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As usual, there were plenty of memorable - several of them historic - stories played out during the 2012 racing season. That’s pretty much the rule, certainly not the exception, at America’s oldest, most popular and important track.

The circus, that is NYRA and its annual upstate run, packed up and left town Monday evening. The images, memories and records remain.

Although the attendance was static and the handle figures increased, showing that the business was a success, there was a weird feel to the meet. The firing of NYRA President Charlie Hayward in May for his involvement in a wagering scandal and the state’s subsequent move to take control of NYRA for three years produced a summer of uncertainty, speculation and rumors about the future.

Yes, the show went on. Yes, Saratoga was a fun place to spend one afternoon or many watching and betting on top-level racing. Yes, the major races were run and stars emerged.

Yes, the tone was different as NYRA’s employees waited anxiously to learn whether the state’s takeover would affect their lives and careers. Yes, NYRA’s top management, which does not have a Hayward-type with his combination of knowledge, personality and charisma, kept its collective head down for over six weeks. No, you can’t blame anyone employed by NYRA for being nervous and worrying about what is ahead.

At some point, maybe next week, maybe next month, we will start to see how Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration manages its racing association.

Whoever is in charge at Saratoga next summer ought to make sure that the public address system and all the televisions on the premises are working properly on opening day. It was an embarrassing start to the season.

On a larger scale, the new administration should consider whether NYRA is trying to squeeze too much out of Saratoga. More races - there were 417 this summer, a jump of 20 from last year - was terrific for horsemen because it gave them more opportunities to run and earn purse money. Many observers felt racing overload with 10 races every Monday and Wednesday, 10 or 11 most Thursdays and very busy weekends. We have faced a similar question since the expansion of the season began two decades ago: How much is too much?

Saratoga is long on tradition, yet this season ended Monday without the usual little events in the winner’s circle honoring the leading trainer and top jockey. Maybe H. Allen Jerkens and Angel Cordero, Jr., for whom the Saratoga awards are named, had already headed home. Maybe.

If so, couldn’t someone else - perhaps a past winner - been found to take part in a ceremony honoring leading trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey champ Ramon Dominguez? A photo opportunity at Belmont Park on Saturday isn’t nearly the same as taking care of Saratoga business at Saratoga.

Onward:

- The performance of the season was turned in by Questing when she crushed a good field in the Grade 1 Alabama on August 18. Her time of 2:01.29 was one of the fastest in race history and was more than a second faster than the Travers winners covered the same distance a week later.

- Wise Dan in the Fourstardave, Fort Larned in the Whitney and Shanghai Bobby in the Hopeful were mighty impressive and among the contenders for the outstanding performance, but none could top Questing.

- The best non-winning performance was by It’s Tricky finishing third in the Personal Ensign. She stumbled so badly coming out the gate that her nose hit the ground, but she got up and ran a huge race to be a competitive third.

- It turned out that the race of the meet was the 143rd Travers. With so many of the better 3-year-olds on the sidelines or retired, the Travers attracted what was a below-par field. That collection of horses produced a memorable race with favored Alpha and long shot Golden Ticket in a dead heat for the win. Another long shot, Fast Falcon, was just behind the winners. While the 2012 Travers probably won’t have any impact on the 3-year-old title, it was a race for the ages and another example of the unpredictability of sport.

- Ramon Dominguez had a remarkable meet and ran away with the jockey title. Twice he rode six winners on a single program to earn a place in the annals of Saratoga racing and with a record 68 winners he didn’t have many bad days. Dominguez eclipsed John Velazquez’ total of 64 wins in a season, but let’s not forget that Velazquez reached that level during a 36-day season. Dominguez got there in 39 days, though it was more like 37 1/3 because he went out of town twice to ride in stakes.

- Worth noting: Velazquez returned from injury on the fifth racing day and rode a reduced schedule during the next few weeks. He finished 38 wins behind Dominguez with 30 wins, but he was winning the big ones and finished second in purse money earned. Dominguez had $4.8 million, while Velazquez completed the season at $4 million.

- Todd Pletcher turned in a Pletcher-esque meeting, winning the trainers’ title for the third year in a row and the ninth overall in 15 years. He won 23 of his 36 races with his powerful 2-year-old contingent.

- Mechanicville native Chad Brown continued his ascent to the top levels of the training business with 29 wins and again finished second to Pletcher. Brown’s wins came from 95 starters, an exceptional 31 percent win rate, and his starters finished in the top three 66 percent of the time.

- Trainer Al Stall had an outstanding season while flying well under the radar. From 23 starts, Stall compiled a 7-3-7 record. That’s a 30 percent win mark with 74 percent of his starters hitting the board.

- Six trainers earned more than $1 million in purses. Pletcher led the way with $3.5 million. Following him were, Kiaran McLaughlin, $2 million; Brown $1.98 million; Bill Mott, $1.95 million; Rick Dutrow, $1.023 million; and Shug McGaughey, $1.021 million.

- McLaughlin had eight wins, four in Grade 1’s and a fifth in a Grade 2, the Jim Dandy. It's Tricky had bad luck to be third in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign and Fortify was second in the Grade 2 Hopeful.

- We know that Saratoga is a big deal locally and nationally. How big? The total handle was approaching $600 million at $588,351,964.

- NYRA’s Spa stats: 90 allowance races, up 13.9 percent; 185 route races, up 14.2 percent; 197 turf races, up 25 percent; average betting interests of 8.4, up from 8.2 in 2011.

- Weather is critical to success every summer. This year, NYRA benefitted from an amazing run of great weather and was able to stay even on the daily average attendance with last year. The terrific weather, especially in the last three weeks, had to have a positive impact on the handle. NYRA didn’t lose a turf race after Sunday, August 12. According to NYRA stats, only 27 races were taken off the turf, compared to 41 last year. The 197 turf races, up 25 percent from a year ago, were 47 percent of the total races run during the 40 days.

- While there were many memorable moments this summer, none can surpass the reaction of the crowd on August 4 when it realized that Emma’s Encore had won the Grade 1 Prioress. The applause was not for the filly, who got up to win in the last stride, but for her trainer, the great H. Allen Jerkens, a legendary figure in American racing. Jerkens, 83, started his career in 1950 competing against the likes of Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, Hirsch Jacobs, Preston Burch, Woody Stephens, Sylvester Veitch, John Gaver and Max Hirsch. Sixty-two years later, tears in his eyes, the man who trained horses that defeated Forego, Kelso, Buckpasser and Secretariart was posing for pictures after yet another important win at Saratoga.

Jockey Rosie Napravnik finished what she started Monday, winning the finale of the 40-day meet that she opened with a victory on July 20. The bookend wins produced double-digit payoffs.

What turned into a good season with remarkably favorable weather, steady attendance and gains in handle, was conducted under a cloud of uncertainly about the future of the New York Racing Association. The State of New York moved to take control of the non-profit association earlier this year after a betting scandal was exposed. The state has not announced its appointments to the new NYRA board and senior management remained in place throughout the Saratoga meeting.

However NYRA officials generally maintained a very low profile during the season. NYRA President and COO Ellen McLain did not talk with reporters Monday to offer comments about the meet, which has been the standard operating procedure for a couple of decades.

On the track, there were many highlights. Questing turned in the performance of the summer with her smashing victory in the Grade 1 Alabama. One week later, on August 25, what was considered a mediocre Travers field produced a thrilling race with an historic dead heat for victory with favored Alpha and long shot Golden Ticket.

NYRA reported that the total attendance for the meet was 901,033, which was a 3.4 percent increase from 2011. Since last year's meet was reduced to 39 days by Tropical Storm Irene, the daily average comparison is more appropriate: the 2012 average of 22,526 was up 0.8 percent.

NYRA ran 20 more races this year and showed increases in on-track and total handle. The daily on-track average of $3,207,356 was up 3.3 percent and the total on-track handle of $128,294,220 was up 5.9 percent.

The daily average for total handle was $14,708,799, up nine percent from last year. The total handle for the meet of $588,351,964 was up 11.8 percent.

Riding the full Saratoga season for the first time, Napravnik finished with 21 victories. The 20th came earlier on the Labor Day program when she guided Shanghai Bobby to a win in the Grade 2 Hopeful Stakes.

Napravnik rode Nine O Wonderful ($28.20), trained by Chad Brown of Mechanicville, to a win in the first race of the season more than six weeks ago. She made a last-to-first rally on Golden Tornado ($15.80) in the 417th and final race of 2012.

Todd Pletcher won the training title for the third consecutive year and ninth time in 15 years. He finished with 36 wins, seven more than Brown, and his ninth title tied Bill Mott for the Saratoga record since the New York Racing Association was formed in the mid-1950s.

“We love Saratoga and we try to emphasize the meet," Pletcher said. "We’ve been blessed with a lot of nice 2-year-olds this year. It’s nice to win the Hopeful to close it out."

Ramon Dominguez won his second Saratoga jockey title with a record 68 victories. Dominguez twice won a record-tying six races on a single program and eclipsed John Velazquez' record of 64 victories.

"It means the world to me to be able to win a title here in Saratoga," Dominguez said. "The way we had done it, getting lucky and winning so many races, is really unbelievable. I really have to stop and pinch myself, so to speak. It's really hard to believe how well we have done."

The 144th Saratoga season ended with a nice touch - symmetry at the Spa - jockey Rosie Napravnik driving to the finish line with Golden Tornado. A closer winning the final race of the season ridden by the woman who rode the winner of the first race on opening day.

The script writer deserves a bonus for that one.

And another Saratoga season, all 417 races, is complete and part of the vast history of racing at the Spa. The weather was warm and dry Monday, just like it's been since the middle of August. The closing day crowd of 21,272 was a 31 percent increase over the final day of 2011. The on-track handle was $3,499,623, up 39 percent, and the total handle was $17,949,500, up 24 percent.

Make no mistake about it: Saratoga remains a very popular racing meet and is a significant part of the Capital Region's economy.

• Continuing the trend of the final week, only four of the 11 races were won by favorites Monday. The final figures for favorites winning at the meet: 160 of 417, 38.4 percent.


• Trainer Linda Rice closed out what was a fairly quiet meet for her with a pair of victories to finish with eight. Rice won the fourth with We Need V L T's ($13.60) and the finale with Golden Tornado ($15.80).


• Ramon Dominguez added two more wins to a great season and ended with a meet-leading 68, a mere 17 ahead of Javier Castellano, who finished as the runner-up for the third straight year.


• Todd Pletcher beat Chad Brown by a comfortable seven wins to clinch his ninth training title. Each of them had a victory on Monday. They were in another league this summer with 36 and 29 wins, respectively. Steve Asmussen finished third with 12.

Hit It Rich broke sharply and went on to a gate-to-wire victory under Javier Castellano Monday in the Grade 3 Glens Falls.

“She’s phenomenal," Castellano said. "In a small field with not a lot of speed in the race, I took advantage by trying to get to the lead and not look back, just forward. She’s a really nice horse and put up good fractions today. I’m very happy with the way she did it.”

Stuart Janney's Smart Strike mare won by 1 1/2 lengths over Bizzy Caroline, who tracked her the 1 3/8 miles on the inner turf course, and paid $3.70. Waya winner Kissable was third in the race for older fillies and mares.

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said the race scenario played out nicely.

“The game plan was if she could have the lead it’s perfect," he said. "If we have a target that’s fine, too. He said she broke good, was relaxed, and they kind of gave him the lead even though that filly was sitting on her. He said going into the first turn she sort of just pricked her ears, and when she came by me the first time she was just galloping along, and that was fine with me.”

The Glens Falls was Hit It Rich's first race since she finished third in the New York Handicap on June 30. McGaughey skipped two races, one at Saratoga and one at Arlington Park, and waited for the Glens Falls.

“I didn’t need to give her any time, but I didn’t really like my options," he said. "I’d rather run in this race than the Waya [on August 6]. I was afraid if I ran her a mile and a half it might take a little of the sting out of her. The Beverly D. was the other option; I didn’t like scale weights going 1 3/16 miles, so this was my only feasible option. I think the freshness really did her good, too. She really trained well, and she ran well today.”

Starlight Racing's Shanghai Bobby stayed unbeaten with a decisive 3 3/4-length victory Monday in the Grade 2 Hopeful.

Ridden by Rosie Napravnik, the Harlan's Holiday colt paid $6.30. Godolphin's Fortify was second.

Shanghai Bobby broke his maiden in April at Aqueduct and won the Track Barron on June 27 at Belmont Park He was scheduled to start in the Saratoga Special, the second of Saratoga's three graded stakes for 2-year-old males, but was scratched when it was discovered that he had a fever. He recovered quickly and was pointed to the seven-furlong Hopeful on closing day.

Don Lucarelli of Duanesburg is one of the principals in Starlight, which now has a leading contender for the 2-year-old title.

“He showed today that he’s a good-caliber horse and we think the next logical step is at Belmont and hopefully off to the Breeders’ Cup," Lucarelli said.

"From a colt standpoint, this [victory] is probably the best for me. At Saratoga to have a colt of this caliber and a lot of potential...it’s very gratifying.”

However, Lucarelli said he is not sure that Shanghai Bobby will go onto the Breeders' Cup, which will require 2-year-olds to compete without Lasix this year.

Trainer Todd Pletcher said having to miss the Saratoga Special and run two weeks later may have been for the best.

“Now we’re on a better schedule for the Champagne," Pletcher said. "That was a very professional effort from him. So far, he’s been very good. It seemed like he won with a little something left today; he was pricking his ears when he came to the wire. We’re very proud of him.

The Grade 1 Champagne will be run on October 6 at Belmont Park.

Shanghai Bobby stalked the early pace, moved up to challenge Majestic Hussar and Overanalyze in the turn and quickly opened up a lead at the top fo the stretch.

“He was actually quite a handful today. Usually, he’s a little more relaxed," Napravnik said. "Today, he was keyed up. It was all positive energy. He was ready to go. He did rate properly and finished really strong.

"He’s a very talented horse. I really liked this horse since day one. He’s very sensible, and he’s been moving forward every race and really maturing. I thought he was going to excel off his last race. It’s great to have him back and in good shape. I’m sure he’ll move forward off of this as well.”