SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Bill Mott put a punctuation mark on another outstanding Saratoga meeting with a victory in the final stakes of the season after Stars and Strides rallied to a 1 1/4-length decision over longshot Magic Pathway in Monday’s $135,000 Saranac.
Mott ended the 2025 meet with five stakes victories that also included Sovereignty in the Grade 1 Travers and Grade 2 Jim Dandy and Spiced Up in the Grade 3 Mahony. Stars and Strides was making his stakes debut in the 1 1/16-mile Saranac, a restricted event for 3-year-olds who had not won a graded sweepstakes in 2025.
The Saranac figured to feature a lightning-fast pace, but that scenario never developed after Leon Blue struck the front early and was allowed to cruise to an opening half-mile in a leisurely 49.47 over the firm course. Stars and Strides broke very alertly before being eased back by regular rider Junior Alvarado to race within easy striking distance of the leader while able to save ground throughout.
Stars and Strides, who went postward as the 8-5 favorite, had to steady while briefly awaiting clearance approaching the stretch. He then found ample room along the rail to join the leaders nearing the furlong marker before edging clear at the end.
Magic Pathway made a quick move to contend near mid-stretch but could not sustain the bid. He finished a head in front of Asbury Park, who raced at the rear of the eight-horse field down the backstretch, advanced to closer attendance under vigorous handling on the turn, angled wide to continue his bid into the stretch, and rallied belatedly to be third. He was followed by Crudo, the tiring Leon Blue, Cairo Caper, Versus, and Tank.
Owned by Pin Oak Stud LLC, Stars and Strides completed the distance in 1:42.17 and paid $5.40.
“It was a great meet for us. It’s special. We’ve had a lot of memorable years up here and this is another one,” Mott acknowledged. “Now we’ve got to try to come back here next year and do it again.”
Mott said Stars and Stripes was a horse he’s liked from the start, one who has progressed and gotten better and better. He admitted the Saranac did not develop as either he or Alvarado had expected.
“We both thought there would be more speed,” Mott noted. “If they ran the race on paper, they would have gone in 47 [seconds] and change [for the quarter-mile]. They ran it on the racetrack and they went 49 and change and he was kind of stuck behind a slow pace. But he was in a nice rhythm going down the backside. The only question was whether he would find a seam to get through, and he did.”