The Grade 2, $500,000-dollar Jim Dandy Stakes is Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. It is the final major prep race for the Grade 1 Travers Stakes. It is a compact but talented field of five three-year-olds competing over 1 1/8 miles on the main track. The field may be small, but it features several accomplished Stakes runners with legitimate Travers aspirations. Here is a closer … Continue reading Who Wins The Jim Dandy Stakes?
Saturday is the 62nd running of the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. This race originated in 1964, and is for horses three years-old and up. It is raced at a mile and an eighth, on dirt, and classified as a Grade 2 Stakes race with a purse of $500,000 dollars. The track record for this race dates back to 1996 when LOUIS QUATORZE (that years Preakness winner) blazed to a … Continue reading Go Jim Dandy Go
Saturday is the $500,000-dollar, Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga Race Course. It is the second of three prestigious races for 3-year-old fillies in New York. The CCA Oaks follows the Acorn Stakes in June and precede the Alabama Stakes in August. Here is a brief look at the field for Saturday’s Contest: 1. COUNTING STARS [ML 2-1] Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. Trainer: Mark Casse. … Continue reading Who Wins The Coaching Club American Oaks?
In the lexicon of horse racing there are many different terms to measure the margin of victory. Going from closest to largest; a horse can win by a nose, head, or neck, by fractions of a length, or by a length or more. Though sometimes, there is no margin of victory to measure – when horses reach the finish line equally together. When that happens, … Continue reading Too Close To Call
The million-dollar, Haskell Stakes is Saturday at Monmouth Park. This is the 59th edition of the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and is the first marquee race in the division since the end of the Triple Crown series in early June. Here is a brief look at the field: 1. STAR SWEEPER [ML 30-1] Jockey: Luis Riveria Jr. Trainer: Louis C. Linder Jr. His two wins came … Continue reading Who Wins The Haskell Stakes?
The $300,000-dollar, Grade 3 Indiana Derby is Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis. The 1 1/16-mile dirt race for 3-year-olds is one of eight Stakes races on the day- all featuring 6 figure purses. Here is a brief look at the field: 1. LIGHTER [ML 20-1] Jockey: Marcelino Pedroza Jr. Trainer: Rodolphe Brisset. A tough assignment for his Stakes debut. Won his first career start in a three-quarter-mile … Continue reading Who Wins The Indiana Derby?
One of the biggest advantages a horseplayer can have at Saratoga Race Course is understanding track tendencies. While every racing day is unique, The Spa has developed certain patterns over the years that can help handicappers identify live horses and avoid vulnerable favorites. On the Main Dirt Track, tactical speed is often an asset, especially in sprint races. Horses that can break sharply, secure good … Continue reading Track Tendencies At Saratoga
Saturday is the 45th edition of the Stephan Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs. Since the turn of the century, it has been one of the most prestigious races for older dirt horses, and this year is no different. Late last month, track officials announced that the Stephen Foster purse would be doubled from $1 million to $2 million, and that increase has helped to attract … Continue reading Who Wins The Stephan Foster?
Saturday is the third and final year the Belmont Stakes will be contested at historic Saratoga Race Course. Due to the shorter track configuration at Saratoga the race will be run at 1 ¼ miles. The $2 million, Grade 1 event anchors a five-day festival of racing at The Spa. The Saturday card also features several other prominent Stakes, including three qualifying races for this … Continue reading Who Wins The Belmont Stakes?
For the third straight year Saratoga Race Course stands in for Belmont Park as the host of the Belmont Stakes. Running at The Spa means that the third leg of the Triple Crown is run at the shortened distance of 1 ¼ miles. Horseplayers that follow track trends need to adjust their handicapping accordingly because Belmont Stakes trends (except for the last two years) were … Continue reading Saratoga Main Track 1 ¼-Mile Trends
