Before the grandstand fills and long before the day’s first race, there is a quieter rhythm on the backside. Horses move through the morning. Workers tend to the routines that keep a racetrack alive. And, often during a break in training, a voice comes over the track with a prayer — offering reflection, asking for safety, and sharing a measure of light for the day ahead.

The end of August is traditionally one of the most active times of the year in North American Thoroughbred racing as the historic DraftKings Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course more often than not is held on the month’s final Saturday. That’s the case this year on Aug.