowling Green, Kentucky; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Indianapolis. Tony always says there’s room at his table for one more. I always say dining at Tony’s is an experience, not just dinner. You owe it to yourself to go. It is one of the best steakhouses I have ever been to.

The guest joining us today is like family. He is not new to this show, and he is another guy who can tell you about great races and great restaurants. Welcome, Anthony “Big A” Stabile. Anthony, welcome to the show. I really appreciate you doing this. It is great to visit with you, as always.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
Yes, it is always great talking to you. You are like family.

Speaker 1 – Host:
Same here. It is always fun hanging out with another Italian.

I wanted to catch up with you because we are coming into August, and for people in horse racing, August makes us think of Saratoga, New York. I always call it summer camp for adults. I wanted to hear some stories and have you talk about the places you enjoy going, your favorite spots, why you love them, and some of your great memories up there.

When I think of you, there are two places that come to mind: Belmont and Saratoga. I know the old Aqueduct would probably rank above Saratoga for you, but there is something about Saratoga that seems synonymous with you.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
The Big A would have been above both, to be honest with you. It was my favorite place on Earth. June 28 was the final day of live racing there. Belmont will open September 18.

As for Saratoga, this is one of the longest meets in its history: 46 days. They kicked off the action all the way back on July 3, so they are a month into it and still have more than half the meet left. Labor Day is as late as it can be this year, September 7, and that Monday is the traditional closing day.

It is amazing. When I was a kid, and I do not think many people know this, the New York Racing Association was getting ready to abandon Saratoga in the mid-1970s. Mary Lou Whitney not only saved the racing; she saved the town.

Speaker 1 – Host:
Oh, wow.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
Saratoga went from being a bit of an afterthought to being listed, in either 2022 or 2023, as one of the ten biggest little towns in America. It is a beautiful town, and through the years they have added so much to it.

My first trip was in 1988, but I do not remember it well. It was a hurried trip. My mother had just come out of gallbladder surgery, and my father had to go up there for work.

The following year, I was stuck pumping water out of our basement at 12 years old. We lived in my grandparents’ basement, and we missed the Belmont Stakes that year. I remember going through the old OTB, about a mile and a half from my house, and my father telling me, “Do not worry. I will take you to Saratoga for the Travers. It is Easy Goer.” I held him to it.

We got up there when the meet was only four weeks long. The New York Racing Association used to promote Saratoga as “the August place to be.” That was it. Labor Day racing used to be downstate, and the Jerome Stakes used to be downstate. Now the Jerome is part of the Kentucky Derby points series and is run in the winter, but back then Saratoga was a four-week meet. The Travers was in the third week, which was the next-to-last week.

We arrived on the Friday before the Travers. Back then, there was a little chicken shack. Today, everything is commercialized and sponsored. There is a Shake Shack, hospitality areas, and all kinds of food. Back then, you had fried chicken, local hot dogs, pizza, burgers, and maybe a corn dog because you were upstate. It certainly was not like it is now.

That little shack in the backyard had the greatest fried chicken. My father and I each had a piece. When I went to throw out the bones, I looked down and saw a ticket lying on top of the garbage. It read, “$200 win and place, number 1, race 7.” Remember, this was 1989, long before the kind of mobile or account wagering people use today.

We were coming up to race eight. I checked the ticket: race seven, the correct date. I looked up at the tote board, and the result was 3, 1A. New York used coupled entries, so my assumption was that whoever threw away the ticket did not realize that the 1 and 1A were coupled.

I took the ticket out of the garbage and walked it over to my father. He put it into a betting machine, and sure enough, a $520 voucher came popping out.

Speaker 1 – Host:
Wow.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
That is my first real Saratoga memory. I had been there the year before for one race day, but the memory I carry is eating that fried chicken and finding that ticket.

We were supposed to stay for three days. My father won $17,000 between Friday and Saturday, including a daily double and a strong day on Saturday. We went to the mall, bought clothes, and stayed for the rest of the meet. We stayed 11 days. When we got into the car on Tuesday morning to go home, it was like driving through a ghost town.

Speaker 1 – Host:
I have experienced that myself. As you know, I came into racing from the outside. My first exposure to Saratoga was around 2013 or 2014. I went up there with Michael and some old friends, and I remember being there near the end of the meet.

We had meetings, and I stayed for something at the Hall of Fame. I left town on the Monday or Tuesday afterward. The difference between Friday and Saturday and that Monday was light-years apart. The town had simply emptied out.

I was more of a Del Mar guy. I went to Del Mar and Gulfstream in Florida. The first time I went to Saratoga, what caught me, and what still impresses me, was the tradition and the pilgrimage people make to get there.

I love hearing people’s stories. One of these days, we are going to do an episode from the backyard picnic tables. People talk about first coming there with a grandfather, father, or uncle, and then returning during the same week or for the same set of races every year for 30 or 40 years.

I once met two brothers from Maryland who not only came during the same week every year, but camped in their car so they could try to get the same picnic table. They brought the same kind of bologna sandwiches made with bologna from the same deli. Their father had started the tradition with them. I think it is so cool that there are so many traditions like that.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
That is what the place creates. We will get to the food in a little bit, but look at where Saratoga is situated. You get people coming down from Canada. It is about four hours away. It is about three hours from Boston, three hours from western New York, and three hours from New York City. It is far enough to feel like a vacation but close enough that you do not have to spend an arm and a leg getting there.

It is expensive once you are there, but if you know the tricks, you can stay in Clifton Park or Malta. You can go north and stay in Glens Falls or Lake George, which already have plenty to do. You can stay in Albany and drive about half an hour each day.

Speaker 1 – Host:
I stayed north of Albany, near the mall, and drove about 20 minutes. It was not bad.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
Exactly. Wolf Road has about 15 hotels. Clifton Park has about 15 hotels.

The family traditions are what matter. I did an interview four years ago, during my last year with NYRA, when we had three racetracks functioning. Aqueduct was for the winter warriors. We spent seven months at Aqueduct. You put on your gloves, winter hat, and parka, grab your lunch pail, come to the track, smoke your cigar in the cold, and see your breath before you see the smoke. Then the Wood Memorial comes, you have your Derby prep, and everybody is happy.

Then you went to the old Belmont Park. I tell people all the time that although Manhattan and the five boroughs have many museums, there was no better museum of racing history than the old Belmont Park. It was a museum unto itself.

Then you had Saratoga, and Saratoga was tradition and family. It was a limited-time meeting place for people. I knew a man whose family met another family from Boston there when he was a child. The two families met at Saratoga for 29 consecutive years.

If you walk between what is now the racing office and the tote board, with the racetrack on your right and the executive offices on your left, you see a large grassy area. From 2017 through 2022, except for the COVID year, I walked through there regularly on my way to Talking Horses.

There was a man named Red who hated winter. He and his wife spent part of the year in Brazil, where the seasons were opposite, and came back here for spring and summer. They lived in a Winnebago or another type of RV and parked about a mile from Saratoga. Every day, Red would be in his spot. They did that for 25 or 30 years.

You see a lot of that at Saratoga. There is the running of the bulls for the picnic tables. I used to work the breakfast program, and at seven in the morning people would already have been lined up since four, waiting to get the first tables.

Speaker 1 – Host:
Because they wanted the exact same table they had every year.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
Correct. Some of them sat in the backyard and never watched a race from the front of the track. It was not about getting a table. It was about getting their table.

Speaker 1 – Host:
That is right. You would hear people say, “This is my table.” Technically, no, it is not their table, but in a way, it is. More often than not, they would win the argument. Somebody else would simply go to the next table.

That is a big part of it. You nailed it when you said tradition and family. I noticed that even their food followed tradition. They made the same things because those were the things they always made when they went there. You would see the coolers come out, and that was part of the ritual.

The same thing happened around the paddock, on the jockey walk, in the grandstand, and along the rail. I knew people who always made the lobster-roll stand their first stop and then watched races from the same point on the rail. It is interesting how much it matters to people to do what they have always done.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
You came around a little later than I did, so I remember some of the deeply rooted traditions. One was going to Marino’s. Marino’s is just off Circular Street. If you are in Saratoga, you have to get a sandwich from Marino’s. They are closed Sundays and Mondays, even though there is racing on Sunday.

They make hot and cold subs. When I tell you that you and I could split a large, understand that I do not split anything with anyone. Get the Italian, get the chicken Parmesan, or get both and divide them among a few friends. They will cut a large into five or six pieces. A family of four can eat from one large sandwich.

It is my favorite sandwich up there. When I worked the meet, I had to move my life there for two months. I came home every other weekend, and by “weekend” I mean Monday and Tuesday because we did not have normal weekends. I would finish my duties Sunday afternoon, drive home, spend a day and a half with my mother and a day and a half with Nicole, and then go back.

I was living in a house or apartment and liked making my own sandwiches, but during one 12-day stretch, when I returned and knew I would not be home again for two weeks, I had Marino’s three days in a row for lunch. I brought a sandwich with me to the track. On Tuesday, the dark day, I got my work done for the week with half a chicken Parmesan sandwich for lunch and the other half for dinner.

If you are going to the track, staying in a hotel, and do not want to be bothered cooking because you have done enough parenting and want to relax, go to Marino’s. Get an Italian combination or a chicken Parmesan hero. I guarantee it will be one of the five best sandwiches you have ever had.

Speaker 1 – Host:
That is amazing. There are so many cool places like that, and the history runs deep. It is not just the traditions of the track but the traditions around it.

Saratoga has the springs and the history of people traveling there because they believed the water had healing properties. There is so much surrounding Saratoga. For horse racing, it is also near an important farm region, with many farms in the Hudson Valley.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
We also won a couple of important battles in a little thing called the American Revolution.

Speaker 1 – Host:
Absolutely.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
If you are a history buff, it is a great place to be. On an off day, you can drive to Boston. You can visit the Saratoga Battlefield. Fort Ticonderoga is about an hour and a half north, right on Lake Champlain. I went there twice, once as a child and again when I was older.

If American history is not your thing, you are about a 90-minute ride from the Baseball Hall of Fame. Across the street from the track is the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. You can go to Old Friends at Cabin Creek and see some of the old warriors who are still alive and being cared for wonderfully by Joanne Pepper and the volunteers. A NYRA media strategist whose name sounds like Mary Eddy is also a major volunteer there and found her love of racing through Old Friends at Cabin Creek.

The whole area is incredible. If you are a gambler like me and need a casino, the harness track has machines. You can take a 25-minute drive to Schenectady and go to Rivers Casino. That is where I stay now.

Speaker 1 – Host:
That is another good idea. There are some great restaurants around there, too.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
There is an Italian place not far from the casino called Ferrari’s. It is a must if you are in the area. Ferrari’s may be the best Italian meal you can get once you are on the Northway north of the Thruway.

There is so much to do. One of my best friends, my former cameraman at NYRA, is throwing a bachelor party for one of his oldest friends up there. They are not even going to the track. They are spending a day on Saratoga Lake, going into town at night, having dinner, and doing whatever else they decide to do. Even if you do not want to spend all your time at the track, you can keep busy for weeks.

Speaker 1 – Host:
Absolutely. There are lakes and resort-type attractions all around the area.

For people just joining us, we are talking with Anthony “Big A” Stabile about Saratoga Springs, New York. It is a summer destination not only for New Yorkers and East Coast residents, but also for horse-racing fans from across the country.

One thing I tell people from other parts of the country is to pay attention to the history. That struck me quickly when I first started visiting Boston, New York City, and especially upstate New York. You can walk into small shops in places such as Ballston Spa, just south of Saratoga, and find antique stores that feel almost like museums.

You do not even have to buy anything. Just looking at the merchandise can be mind-blowing. You see old Saratoga posters and objects dating back to the Civil War. The history is everywhere once you start looking.

Even if you are not deeply interested in American history, most people have some curiosity about it. The area is amazing. You have the racetrack, the harness track, the casino, the lakes, and all kinds of small towns. It feels like an oasis because you are driving through a fairly rural area, and suddenly Saratoga appears with so much to do.

When you go, what is your favorite breakfast place?

Speaker 2 – Guest:
Compton’s, but Compton’s will be closing very soon, for good. The building was sold a few years ago, and they tried to hold on. It is the greasy spoon of all greasy spoons. If you go in, ask for Leslie and tell her Big A sent you. You will get great treatment anyway, but maybe she will give you extra bacon.

They deep-fry their bacon, Mark. It is sensational. Before COVID, Compton’s used to open at three in the morning. If you asked me to name ten places where I had the most fun in my entire life, Compton’s would be on that list.

You would finish a night of debauchery and go into Compton’s. Leslie has my permission to tell any Big A story she wants, but we have to keep those stories off the air.

The food is classic greasy-spoon food. Do not go in thinking you are ordering caviar with your eggs, a tomahawk steak, or an egg-white omelet. If you order an egg-white omelet, they may throw you out of the building.

Get a cheddar-and-broccoli omelet, French fries instead of home fries, extra rye toast, and a double order of bacon. They deep-fry the bacon. I also get a Diet Pepsi, although at that point I am probably going to die anyway. Get coffee if you want it; the women behind the counter keep the pot going.

If you want to step it up a little, Country Corner Cafe is right around the corner. They put complimentary jams and jellies on the table. If you order an omelet or breakfast platter, you get toast, and those jams are out of this world.

A lot of it is farm-to-table because there are so many good farms and farm stands nearby. Country Corner Cafe buys fruit from farms and makes jams, marmalades, and jellies. It is sensational.

Those are my two places. Other people like Max London’s or Sweet Mimi’s, but those are a little too hoity-toity for me. I like greasy food.

Speaker 1 – Host:
You cannot leave out the track kitchen.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
You cannot leave out the track kitchen, but I am a Compton’s guy through and through. They are only open until about three in the afternoon, so they serve breakfast and lunch. They make a mean grilled cheese with bacon, and the pancakes are out of this world.

Depending on the time of day and whether I was trying to lose weight, I would order an omelet with fries. If I was not trying to lose weight, I would add bacon and two pancakes. The drunken order included the pancakes. The ordinary breakfast order did not.

Speaker 1 – Host:
The drunken order needed pancakes. You needed the extra support.

What was the Italian restaurant where we sat on the back patio with the whole crew from your program?

Speaker 2 – Guest:
I do not go there anymore. When I want Italian food in that area now, I have a few places.

I already mentioned Ferrari’s in Schenectady. In Saratoga, there is Mamma Mia’s, very close to Marino’s. You go to Mamma Mia’s for a good, old-fashioned, meat-on-the-bone Italian dinner. Again, do not go in looking for a tomahawk steak or branzino.

They make the best braciole I have had in a restaurant. When they serve it with the meatball and rib, they give you the whole thing: the meatball, rib, sausage, and braciole over rigatoni. Ask for the “big rigs.” The chicken Francese is excellent, too. I took Rachel McLaughlin there, and she raved about the place and told everybody when she went back home.

Mamma Mia’s is fantastic. The new hot spot, which I have not visited yet but am willing to put my name behind because of reviews from people I trust, is called Noah’s. The chef used to cook at Siro’s, and I hear the food at Noah’s is outrageous.

There is also Caputo’s, just north of Saratoga’s main Northway exit. Saratoga is exit 14, and Caputo’s is near exit 15. I like the chicken rollatini with risotto, chicken Marsala, and shrimp Francese. They also have great pizza. I believe Dave Portnoy gave the pizza an 8.2.

Speaker 1 – Host:
Is Siro’s still there?

Speaker 2 – Guest:
Siro’s is still there. My time at Siro’s is very fuzzy. I have never eaten there, but I have done a lot of drinking there. My memories of Siro’s are blurred, in and out.

Speaker 1 – Host:
What would you say is the oldest place?

Speaker 2 – Guest:
I think it is The Olde Bryan Inn. It has great French onion soup and a great grilled cheese with bacon. That is what I order: French onion soup and grilled cheese with bacon.

It is more of a lunch spot for me. You may be thinking, “This guy is full of it. He is not eating only that for dinner.” No, that is a lunch meal. The Olde Bryan Inn gets packed and feels like a local place. You may find racing people such as Tom Durkin and his crew hanging out there, especially in the off-season or on dark days.

The steakhouse at Saratoga National Golf Club is now called The Heritage. That is where I spent Kentucky Derby 152. I hosted a party for roughly 1,500 people. The food is excellent. If you want a nice sit-down meal, you can sit near the golf course and use the outdoor patio seating.

We held several parties there during the 2020 COVID season and had a really good time. The team that used to operate Prime is now running The Heritage. If you have been to Saratoga before and are looking for Prime, it is now called The Heritage. The steaks are great.

There is also Morton’s at the casino near the harness track.

Speaker 1 – Host:
Some places such as Morton’s are dependable staples. Still, whenever you travel, I encourage you to visit places you cannot find everywhere else. Try a local restaurant, even an upscale local place or a small regional group with four or five locations.

Tony’s, the sponsor of this show, is a good example in Lexington. There are phenomenal restaurants in Lexington, Kentucky, but Tony’s is in a class by itself.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
I never had the chance to go. We passed through that way once and spent some time there, but I did not make it to Tony’s.

I agree with you. It blows my mind that one of the most successful Olive Gardens is in Midtown Manhattan. What are you doing? When you are in Brooklyn or Queens and see a person walking around with a Subway sandwich, you want to slap it out of his hands.

I had this argument in a doctor’s office. People were debating whether Jersey Mike’s or Subway was better. Somebody asked me, and I used a few expletives. I said, “Are you crazy? I live in Howard Beach. I have five Italian delis within two miles of my house. Why would I go to either of those places?”

When you are in Saratoga, some places will overcharge during the meet. What I love about Mamma Mia’s is that whether you go tomorrow or three days before Christmas, you get the same service, excellent food, and fair price.

Places advertised as “wallet friendly” can cost just as much as a local restaurant now. Try buying a so-called value meal from a fast-food place, and then order a burger at your local watering hole. You may pay only two dollars more at the local place, and in some towns the price is the same.

Speaker 1 – Host:
Sometimes it is exactly the same. You cannot even go to McDonald’s cheaply anymore.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
Exactly. I have been dealing with some health issues, although I am much better now than I was earlier this year. One man at the center told me he bought a bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel and a sausage, egg, and cheese on a bagel, and the total was $12.38.

You asked about my best Saratoga memories. The funny thing is that when I was a kid, some of my best Saratoga memories happened at Aqueduct. We called it “Aquatoga.” Aqueduct opened during the Saratoga meet and simulcast the races from Saratoga, so if you were stuck downstate, you could go to an OTB or go to Aqueduct.

The best part of Aqueduct in the 1980s and 1990s was the backyard. Everybody talks about Belmont’s backyard, but nobody talks about Aqueduct’s backyard. Aqueduct raced mostly in the fall, winter, and spring, so the yard was underused during the regular season. When Saratoga came around, people filled it.

My high school was about three-eighths of a mile from the back of Aqueduct, so I spent a lot of time there. When I first started driving, my job was to go around the back, park, and get the tables. Once I was able to get in a little earlier, and yes, that gave me an edge in securing the tables.

The statute of limitations has expired, boys and girls. I admit that I used my friendships, and eventually my small amount of horse-racing fame, to get the tables early for my mother.

I remember going to the bodega. For people who do not know, a bodega is a neighborhood deli in Brooklyn, Queens, or the Bronx. I would get a bacon-and-cheese sandwich, an Arizona iced tea, and a four-pack of Drake’s chocolate-chip cookies for $3.75. That would probably cost $20 now.

When you travel to an expensive place such as Saratoga, a restaurant like Mamma Mia’s is the ultimate find. The food is exceptionally good, and it is more affordable than many other places in the area.

Speaker 1 – Host:
I agree. If you take a little time and look around, there are places to find. Do you like Hattie’s?

Speaker 2 – Guest:
It is funny. My main man Andy Berg, who runs what sounds like Gumpster Stables, was the reason for my Saratoga trip last year. His best horse was running, and I also went to see my friend Frank, one of the best track announcers in the country.

On Friday night, Frank, his brother, his friend, and I went to Hattie’s for dinner. I was extremely underwhelmed.

Speaker 1 – Host:
Oh, wow.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
I hate to say that because I have always been a Hattie’s loyalist, but I have to be honest.

Speaker 1 – Host:
People looking for history may lean toward The Olde Bryan Inn and places like that.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
Yes. Old places eventually reach an ending. That is how it works.

Speaker 1 – Host:
While we are talking about the track, everybody has a favorite food. What is your go-to item at Saratoga?

Speaker 2 – Guest:
I go to the macaroni-and-cheese truck. That is one of the most definitive answers I can give you. It is one of the most indulgent things I do. I get the barbecue brisket on top and add bacon, so it is macaroni and cheese with barbecue brisket and bacon.

If I am still hungry, or if I know in advance that I am hungry enough, I go upstairs to the deli and get an old-school Jewish deli hot dog with onions, sauerkraut, and a little mustard.

Speaker 1 – Host:
My favorites are the lobster roll under the grandstand and the Jewish hot dog.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
I love the roll. I do not know whether The Heritage still makes the lobster roll the way Prime did. Prime made a seafood roll with shrimp, crab, and lobster. They served it with some of the greatest onion rings in the world.

It cost about $25 and came with what felt like a pound of seafood salad on a giant roll with bib lettuce. It was the best seafood or lobster roll I have ever had. I have eaten up and down the East Coast, throughout New England, Boston, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. I have gone to the places people tell you to visit, and the roll at Prime was out of this world.

I do not know whether The Heritage still has it. When I was there for the Derby, we had a party atmosphere and a buffet. I was also very busy. We were close to 2,000 people, so I was not focused on ordering from the regular menu.

Speaker 1 – Host:
That lobster roll became one of my traditions, even though I have been going to Saratoga for a shorter time. I started taking my children with me. Keith and Grace often tagged along when I was working there, and we built a lot of memories.

The lobster roll was one of Michael’s favorites. The first thing he did when he got to the track was buy one, and that is what got me hooked.

I have another story involving my kids. Keith and Grace grew up traveling with me. I got divorced years ago and had the kids every other week during the summer. They had to go wherever I was working. When I went to Saratoga, I tried to turn the work trip into a fun family trip.

I would pick them up in Michigan and drive through Ohio. We stopped at a Margaritaville in Sandusky that people called the original, although I do not think it was. From there, we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, stopped at Niagara Falls and Finger Lakes, and then headed into Saratoga.

When we left, especially when they were younger, I would point to a section of the map and tell them to choose a town. We would drive through Connecticut, make our way to the coast, travel down the coast, and eventually go into New York City. It became a yearly tradition. We zigzagged through little towns, stopped, wandered around, and made great memories.

To this day, some of my best memories with my children are from the trips to and from Saratoga and New York City.

Grace and I crossed paths with you once, and we went to King Umberto. What people may not realize is that Grace has literally been my wingman on trips. She has my personality to a tee.

We picked famous places to visit. We went to Katz’s Delicatessen, got Nathan’s hot dogs, went to Howard Beach for Italian food, crossed over to Long Island, and wandered around. We had a lot of fun.

I remember driving around one place and having all kinds of trouble finding parking. We left the rental car somewhere that may or may not have been a legal parking spot, but we managed to get in and out without being towed.

Those are the things that make memories: the trips, the restaurants, the food, and the people. To me, Saratoga is synonymous with all of that.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
For me, it is finding that ticket. It is my father probably saying, “Do not tell your mother.” It is betting part of the ticket and winning another $4,000 in the last race because you hit a trifecta.

It is going to Compton’s at 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning with some of your best friends, knowing you have to be back at the track later that day. You may or may not be with one of your bosses, who also happens to be one of your best friends.

Up through 2018, we raced six days a week at Saratoga. Most of my Compton’s stories happened on Monday night into Tuesday morning because Tuesday was the only day to truly let loose. On Monday night, you could say, “I can sleep until three o’clock Tuesday afternoon.” I did exactly that.

I called those nights something that sounds like “Possession Mondays” on social media.

Compton’s has about 12 old-school booths with fixed seats. I had to squeeze my stomach into the booth, so nobody was sitting next to me on my side. If there were six, seven, or eight of us, we needed two or three booths.

One Monday, I hit a big Take 5 that paid about $11,000. There were eight of us, and we needed to share a booth with a couple who were finishing their night. I said, “I will buy your breakfast or whatever you are having, but we need the other half of this booth.” You become friends with people that way. You make memories.

I am a very sentimental person, as you know. I have a hard time saying goodbye. The day Aqueduct closed, I was an emotional mess. I am going to visit Compton’s before it closes, see Leslie, Lisa, Laura, and all the other women there, and cry like a baby while stuffing my face with deep-fried bacon. I have so many memories in that place that I have to say goodbye to it.

Speaker 1 – Host:
Do you think it will reopen somewhere else?

Speaker 2 – Guest:
I do not think so. Even if it did, it would not be the same. That is the most important point.

These mom-and-pop places are disappearing. I do not want to go too far down that road because we are having a good time, but the world we live in is not very friendly to greasy spoons and old neighborhood establishments.

One of my favorite fast-food places is Sonic because people still come out on roller skates. They still have shakes and give you that little peppermint. There is nostalgia to it. The food is not great, but the drinks are. What can they really do to a chicken finger or grilled-cheese sandwich? They actually make a good breakfast burrito.

I also remember Johnny Rockets, another place built around 1950s and 1960s music. Many of those locations have closed.

When I traveled to Stowe, Vermont, for 14 years, people recommended all the well-known places. They said, “Go to the Trapp Family Lodge. Eat at the brewery. Go to Chandler’s across from where you are staying.”

On the first day of one trip, after a six-hour drive, I was starving. We found a little hole-in-the-wall diner. Elvis was playing on the jukebox, and they made Coca-Cola with seltzer and syrup. Those are the places I want to visit.

There are spots like that in and around Saratoga and throughout the country.

Speaker 1 – Host:
That is what I am saying. This time of year, horse-racing fans make their pilgrimage to Saratoga. You can still find those places, but we do not have enough of them anymore.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
We do not have enough of them. I am not gatekeeping anything, but half the fun is finding the places yourself.

My former partner did more research than NASA when it came to finding places for our trips. I do not fly, so for 14 years, on and off, she had to drive everywhere with me.

I also have a knack for finding hidden places. I call myself the best wheelman east of the Mississippi, although I may be the best wheelman in the country if we are being honest. I can sniff out a great dive diner or find a poker game. It is ingrained in my DNA.

That is half the fun: going out and finding the place. I do not remember the name of one diner, which is part of the problem because my memory is not what it used to be. I was heading toward Cooperstown with one of my best friends and another guy. We found a hole-in-the-wall place on the side of the road.

It reminded me of Million Dollar Baby, when Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank’s characters find the place with the great lemon-meringue pie. I ordered a double-burger platter for about $11.95, and it was one of the best burgers I have ever eaten. Ben E. King was playing on the jukebox. I love finding places like that.

They can take you back to another time.

Speaker 1 – Host:
I am the same way. When I travel with my kids, New England and upstate New York are among my favorite places to explore.

I remember one trip when we were coming back on a Saturday night and had not eaten dinner. We may still have been in New York, or perhaps Pennsylvania. I got off the highway and started taking state roads through small towns. We came across an old, colonial-looking supper club.

There are not many true supper clubs left. This one had a live orchestra, people dressed up, white tablecloths, and pot roast. That was once a common New England experience in small towns, but most of those places are gone.

Walking into it felt like going back in time. It was like having dinner with the Cunninghams on Happy Days.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
We have a place on Long Island called The Milleridge Inn. It has been there since around 1895, or at least for a very long time. It is more commercialized now, but it has a charming shopping village that is open year-round.

At Christmas, it is amazing. There is a Christmas village, Santa is there, and there is a candy shop, bakery, rides, and attractions for children. They charge an arm and a leg now, but I gladly take my mother every year and pay about $40 for pot roast because she loves it.

It is one of the few places where you can still get real pot roast. The carolers begin around the first week of December, near the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, and continue through Little Christmas on January 6.

For a month, you can at least pretend that you are back in more traditional, nostalgic times. It is a great experience. There should be more of that. I should not have to call on AI or virtual reality to recreate it for me.

Speaker 1 – Host:
There are places like that throughout New England.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
They seem more sporadic in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. When you get into the corridor where the Pilgrims landed and where so many Revolutionary War battles occurred, you find hidden gems in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. I have never made it into Maine, but I have been to the other five New England states.

You can find amazing places that transport you back in time. I will be 50 next year. People share those social-media questions asking, “What is the stupidest thing you ever did?” The stupidest thing I ever did was say, as a child, “I cannot wait to be an adult.” What idiots we were. Who needs bills, heartache, jobs, and more bills?

These places take you back. For an hour or an hour and a half, they may charge 2026 prices, but they give you 1994 peace of mind.

Speaker 1 – Host:
That is true. For your mother, the pot roast may be good, but the memories it brings back may be even better. It may remind her of a place she visited with her parents or of something from when you were young.

I love great new places, but there is also something heartwarming about restaurants that remind you of places you visited with your parents or grandparents.

That brings us back to where we started: Saratoga. People go there for racing, for a getaway, and for a vacation, but a large percentage return because they remember going with someone else. They created memories there.

That is what I always tell people: take the time to create memories. It does not matter exactly what you do or where you do it. What matters is who you are with and the memories you make together.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
I know we are getting short on time, but if you walk into the box area at Saratoga, you will see some of the wealthiest people in America. I will point to two of the bigger personalities: Mike Repole and Dave Portnoy.

Between them, they may be worth roughly $2.5 billion to $3 billion. Part of each man’s childhood involved making the trip to Saratoga with family: Repole from Queens and Dave from Massachusetts.

Now Mike Repole is arguably one of the most prolific owners in horse racing and spends tens of millions of dollars a year. Dave has a Barstool agreement with NYRA for merchandise, owns around a dozen horses, and may spend $4 million or $5 million a year buying horses.

It all started with tradition. A broke kid from Massachusetts and a broke kid from Queens became two of the best-known people in the sport. Dave is one of the most recognizable people in the country.

I may break some nonsensical news here: if Dave Portnoy runs for mayor of New York in four years, I think he will win. I believe that may be where things are heading because he has been very critical of Mayor Mamdani, as many people have.

In any event, they started with nothing, and one of the first things they did after becoming successful was get a box at Saratoga and buy horses.

Speaker 1 – Host:
I will go one step further. What I love about Saratoga, and horse racing in general, is that status does not matter in the same way it does elsewhere. You may be sitting next to one of those people or standing behind one of them in line for a hot dog.

Everybody is on the same level in a sense. You never know whom you will see. You look over and think, “I never expected to see him or her here.” It was not unusual to see Mary Lou Whitney walking around, and she was Saratoga royalty.

During those racing days, everybody is there for the same basic reason. People may have different memories and different things that appeal to them, but the driving influence is that they love how the place feels. It brings back memories. Saratoga is deeply nostalgic, especially for people who grew up in New York or New England.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
The stars of horse racing may not shine as brightly in the public imagination as stars from the major team sports, soccer, golf, tennis, or Hollywood, but they are far more accessible.

I am a diehard Knicks fan. I have loved WWE since I was four years old. I have worked around every major sport, including the NFL and NBA, at very high levels and in owners’ boxes. You do not get close to the players, coaches, or teams in those sports.

NASCAR has tried to maintain accessibility, but it is still not as accessible as horse racing. Horse racing has always preserved that connection.

Speaker 1 – Host:
I hope that never goes away. I do not think it will, but when you begin blocking people off and turning accessible areas into inaccessible sections, you take something away from the experience.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
I think it would be almost impossible to eliminate that connection entirely.

Speaker 1 – Host:
I hope so. At Gulfstream Park, the old Belmont, or Saratoga, you can stand at the rail in the morning, watch workouts, and look over to find one of the most famous trainers in history standing next to you.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
Absolutely, and many of them will talk to you.

When I hosted the breakfast program at Saratoga for Old Friends at Cabin Creek, trainers such as Steve Asmussen, Tom Amoss, one name that is unclear in the recording, and Todd Pletcher would come over. I also had a very good relationship with Chad Brown, so he would sometimes make an exception when I needed or wanted him to appear.

They were as accessible as time permitted. When Todd first came around, I used to play pickup basketball with him. These men are grounded, for the most part. They do not act as though they are above everyone else. They understand that they are doing a job.

There is naturally more interaction in racing because people are betting their money. It is not only fandom. You are rooting for your horse, for yourself, and for your wager. Sports gambling is widespread now, but the relationship at a racetrack is still different.

Most of these trainers understand that. You hit the nail on the head: they are accessible and gracious. Often, the bigger they are, the nicer they are.

Speaker 1 – Host:
As you know, I am friends with the Bafferts. In my mind, nobody is better known or kinder than Bob Baffert. Whether you are inside or outside horse racing, you know who he is. He will still stop to talk, sign an autograph, or take a picture.

His wife, Jill, was on the show a few weeks ago and was incredibly gracious with her time.

I remember Bob doing a breakfast program with us once for Old Friends at Cabin Creek. We were presenting awards, and I pulled him aside. I said, “Sir, I really appreciate you taking the time to do this.”

He said something that has always stayed with me: “No, I appreciate it. These people are the reason we are here.”

Speaker 2 – Guest:
Exactly.

Speaker 1 – Host:
I thought it was remarkable that someone at his level still felt that way.

After the breakfast, a few people came up and asked him to sign things. They wanted autographs on photographs and other items. One woman had a large pile. People build collections and may spend years trying to cross paths with someone, so when they finally do, they bring everything.

Instead of getting frustrated, Bob looked at her. She asked, “Could you sign my things?” He said, “I will do it if you give me your autograph.”

She signed a program and gave it to him. He then signed all of her items and returned them. I thought it was so cool that he took the time. I am sure it made her day, and it is something I will never forget.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
One hundred percent.

Speaker 1 – Host:
We need to wrap up, but I have to ask one final question. You have one night in Saratoga. Where are you going for dinner?

Speaker 2 – Guest:
If I am in Saratoga, I am probably going to The Heritage. I can get seafood and other dishes there that I do not necessarily get at home.

Speaker 1 – Host:
What do you like at Lake George? Do you ever eat up there?

Speaker 2 – Guest:
When I go to Lake George, it is usually just for the day. I rarely eat there. My two favorite places closed, so I tend to return to Saratoga for dinner.

I would choose The Heritage. If you want Italian food, I would consider Caputo’s or Mamma Mia’s. I sometimes forget that people visiting Saratoga are not necessarily from New York, so the Italian food they find there may be some of the best they have ever had.

I would probably give Caputo’s the nod because it offers something for almost everyone. If you want a hero, a slice of pizza, a slice with a salad, or a complete sit-down meal, Caputo’s checks more boxes than the other places.

I like the chicken Marsala, chicken rollatini with risotto, and shrimp Francese. I am a risotto snob because I make the best risotto on the planet, and theirs is excellent. Every slice of pizza I have tried there has also been great.

Still, if you give me only one choice, I am going to The Heritage because I am treated like a king and can order things I do not necessarily get at home.

Speaker 1 – Host:
That makes sense. You also made a good point: visitors may not come from New York City and may not have experienced its neighborhood food.

I tell people that they owe it to themselves to visit the city and spend a few days. I describe Queens and New York as a collection of small towns pushed very close together.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
Exactly. It is all neighborhoods. Every neighborhood has its own flavor. For you and me, that flavor is often Italian.

Queens is called the World’s Borough. It is also the only borough where the neighborhood name commonly appears as the city in a mailing address. If I send mail to someone in Brooklyn, I write Brooklyn. If I send mail to someone in Howard Beach, I write Howard Beach, and the postal service knows it is Queens.

I am spoiled. I would not send a visitor into Manhattan right now without a very specific reason.

Speaker 1 – Host:
It is funny that you mention that because I do it without thinking. You are right.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
I might send someone to Madison Square Garden or a hotel, but otherwise I would have them take the railroad to Jamaica, pick them up there, and show them Queens and Brooklyn. I would not send them wandering into the Bronx or Manhattan without a plan.

Speaker 1 – Host:
Queens proves the point. It is one borough, but then you have Howard Beach and many distinct neighborhoods. Brooklyn has places such as Gravesend and its own neighborhood identities. You do not always think of them as separate towns, but that is how they feel.

There are small shops and famous places such as King Umberto, but there are also little hole-in-the-wall restaurants with only a few tables. Every time I visit, I discover a new deli, grocery, or mom-and-pop market that makes sandwiches.

That is something I encourage people to explore. When I lived in Lexington, Kentucky, I found a similar experience in some local markets. You could walk up to a meat counter, point to what you wanted, and they would build the sandwich in front of you, wrap it in paper, and hand it over.

That is what I always loved about New York: walking into a small grocery or deli, standing at the counter, and watching someone make your sandwich. You do not find that everywhere.

Anthony, I cannot thank you enough for joining us. We went a little long, but it was worth it. You are always like family, and I always enjoy spending time with you. We need to get together again soon, either in Saratoga or in your neighborhood.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
Anytime. I really appreciate it.

Speaker 1 – Host:
I cannot thank you enough. Be well and stay healthy. We need you around for many more years.

This has been Hollywood and Horsepower, brought to you today by Tony’s Steak and Seafood. As many restaurants as we discussed, you owe it to yourself to visit Tony’s.

Big A and I will be at one of the Tony’s locations together when he gets back to Kentucky. I promise you that.

Thanks for joining us, Big A. I hope everything goes well, and I hope all your tickets get cashed. We will see everyone again next week.

Speaker 2 – Guest:
Bye.