The 1 ¼-mile, Grade 1 Travers, known as the Mid-Summer Derby, is the centerpiece of the Saratoga meet and is, aside from the Triple Crown, the most sought after prize for 3-year-old racehorses. Here is a look at the very competitive field of seven: 1. FORTE [ML 7-5] Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. Trainer: Todd Pletcher. Was a veterinarian scratch on the morning of the Kentucky … Continue reading Who Wins The Travers Stakes ?
WHY MID-SUMMER DERBY ? A couple of reasons: the Travers is restricted to 3-year-old Thoroughbreds, which is what defines a Derby. Also, because the race attracts such an incredible field, you’ll be seeing some of the stars of Triple Crown season at Saratoga on Saturday. THE MORE YOU KNOW. So, you already learned that only 3-year-old Thoroughbreds can run in the Travers; here’s some more … Continue reading More Useful Travers Info
Saturday is the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. It is by far the most popular day of the entire meet. It features five Grade 1, Stakes races, totaling over 5 million dollars in purses. So perhaps a little background on the race itself is in order: THE NAME: When the Saratoga Racing Association named the Travers Stakes for William R. Travers (one of the founders of America’s oldest race course), they sought only to … Continue reading Travers Week Begins
The Alabama Stakes has long been one of the most important races in the United States for 3-year-old fillies. The list of past Winners reads like a who’s who of Distaff stars through the decades. The 1 ¼-mile test at Saratoga is the longest Grade 1 dirt stakes for 3-year-old fillies and a key race on the road to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, hence this tough field of ten: … Continue reading Who Gets Away In The Alabama ?
Saturdays feature race at Saratoga Race Course is the Grade 1, $600,000 dollar Alabama Stakes. The prestigious stakes race for 3-year-old fillies is one of the oldest races for females in the United States, with its first edition taking place in 1872 in a race Won by WOODBINE, a horse owned by August Belmont. The race itself was not precisely named in honor of the great state of Alabama; rather, … Continue reading Sweet Home Alabama Stakes
Times have changed in horseracing (not always for the better), longevity, class, and success are becoming rare qualities in the barns and on the track. This past Saturday the New York Racing Association honored the memory of the famed gelding FOURSTARDAVE, a multiple Graded Stakes Winner who posted Wins in eight straight years at Saratoga Race Course during a 100-race career. So, it was fitting … Continue reading My Casa, You Casa
The $500,000, Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap is Saturday at Saratoga. The contest will be run on the inner turf course and is held at one mile and offers an automatic berth to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile on November 4th at Santa Anita Park. Here is a look at the field for the 39th edition of the Fourstardave: 1. EMMANUEL [ML 3-1] Jockey: Jose Ortiz. Trainer: Todd Pletcher. … Continue reading Who Wins The Fourstardave ?
Saturdays feature event at Saratoga is the $500,000 dollar, Grade 1 Fourstardave. The race is named to honor a fan favorite at Saratoga…you guessed it FOURSTARDAVE. He was one of the most popular horses of his time, as he competed from age 2 to 10. And boy how he loved The Spa. He Won at least one race at Saratoga from 1987 to 1994, earning him the nickname The Sultan Of Saratoga. The Fourstardave Handicap has … Continue reading Fourstardave Trends
After the tragic ending to the G1 Test at Saratoga Saturday a casual racing observer pondered the question of why couldn’t MAPLE LEAF MEL be saved, why did she have to be euthanized? Fair question. While it may seem cruel to kill an animal when it breaks a leg, it is the most humane option for the horse. This is because broken legs are very … Continue reading MAPLE LEAF MEL
Saturday (August 5th) at Saratoga Race Course is the 96th running of the Whitney Stakes. The Queen of Saratoga, that was the nickname bestowed upon Marylou Whitney the socialite, philanthropist and Thoroughbred breeder/owner who always graced Saratoga Race Course with her presence, but never with more grandeur than on the race day that bears her family name. Marylou died at the age of 93 in 2019, two weeks before she … Continue reading Who Wins The Whitney?
