She, as always, was the epitome of elegance, grace and old-world money. And yet, somehow, she once again, came to be with me.

After an entire year without seeing each other in person, it was a torrid give and take six week affair, though it was destined not to last.

She is gone now, but my heart knows we will be together again same time next summer. Until then, farewell Saratoga.

And apparently the Daily Racing Blog was not alone in having a thing going on with Lady Saratoga.

For the first time in its history, the 40-day summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course generated an all-sources wagering handle of more than $800 million dollars, the New York Racing Association announced.

The 2021 summer meet ended with all-sources handle of $815,508,063, a 15.6 percent increase over the prior record of $705,343,949 set in 2019.

With paid attendance totaling 1,046,478, and excluding 2020 when fans were not permitted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 marked the sixth consecutive season of more than 1 million in paid attendance at Saratoga Race Course.

Average daily attendance during the 40-day meet was 26,162. The average daily handle over the 40-day meet was $20,387,702, which is the first time that average daily handle has eclipsed $20 million. That’s a lotta love!

“Thanks to the energy, enthusiasm and support of the best fans in horse racing, the 2021 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course has been a tremendous success,” said NYRA President and CEO Dave O’Rourke. “This has been a summer reunion like never before. The summer meet at Saratoga is as strong as at any point in its storied history.”

With apologies to Pete Townshend…the Spa is over, it’s all behind me.