The Daily Racing Blog has, for the most part, felt that Labor Day is synonymous with the end of the Saratoga Summer.

So today- Labor Day, was the last day, the last race, the last push as the horses drive down the home stretch.

The last flash of the tote board, and knowing that MTP now stands for Months To Post.

A lump is present in your throat, and a void in your heart as you pass along Union Avenue knowing that while school is back in session, the playground is closed.

Separation anxiety begets the riders-up (and gone) blues as one is left to wonder where the time went since track announcer Frank Mirahmadi first proclaimed, They’re off at Saratoga! back on July 10th.

But in order for anything to be special, it has to have an end – a very definitive end. You have a date, you have a time frame- after that, you wait until next year.

Jimmy Buffett has a song titled; I Wish Lunch Could Last Forever. So with a bit of creative license and apologies to Jimmy- the final verse:

I wish the Spa could last forever. Make the whole day a first time love affair. We’ll begin with a kiss, such a warm place to start. Let me into your life, let me into your heart. Mea culpa mea culpa Saratoga’s in the air.

Yes, the Breeders’ Cup is just around the corner, Kentucky Derby prep races begin in Autumn, but still, the next 44 weeks (until opening day) will feel oh-so long, but bear in mind that years can sometimes feel short.

Another musical allegory seems appropriate here along with apologies to Roger, Pete and the rest of the boys; The Spa is over it’s all behind me.

So, buck up Saratoga race fans, The Spa will be open again in a lot of long days, and a very short year.