Brien Bouyea, Author at Saratoga Living

Brien Bouyea

Who Was the Real Abner Doubleday?
The Ballston Spa native may not have—as local lore keeps repeating—invented baseball, but he did lead a remarkable life.

Cooperstown is home to only 1,730 people, but more than 300,000 journey to the tiny…

Horse for the Course: An Amazing Discovery
This Hall of Famer remains the only horse to have won three consecutive editions of the Whitney.

The year was 1933, and Discovery—a golden chestnut bred by Walter Salmon, Sr. of Mereworth…

Horse for the Course: Black Maria, Winner of the Kentucky Oaks and Whitney Stakes
The Saratoga standout had a slow start to her career, but quickly made history.

Black Maria didn’t exactly set the racing world on fire when she made her career…

Horse for the Course: Ruthless, Winner of the 1867 Belmont and Travers Stakes
This Hall of Fame filly truly lived up to her name.

In every issue of 2022, we’ll be featuring a different “horse for the course,” a…

When Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey Brought Boxing to Saratoga
The celebrity boxer trained at the White Sulphur Springs Hotel in the 1920s.

One hundred years ago, America’s sports scene was going through something of a golden era.…

Trainer Brad Cox Is Giving the Hall of Famers a Run for Their Money
Following a historic run at Saratoga and win in the Breeders' Cup Classic, Cox is in good position to nab his second-straight Eclipse Award.

Brad Cox, the reigning Eclipse Award winner for Outstanding Trainer, put on quite a show…

The Great Before: Saratoga’s Horse Racing Roots Actually Go Back a Lot Further Than 1863
Saratoga's pre-1863 racing history included everything from flouting the law to women in dresses (gasp!) climbing up fences to see better.

By now, most Saratogians know the story well: In the summer of 1863, a bare-knuckle…

Female Jockey Ferrin Peterson Makes Saratoga Debut, Lands a Second-Place Finish
Peterson, whose agent is Hall of Famer Julie Krone, came in second place aboard Silver Fist on August 20.

Ferrin Peterson has a much different story than most jockeys. Instead of riding in races…

Happy Returns: Saratoga Race Course Is Ready for Its Big FOMO-Packed Comeback
After a spectator-less 2020 summer meet, here's what permanent changes you can expect at the track.

Spending a summer day at Saratoga Race Course is an experience many, myself included, believe…

Groundbreaking Jockey Kendrick Carmouche Has His Eye on a Stellar Saratoga Season
Carmouche made headlines back in May as one of the few Black jockeys to compete in the Kentucky Derby in recent years.

Unlike most of his peers, a teenaged Kendrick Carmouche already knew exactly what he wanted to…