IN a day or two, I’ll hit the Northway, another year older, another Saratoga richer.

That was my final line of the final column from Saratoga this year.

Yes, the country’s best race meet has come and gone, another one in the books, another 40-day extravaganza in our rear-view mirrors. We are a year older, just like that. And richer (at least in spirit).

Now, about re-entry.

Hi, I’m your dad.

That was my first line to my son, Miles, after being away for seven weeks at Saratoga. He knew what I meant, a day later asking me, “How’s the After Saratoga Depression going?” I laughed, he didn’t. Sorry, son, I’ll try to stay positive and engaged during re-entry.

It’s not easy after seven weeks at Saratoga, the only place, the only time when you’re not the only one who is a racing fan. It’s the only time of year when old college buddies check in and ask about coming to see a horse race.

And, wow, were there horse races at Saratoga this summer.

Gun Runner rose to the top of the older horse division, flicking to two facile scores in the Whitney and Woodward. The chesnut son of Candy Ride has danced in the shadows for most of his career, chasing the better three-year-olds last year and Arrogate in Dubai this spring. Perfectly managed by owner Ron Winchell and trainer Steve Asmussen, Gun Runner stepped out this summer as the likes of Arrogate and others hit speed bumps. The Breeders’ Cup awaits.

West Coast made sense of the three-year-old division, well, the Bob Baffert trainee made sense of it if he continues his ascent this fall, if he loses, then his Travers display was just another cannon ball into the soup bowl. Utilizing west coast speed, West Coast wired an overmatched field in the Travers. None of the three winners of Triple Crown races this year have won since.

Songbird said hello and goodbye. A star at Saratoga in 2016 when she dominated the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama Stakes, last year’s champion three-year-old filly returned this year to lose the Personal Ensign. After the race, Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer stood at the end of the racetrack, the loneliness of defeat etched into his scowl and his stance. Little did he know it would be Songbird’s final race. Or maybe he did.

Jose Ortiz secured another riding title, his second in a row, winning five more races than his brother, Irad, and 12 more than John Velazquez, who put together another stellar display. Velazquez, the sage, is awed by Ortiz, the kid.

“He listens. He listens. You tell him one time and then he does it to you in a race,” Velazquez said after another Ortiz masterpiece. Utilizing a long leg, a light hold and alley-cat instincts, Ortiz is the best young jockey I’ve ever seen.

Todd Pletcher reclaimed his spot as Saratoga’s leading trainer, staving off Chad Brown by one win. Pletcher won 40 races from 165 starters, while Brown won 39 from 158. Sadly, the days of boutique trainers are gone. Now, they are battalion trainers. Nobody has done it better than Pletcher, who wins with alacrity and grace, a hard-sought and often-impossible combination.

The training performance of the meet is an easy one. Linda Rice engineered four wins from Voodoo Song, who began the meet as a $40,000 claimer and finished it as a Grade 3 stakes winner after he stole the Saranac on the front end. The son of English Channel led at every call in every start, becoming the first horse since Native Dancer in 1952 to win four races at the meet.

Steeplechasing limped through another stint at Saratoga. With fewer races and fewer fences, the sport is struggling to hold its grip at the storied track.

As for the two-year-olds, there were big performances seemingly every day, but I’ve long since abandoned giving them a lot of credence as most of the Saratoga two-year-olds aren’t around as Saratoga three-year-olds. Some stick – Ashado always comes to mind – but most don’t.

As for Saratoga, she delivered yet again.

Yes, it’s the 2017 model when quantity continues to nudge quality, but it’s still the buoy in the storm, still the best we’ve got.