Women have played key roles in horse racing since the celebrated sport’s earliest days.

Yet few women – or men for that matter – at any level of the sport created a legacy that can rival the respect and importance of Marylou Whitney.

Whitney, who died July 19, 2019 at age 93, did so much more than simply race in the famed Eton blue and brown silks. 

She became the first woman in 80 years to breed and own a Kentucky Oaks Winner. 

She Won the Belmont and Travers Stakes in the same year.

Stellar as those accomplishments might be, they are just a small part of what she meant to racing at Saratoga and life in the city of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Considered by many The Grand Dame of Saratoga, the philanthropist and socialite was a driving force in the 1960s and 1970s who helped save Saratoga when the racetrack was the weakest of the three tracks run by the New York Racing Association.

She also played a leading role in the rejuvenation that turned Saratoga County into one of the most thriving communities in the nation.

The day after she died in 2019, racing came to a screeching halt because of oppressive heat that slammed the East Coast.  Some kind of sign from above perhaps.

Marylou Whitney was and always will be synonymous with Saratoga.  She may be gone, but her spirit is at the track, and about town every day.

The Daily Racing Blog would be remiss if it didn’t mention that the featured coffee this week at SARATOGA COOL BEANS is The Whitney– As classy as the name implies, this morning blend unites three of the most popular Central and South American beans, which makes for a mellow, yet compelling coffee experience. And just like Marylou, it’s never bitter, always smooth.

The Grade 1 Whitney Handicap is Saturday, August 5th.