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Shoes –Continued from page 44lems that diabetics have. The painthey experience can lead to drug andalcohol problems, and shoes seemedlike a simple way to prevent furtherproblems from happening.”According to Ruchames, there isa high incidence on the backstretchof diabetes, which can be caused bypoor diet and use of alcohol, which ishigh in sugar content.So at the suggestion of Dr. MarkButhorn, the BEST podiatrist, Ruchameschose a brand of shoe – fittinglycalled Dr. Comfort – and beganidentifying backstretch workers whomight benefit from them.Mongelluzzo, meanwhile, beganbeating the backstretch, solicitingdonations from owners and trainers.Nearly two dozen answered the callwith contributions, enough to purchaseabout 100 pairs, the first ofwhich were distributed at Belmont atthe end of April.“He’s very tenacious,” said Ruchamesof Mongelluzo. “He’s got thatold hockey spirit.”The shoes are water-resistant andnearly frictionless, designed to lessenthe aggravation of foot sores that canresult from diabetes. The reaction ofCinderella sliding her foot into theglass slipper was nothing comparedto Alarcon when he tried on his newshoes.“They feel great,” he said. “Verylight, like riding boots.”After nearly 50 years of workingwith horses, he gave up riding severalyears ago, because of his diabetes.“I didn’t want to take any chances,”he said. Now, he walks hots fortrainer Bruce Brown, not an easy taskwhen your feet hurt.The shoe distribution was pairedwith a lunch donated by Mingle onthe Avenue, the restaurant in the PavilionGrand and a partner in the BESTSteps Forward campaign. Early in thisyear’s meet, the hotel and restaurantteamed up to offer a thank-you partyto donors to the program, amongthem trainers Rick Schosberg, BruceBrown, Carlos Martin and Gary Gullo.“I thought the shoes idea wasfantastic,” said the Pavilion Grand’sSimpson, “because it goes back 100percent to the workers. We went toTwoTwoThirdParamountSales GradsBelmontWinnersCHARM!!Time’s aCheck out ourCHARMINGYearlingsBarn 1 Saratoga!!Connie BushSaratoga Springs Mayor Joanne Yepsen meets backstretch workers at the shoe giveaway.Belmont to see the shoes distributedthere, and the kisses, the hugs, thelooks on people’s faces . . . you madea difference in someone’s life.”The hotel has promoted the campaignon its blog and its Facebookpage, with plans to include it in thenext e-mail blast to its customers.And Mongelluzzo’s not done yet,either. The same commitment, energy,and enthusiasm that brought him tothe winner’s circle with horses and tothe U.S. Olympic team as a memberof its coaching staff is now directedtoward partnering with BEST“We’ve got bigger plans,” he said.Which is good news for NewYork’s backstretch workers.FULL SERVICE EQUINE MEDICAL &SURGICAL HOSPITALSoft Tissue & Orthopedic Surgery: Colic surgery, Arthroscopy, LaparoscopyNuclear DiagnosticsAcupunctureVideo Endoscopy, Dynamic Endoscopy, GastroscopyStem Cell, BMAC, IRAP and PrPAmbulatory and Emergency Services available 24/7Pat Costello859.621.7764www.paramountsales.net362 Rugg Road,Schuylerville, NY 12871518-695-374410 minutes from the track4 miles east off exit 16 on I87Monday, August 10, 2015The Saratoga Special45