It’s hard to believe the meet is coming to a close for me. I ride here today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, and then Lisa and I will pack up and hit the road. I have to ride in the Pennsylvania Derby on Monday, and that will give us one day to rest at home before I have to get on a plane.

It’s been an unbelievable five weeks. We were talking about it last night at dinner. Me, Ian (Wilkes) and Carl (Nafzger) had a good meet. You kind of don’t want it to end. I can’t complain. Stayed safe, that was the main thing.

Winning the Travers on Saturday with Street Sense was definitely the highlight. The people and the crowds – it was just like winning the Kentucky Derby all over again. It was awesome! When we walked into the restaurant for dinner, I was signing autographs, and same thing when we left. The people up here have been so nice. It’s the greatest crowd in the world.

Now, we have maybe one more race before the Breeders’ Cup Classic. I don’t know where it will be, but I am looking forward to it. It’s been a great ride.

Walking to the paddock, I was trying not to pay attention to the commotion. I wanted to focus on what I needed to do, which was put Street Sense in a position where he could win at all times. There didn't look to be much pace in the race, and when the gates opened, they were going slow. I had Street Sense closer to the pace than I usually do.

When I hooked Grasshopper up, I thought I had him measured pretty good, and in the last 40 yards, when Street Sense got by him, he went to messing around. I hit him a couple of times, and then he kind of put it away.

I know how Street Sense is -- once he gets in front, he kind of gives up a little bit. I was riding him, but I wanted to give him a target at all times. He did what I wanted him to do. He did his job, and I'm happy with that.

After the race, Robby (Albarado, aboard Grasshopper) high-fived me and told me "congratulations." We had the two best horses in the country in Street Sense and Curlin - I beat him in the Kentucky Derby and he beat me in the Preakness. I wound up beating Robby again today. We go way back. We grew up together. Two country guys doing so good -- it's like a dream come true.

This morning, Mr. and Mrs. James Tafel, the owners of Street Sense, came out to visit the barn. Mrs. Tafel asked me to autograph some Tafel Racing T-shirts for their son, who is a race car driver. I’ve never driven a race car, but I did sit in A.J. Foyt’s car once. And I had a Corvette that could do 120 miles an hour, but my fiancée, Lisa, made me get rid of it. Quickly.

I have been driving a custom Chevy show truck now for about seven years. It’s got 120,000 miles on it, but I try to keep it nice. I was showing some visitors the engine this morning and they couldn’t believe how spotless it was! It looks brand-new. I bought the truck in Shreveport, Louisiana, and it’s got an eight cylinder, 350 horsepower engine. It’s platinum gray, with mag wheels, and some other custom features. I love it. When I get back home I have to get a dent in the side fixed from where a horse kicked it at Churchill Downs. No, it wasn’t Street Sense!

Tracy Wilkes was on him this morning when he galloped a mile and a quarter – I was on (Grade 1 Alabama winner) Lady Joanne, who’s doing real well. The next time I get on Street Sense will be for the Travers. There’s some talk about rain, but if he’s as good as I think he is, he is supposed to overcome anything. I ride him like he’s the best horse. And he is.

The other day (trainer) Carl Nafzger told the media that I had such a good relationship with Street Sense that he’d do anything I asked. I think that’s true. If I wanted to put him behind a truck, he’d go behind a truck. He knows my voice – I can holler at him, and he knows. It’s the dangest thing. That comes from spending a lot of time with him. I don’t just get on the horse, run away, and leave. If there’s something around the barn that needs to be done, whether it’s grabbing a pitchfork and helping muck out his stall, or carrying something, I’m happy to do it.

I like to spend as much time with Street Sense as I can, feeding him carrots, just messing around with him. It’s the same as being with a person – the more time you spend with them, the better you get to know him. My brother Cecil had a couple of stakes horses I had real good relationships with, like Twice Around and Relic Reward. Street Sense, though, he’s something special

People say they wish horses could talk, but you can tell what they’re thinking. I’m watching Street Sense graze this morning, and when the hotwalker brought him in, whoo, he was mad. He didn’t want to go back to his stall. He’s the best horse I’ve ever been around. I’m the only one who’s ever ridden him, and he trusts me as much as I trust him.

Usually, this time of year, I’d be at home in the Highlands of Kentucky, and I’d leave there only on weekends to ride at different tracks like Arlington Park or Ellis Park or Saratoga. But this year, these two horses, Street Sense and Lady Joanne, came along, and (trainer) Carl Nafzger wanted me to come to Saratoga, so here we are. It’s been an amazing experience, you wouldn’t believe. The track itself is like a fair – people are always coming up to you, asking for your autograph, like you’re some kind of superstar. Time can get tight in between races, but I always try to take the time to talk to the kids. I tell them what my dad told me, and that’s if you want something bad enough, you can get it, and that there’s a good way, and a bad way.

The town of Saratoga Springs is awesome, the whole downtown is just wonderful. My fiancée, Lisa, is a show jumper and she found a place that makes trunks for your equipment for $75. Usually they cost $800. I told her to order a bunch. We spend the dark day, Tuesdays, walking around, and people ask you to take pictures with them, or get pieces of paper for your autograph. Ain’t nothing like that ever happened to me before! Every single one of the restaurants has been good, and 85 percent of the time we’ve never had to pay because someone recognized us and picked up the tab, or sent us a bottle of wine. It’s the dangest thing!

When I woke up this morning, I felt a lot better. Why? I knew I was going to work Street Sense! Knowing you’re going to get on a horse like that always makes you want to get up in the morning, rain, snow, sleet, shine, or laryngitis. I got on him a little after seven, and as usual, with Ian Wilkes leading us, it took a long time to get to the track, about 30 minutes. Street Sense loves to stop and look around and get his picture taken, and believe me, there’s plenty of people wanting to take his picture here at Saratoga. He’s a very, very smart horse and I think that’s what makes him so good. He knew he was going to work because I was the one who got on him this morning.

Our routine is the same -- when we get onto the track, we walk to the sixteenth pole, turn around and jog a quarter-mile. Then, he starts loping along and when he gets on the backside, he grabs hold a little bit. I drop him off at the three-quarter pole and talk to him. If he’s going too fast, I’ll say “ho, ho, ho” or if I want him to pick it up I’ll cluck. He can get down real low. When I talk to him I call him “Big Daddy Rabbit” because he had such big ears before he started growing..

Being on him is amazing. It’s like comparing a Cadillac and a tractor. Anytime you want, you can just ask him, he’s that smooth. Point him in the right direction, and he’ll go. I think it’s harder to work him than to ride him in a race because he’s got such a deceptive stride – it’s so long, you can’t imagine. If I had to guess, I’d say maybe 26 feet. You feel like he’s just galloping, and you wouldn’t know how fast he was going if you didn’t have a clock in your head. They got him in a minute flat, which was perfect. He was happy doing it.

On the way back to the barn, it’s a lot different. As slow as he is going onto the track, that’s how quick he is heading back. He’s all business, and he just wants to get back to his stall. He loves coming home!

I woke up this morning with laryngitis and wound up taking off my mount in the eighth race. Because I can’t talk, I also missed a news conference with the trainer of Street Sense, Carl Nazfger. I heard he said a lot of nice things about me, that I was a real good horseman, that I had a good sense of pace, was patient, and loyal. Thank you, Mr. Nafzger! Tomorrow morning I definitely will be aboard Street Sense when he works five-eighths of a mile. I’ll ride Wednesday, but so I can rest up for Saturday’s big race my agent, Jerry Hissam, did not accept any mounts for Thursday and Friday.