THE STAGE IS SET for another smash hit that is the unique, unrivaled and timeless tradition of Saratoga! In spite of the disappointment of many who had hoped to see their second Triple Crown winner in just 3 years, one pony can’t stop this show, or the thrill of Opening Day at the Spaaaaaa!
Since George Washington first visited “the Saratoga Springs,” people have flocked to America’s oldest major sports facility to witness the grandeur and spectacle of a day at the races, and to marvel at the majesty of its magnificent equine athletes.
Once again, fans will be treated to a smorgasbord of outstanding talent, and the opportunity to watch future stars in the making! I can’t wait to see the unpredictable 2-year-old juveniles, or the already established 3 and 4-year-old runners, and the action will start right off with a bang the first three days.
Opening Day will feature the first in a three part series of graded juvenile stakes for both fillies and colts throughout the meet, in the Grade 3, 6 furlong Schuylerville for 2-year-old fillies, and the Grade 3, 1-1/16 Lake George on the turf for 3-year-old fillies will also be contested.
Chad Brown will send out a trio of good looking fillies in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500K, 1-1/2 mile Diana, including New Money Honey, the 4-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, and former Breeder’s Cup Juvi Turf and Belmont Oaks champ, along with recent Grade 1 winners, A Raving Beauty and Sistercharlie. Although I was hoping that Chad would also enter Michael Dubb’s highly successful Fourstar Crook, the 6-year-old NY-bred daughter of Freud, it appears that he’s opted to enter her elsewhere. Fourstar Crook, with 11 victories out of 17 career starts, and more than a million+ in earnings, defeated her younger stablemate, Sistercharlie, in the recent Grade 2 New York Stakes, after coming in 2nd behind her in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland, and I was looking forward to seeing their rivalry renewed! One of my favorites from last year, Proctor’s Ledge, Patricia Moseley’s homebred daughter of Ghostzapper, who won both the Lake George and Lake Placid in 2017, is also entered in the Diana, and she will try to avenge her recent runnerup finish to A Raving Beauty in the Grade 1, $700K Just a Game at Belmont.
On Saturday, we will also get our first look at some very promising 2-year-old colts in the Grade 3, 6 furlong Sanford, and you can bet that Todd Pletcher will be a major player in these juvi races the entire meet, with his always stacked barn! Continuing the juvenile dirt stakes tradition at the Spa will be the Grade 2, 6-1/2 furlong Adirondack for fillies on August 11, followed by the Grade 2, 6-1/2 furlong Saratoga Special for the colts on August 12. The juvi dirt series will conclude closing weekend with the Grade 1, 7 furlong Spinaway for fillies, and the Grade 1, 7 furlong Hopeful for colts, in the Labor Day finale.
The prestigious Coaching Club American Oaks, a Grade 1 for 3-year-old fillies at a mile and 1/8, will match a pair of rising stars this Sunday in Monomoy Girl and Midnight Bisou, and I’m anxiously awaiting their showdown! Interestingly, uber owner, Sol Kumin, not only campaigns Monomoy Girl for his Monomoy Stables, along with partner, Michael Dubb, but also has a minority stake in Midnight Bisou! What a meteoric rise Kumin has had in the racing world, after his initial lucky ride with the incredible Lady Eli!
Monomoy Girl won the Acorn at Big Sandy on June 9, and has 7 wins from 8 starts, including a victory over runner-up Wonder Gadot and 3rd place finisher Midnight Bisou, in the Kentucky Oaks. This was Midnight Bisou’s only loss, following a troubled trip, but she returned with an impressive win in Belmont’s Mother Goose on June 30.
Wonder Gadot, under Johnny Velazquez, beat the boys in the Queen’s Plate on June 30, after a string of 6 frustrating losses, but it seems that the addition of blinkers, and the classic 1-1/4 mile distance of the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, was just what Mark Casse’s former 2-year-old Canadian champion filly needed! Although it’s too bad that she won’t join her other division leaders in the CCAO, as it looks like her connections want her to run in the Prince of Wales this Tuesday, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, she is slated to head down from Woodbine for the Alabama.
Looking forward to the entire meet, there are many intriguing matchups and horses that we must put on a “not to miss” list, based on recent performances.
The budding rivalry between the versatile Catholic Boy and Chad Brown’s Analyze It has been one to behold, following two scintillating “turf wars” in the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge and the Grade 1 Belmont Derby. In their first battle, it appeared that Catholic Boy was all but beat, but he rallied back on the outside in the deep stretch to nip Analyze It by a neck. In the Belmont Derby, Jose Ortiz got the lead mid-stretch on Analyze It, while pinning Javi Castellano and Catholic Boy inside, but “Boy” showed incredible heart, and got up once again to beat his foe by a head. Sadly, however, it seems that Chad Brown will send his game Analyze It to the Grade 1 Secretariat at Arlington Park on August 11, while it appears that the connections of the “Boy” may want him to return to the dirt for a shot at the Travers, so their rivalry will be put on hold.
Following his spectacular gate to wire, 6-1/2 length victory in the $700K Suburban on Stars and Stripes Day, Diversify, the NY-bred gelding, pushed his career earnings to over $1.3 million, while beating the likes of last year’s Belmont Stakes winner Tapwrit, and this year’s Brooklyn winner, Hoppertunity, while earning a stellar 110 Beyer speed figure. Trainer Rick Violette has stated that Diversify will train up to the Woodward at the end of the meet.
Another big winner on the Stars and Stripes Day card that we can anticipate seeing race up here is Limousine Liberal, who beat rival sprinter Whitmore in the Belmont Sprint Championship. He earned a fees paid entry for the Breeder’s Cup Sprint, and will next race in the $600K Grade 1 Forego here on Travers Day.
In the 101st running of the Dwyer Stakes for 3-year-olds, leading Belmont Jockey, Irad Ortiz, Jr., aboard Firenze Fire, cutting back to a mile, patiently stalked the 3-2 favorite, Mendelssohn, and the early pacesetter, Noble Indy, and gained ground, closing fast in the stretch, to cruise to an impressive 9 length victory. It appears that red hot trainer, Jason Servis, made a wise move with the cut back, after FF’s 11th place finish in the Kentucky Derby, and perhaps he’ll next go in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens, a 7 furlong race on dirt for 3-year-olds, ‘tho his New Jersey owner, Ron Lombardi, would love to see him race in the Haskell.
Chad Brown has said that Kentucky Derby runner-up, Good Magic, is gearing up for his return in the Haskell on July 29, and that his Belmont runner up, Gronkowski, is being geared for the Travers, as he won’t be ready for the Jim Dandy.
It seems that Mendelssohn, the former BC Juvi Turf champ, with a $3 million price tag, would be better suited switching back to the turf, after his loss in the Dwyer, and his dismal last place finish in the Kentucky Derby, but his connections insist they want to keep him on dirt.
Bee Jersey, the gutsy winner over Mind Your Biscuits in the Met Mile, has inexplicably been training on turf, perhaps because owner, Charles Fipke, wants him to race in the BC Turf Mile, but I still believe that their original plan to have him go in the Forego makes more sense.
Another horse I can’t wait to see race up here is Voodoo Song, Linda Rice’s fine 4-year-old NY-bred, who just best Christophe Clement’s even $$ favorite and 6 furlong record holder, NY-bred Disco Partner, the recent millionaire, in the one mile Forbidden Apple on the turf at Belmont. Many will remember that Voodoo Song was on fire at the Spa last year, when he won 4 straight races, culminating with the Grade 3 Saranac closing weekend, and Rice is pointing him toward the Grade 1 Fourstardave, the West Point and the Bernard Baruch this year, never fearful of racing him close together. Disco Partner is expected to next cut back to a sprint again, and I expect to see him in the Grade 3, 5-1/2 furlong Troy Handicap on Sunday, August 5.
Other horses from off the Triple Crown trail that I hope to see race are Todd Pletcher and Mike Repole’s Vino Rosso and Noble Indy, and Bill Mott’s Hofburg, but perhaps more than any horse out there, the one I’m most eagerly waiting to see is Elate, Bill Mott’s amazing 4-year- old filly, who just came off an 8- month layoff, to dominate the field in the Delaware ‘Cap last Saturday, including two daughters of Uncle Mo, much as she did the fields last year in the Alabama and Beldame. It is expected that Claiborne Farms and Adele Dilschneider’s classy filly will next race in the Personal Ensign, named after the Phipps’ family unbeaten Hall of Famer.
‘Til next week, Happy Opening Day, and may the horse be with you!
