Saratoga poised for 150th race season
Saratoga Race Course to open gates today for more than six weeks of competition
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » As Saratoga Race Course prepares to celebrate its 150th year today, the New York Racing Association has reason to feel pretty good about itself.
The numbers by which racing organizations rate themselves continued strong in 2017. All-sources handle of $676,709,490 was an all-time record, and the on-track handle of $157,014,965 represented a 3.4 percent increase over the previous year.
Total announced paid attendance of 1,117,838 was just 5,706 off 2016’s record figure. Barring some unexpected calamity — 40 days of rain, war with Canada or Great Britain — there’s little reason to think 2018 won’t bring more of the same.
Thanks in large part to its unmatched roster of graded stakes, Saratoga remains the place where people want to bring their best horses in the summer. Last year the winners of eight of 11 equine Eclipse Awards (not counting the steeplechase) competed at the Spa, and the races they won here were major steps on the way to championships. As a group, Saratoga’s graded races are rich in history and tradition. They are also worth a lot of money.
This year there are 35 of them, including 15 Grade 1s, worth a total of $14.55 million.
Heading the list are the Travers ($1.25 million), Whitney ($1.2 million), Sword Dancer Invitational ($1 million), Woodward ($750,000) and Personal Ensign ($700,000). The Alabama, Forego and Jim Dandy have purses of $600,000 each. Weighing in at $500,000 each are the Diana, Test, Fourstardave, Ballerina and H. Allen Jerkens Memorial.
The graded stakes aside, however, Saratoga’s day-to-day quality of rac-
ing isn’t as consistent as it was before the meet was lengthened (twice) and before weekend cards were expanded to 11, 12 and even 13 races per day. Many weekday cards have taken on a decidedly un-Saratoga aspect, dominated as they are by claiming races, maiden claimers and starter allowances.
The fact is there aren’t nearly enough good horses to stock 400-plus races, a situation that is exacerbated by persistently low foal crops.
Any discussion of Saratoga races begins of course with the Travers, which will be run for the 149th time on Aug. 25. This year’s edition has a tough act to follow — actually, three of them. Three years ago, despite being upset by Keen Ice in the race, American Pharoah’s weeklong residence at the Spa still managed to be the highlight of the meet.
Two years ago, Arrogate won the Travers by 13½ lengths in track-record time. And last year West Coast, facing a field that included the winners of all three Triple Crown races, won by 3¼. All three horses were trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.
Justify, also conditioned by Baffert, would of course have fit right in with this group.
Unfortunately, racing’s latest Triple Crown winner is “under observation” at Del Mar after filling was detected in an ankle last week, and on Monday Baffert announced that the Travers was no longer a possibility. Without Justify, the Midsummer Derby could still put together a compelling field. Possible starters include juvenile champ (and Derby runnerup) Good Magic; Florida Derby winner Audible; and up-and comers Gronkowski and Hof burg, the 2-3 finishers in the Belmont.
The $1.2 million Whitney has been drawing notably strong fields in recent years.
This year, however, with a depleted handicap division and most of its best runners based in California — and thus likely headed instead for the Pacific Classic — the 90-year-old race is likely to come up light. It was with this in mind that the connections of Mind Your Biscuits decided to stretch out their two-time New York-bred horse of the year to nine furlongs.
The son of Posse sports back-to-back wins in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen (six furlongs) and is coming off a game second in the Met Mile. Mine Your Biscuits has never been beyond a mile, though, or won a race longer than seven furlongs.
Other possibilities for the Whitney include Diversify, another New York-bred, who is coming off a lightsout performance in the Suburban Handicap (G2), Backyard Heaven and Pavel, winner of last month’s Stephen Foster Handicap (G1).
This far out from the Travers, and even the Whitney — or for that matter, most other races — it’s impossible to know for certain which horses will actually run.
One match-up that looks as though it will definitely take place, however, is in Sunday’s Coaching Club American Oaks (G1). The $300,000 nine-furlong race will feature a second clash between Monomoy Girl and Midnight Bisou, who are generally regarded as the two best three-year-old fillies in the land.
If history is any guide, the Coaching Club will be only the first of many memorable races this summer at Saratoga Race Course.
If you go
What: Course’s When: through Labor Tuesdays. Where: Course, Saratoga Admission: Admission 11 10:30 a.m. (Day a.m. Day. admission on Saratoga Today, 267 Saratoga Monday, 2018 Springs of) weekdays gates on No Union General is weekends. racing July season. $7; Race open is Sept. Race Avenue, 20 Clubhouse $10. and admission on at 3, On Travers Day, Saturday, August a.m. is $25 seating limited $10 Admission Clubhouse. Travers general number 27, is sold gates Day admission; separately. passes of Reserved admission open full-season cost at 7 A $35 for for Clubhouse purchase. for Grandstand are available or $55 Parking: Trackside parking weekends is Travers $12 on and Day. weekdays, $20 General on Whitney, $15 parking parking Clubhouse is is free. available and Grandstand Handicapped at the entrances. parking refunds No breakfast on Travers Day, Reserved seats: A limited number of Grandstand seats are on sale each morning of a race day at the Reserved Seat Sales Office at Union Avenue Gate at 9 a.m. Closed Tuesdays. There is a limit of four seats per persond. Reserved grandstand seats cost $15 Mon, Weds, Thurs. $20 Fri. and Sun. Saturdays Diana, Woodward $23, Jim Dandy, Fourstardave, Alabama $28,
Whitney Day $40, Travers day $50. Clubhouse seats cost $23 Mon. Wed, Thurs, $30 Friday and Sunday, Saturdays Diana, Woodward $32, $55 Whitney Day and $85 Travers Day. Fourstardave Sports Bar: A four-person table costs $35 during the week and $60 on weekends, while a six-person table costs $50$90. Travers Day tables are sold out. Reservations can be made through Ticketmaster.com or by calling the NYRA Box Office at
844-NYRA-TIX. Picnic Paddock: Backyard picnic tables (seat up to six) can be reserved for $60, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, $90 Friday and Saturday. Diana, Woodward $102, Jim Dandy, Fourstardave, Alabama $108, Whitney $120 and Travers $180.
Reservations can be made through Ticketmaster.com or by calling the NYRA Box Office at 844-697-2849. Contact: https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/