The Silks (1986)

In the summer of 1985 I saw a small poster announcing “The Travers.” When I inquired about this “Travers,” I was told with great flourish of the importance of the Midsummer Derby. Not a detail was spared about the world-famous horses, the famous racing families and stables, the canny trainers, gallant jockeys, celebrities and, yes, even the politicians. I was astonished — and delighted. But, I wondered, how was it that such a monumental event had such a modest poster to announce it? Well, they said, if I had a better idea, perhaps I should try it. So, I did. I got to work immediately on my first poster — the 1986 Travers Silks. The jockey’s brilliantly colored silks, I thought, graphically showed the pageantry, color, and rich history of this the oldest thoroughbred stakes race in the United States. So, to research the horses, families, stables and silks, I went to Saratoga Springs’ racing museum. I sketched some 25 or 30 silks, but after much painful editing settled on just 15 silks f