Saratoga Race Course season to begin today
Annual racing season at Saratoga Race Course highlighted by 148th Travers Stakes on Aug. 26
Since the first organized meeting in 1863, Saratoga Race Course and its host city have overcome numerous challenges.
It’s all about the racing.
Since the first organized meeting in 1863, Saratoga Race Course and its host city have overcome numerous challenges.
For example, poor management of the track in the 1890s led to a summer of no racing at all in 1896.
Years of owner Gottfried Walbaum’s manipulation of the track, coupled with an anti-gambling movement among many elected officials, led to the cancellation of the meet.
But from the start, with few exceptions in the intervening century and a half, owners and trainers of the top stables in America have targeted the summer meet at the Spa.
There is enormous potential for the Travers Stakes, to be run for the 148th time on Aug. 26. The winners of all three Triple Crown events have the $1.25 million summer classic in their sights, portending a showdown with a division championship on the line.
Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and Belmont Stakes winner Tapwrit are trained by Todd Pletcher, while Preakness winner Cloud Computing is trained by Chad Brown.
Both horsemen are stabled at Saratoga.
Joining this group is Classic Empire, the reigning champion of the crop by virtue of his wins in the Breeders’ Futurity and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last year. He is training with the Travers in mind.
They, and other top members of the 3-year-old scene, could also show up in the Jim Dandy Stakes on July 29.
The $600,000 Jim Dandy, at 1 1/8 miles, is the main Saratoga prep race for the Travers at 1 ¼ miles.
The filly counterpart to the Travers is the Alabama Stakes, which
will be run for the 137th time on Aug. 19. Worth $600,000, it is also at 1 1/4 miles, and is one of the most prized races in the United States for 3-year-old fillies.
Holy Helena, who defeated males in the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine in Toronto on July 2, is considered a possible starter in the Alabama.
Another top sophomore filly who may take aim at the Alabama is Abel Tasman. She is the division leader at this point in the season and is pencilled in for the $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 23, a major stepping stone to the Alabama.
Abel Tasman has consecutive wins in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs and the Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park.
While the 3-year-olds of both sexes figure to contest division supremacy this summer, the best horse likely to be seen at Saratoga could be Gun Runner. He has turned into a powerful older horse this year and comes off a win in the Stephen Foster Handicap at
Churchill Downs on June 17.
Gun Runner was third in the Travers last year, a race in which the world’s best horse, Arrogate, demolished his opposition by 15 lengths and set a new track record in the process.
Gun Runner got closer to Arrogate in the Dubai World Cup on Mar. 25, finishing second by 2 1/2 lengths. He has the 90th running of the Whitney Handicap, on Aug. 5, in his sights.
The other race for him at Saratoga is the Woodward on Sept. 2. Both races are at 1 1/8 miles, with the Whitney worth $1.2 million and the Woodward $750,000.
Another possibility for the Whitney is Keen Ice, winner of the recent Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park and the upsetter of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the 2015 Travers Stakes.
A return appearance by Arrogate this year is highly unlikely. He went on to be champion 3-year-old male after Saratoga, as did Songbird among fillies off her Spa wins in the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama.
The top race of the season for older females is the $700,000 Personal Ensign at 1 1/8 miles, named for the unbeaten filly that defeated males in the Whitney Handicap in 1988.
Another key aspect of the Saratoga meeting is the 2-year-old division. Both sexes have a three-race series, with the fillies getting underway on opening day in the Schuylerville Stakes.
Next is the Adirondack on Aug. 12, with the Spinaway the finale on Sept. 2.
The Sanford, honoring a family from Amsterdam that patronized the track for decades beginning in the late 19th century, opens the series for males on July 22.
Next is the Saratoga Special on Aug. 13, with the Hopeful Stakes on Sept. 4, closing day, completing the trio.
There are also two turf stakes for the youngsters near the end of the meeting.
They are the $150,000 With Anticipation for males and the $100,000 P.G. Johnson for females.
There are several important events on turf for older males and females.
The richest for the females is the $500,000 Diana on July 22, while the males have the $1 million Sword Dancer on Travers Day.
Sprinters have the $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial for 3-year-olds and the $600,000 Forego for older males, both on Travers Day.
The 3-year-old fillies have the $500,000 Test on Aug. 5, and the $500,000 Ballerina on Travers Day.
Off the track, Saratoga Race Course is part of a changing scene in New York thoroughbred racing.
Along with Aqueduct and Belmont Park downstate, it is owned by New York State and operated by the New York Racing Association. For many years, the closing of Aqueduct has been predicted, accompanied by a re-tooling of Belmont Park that would enable it to conduct more racing.
Since the establishment of the Genting World Resorts Casino at Aqueduct, the closing of the track appears more probable. If, and when, that happens, there is the likelihood of a longer meet at Saratoga, perhaps opening July 4 weekend and closing on Labor Day.
For now, though, top racing is at hand at the nation’s oldest existing thoroughbred track.
It is time for the best horses to take a step forward to championships at Saratoga Race Course.