Turf taking center stage at the Spa
One doesn’t have to be a close follower of racing to be aware of the increased role turf racing has played in recent years. This is notably true at Saratoga, where most recent summers the total number of races run on dirt and turf have been roughly equal. So far in 2020, through Sunday, there have been 115 races on dirt and 121 on turf at the Spa.
The percentage of graded stakes carded on turf is considerably smaller than turf’s share of total races. This isn’t surprising given that many graded stakes on dirt have histories that date from before turf racing was much of a factor at major tracks in this country. At Saratoga this summer, 40 percent of graded races (15 of 37) are scheduled for turf. The turf percentage of G1s is half that figure – 19 percent or just three of 16 races.
Two of those Saratoga turf G1s will be run this weekend – the Fourstardave on Saturday and the Diana on Sunday – with the third (the Sword Dancer) to follow a week from Saturday. As recently as 2002, the Sword Dancer, which first acquired its G1 rating in 1984, was Saratoga’s only turf G1. The Diana was upgraded to G1 in 2003, with the Fourstardave not getting the nod until 2015.
Entries for the Fourstardave and Diana haven’t been drawn as of this writing, but if recent history is any guide, both races should feature quality, competitive fields. Probable starters for the one-mile Fourstardave include Raging Bull, War of Will and Got Stormy. The prospective field for the nine-fur
long Diana looks even more formidable, with Sistercharlie, Rushing Fall and Starship Jubilee listed among the likely entrants.
Looking ahead to the Sword Dancer on the 29th, the first five finishers from the Bowling Green – Cross Border, Highland Sky, Channel Maker, Sadler’s Joy and Marzo – are among the horses nominated to the mile and a half race. Other nominees include United and G1 winners Zulu Alpha, Arklow and Aquaphobia.
Arlington International Racecourse
A reality X that works to Saratoga’s benefit this year, but to the detriment of U.S. racing as a whole, is that its turf G1s don’t have to compete with Arlington Park for the best horses. The Arlington Million card, which includes the Beverly D and Secretariat Stakes, is not being run because of the pandemic and issues between Arlington, Churchill Downs Inc. (owner of Arlington since 2000), the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and the State of Illinois.
Although a two-year contract was eventually agreed to, allowing for 30 days of racing (but no stakes) this year, the future of Arlington Park, one of the crown jewels of American racing, is very much in doubt. As Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen put it in a July 30 conference call, “The long-term solution [for the land on which the track sits] is not Arlington Park. This land will have a higher and better purpose for something else at some point.”
As part of the above agreement, the Arlington Million program will return, at least for 2021. How much longer it and Arlington Park will be around after that, is unfortunately an open question.