SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It did not have all the feels of a traditional opening day at Saratoga and it was reflected in the business for Thursday’s “opening-day” program of the traditional 40-day Saratoga summer meet.
All-sources handle on the 10-race card was $15,684,334, down 15.6 percent from last year’s figure of $18,578,172 on an 11-race card. There were 75 starters on Thursday’s card compared to 88 on last year’s program. All four scheduled turf races did run on the turf Thursday whereas last year all five scheduled turf races were rained off to the dirt. Thursday, the rain didn’t come until after the races were completed.
Paid attendance Thursday was 24,418 down 14.4 percent compared from last year’s opening-day crowd of 28,541.
It was reasonable to expect a decline in business given there was racing held here last week. The New York Racing Association moved the July Fourth Racing Festival from Aqueduct to Saratoga and handled $83.6 million over those four days of racing compared with $37.8 million in 2024 when those four days were held at Aqueduct.
Despite track announcer Frank Mirahmadi’s best efforts to get the crowd to yell “And They’re Off at Saratoga,” the response lacked the enthusiasm from past years when there was more anticipation for opening day.
It wasn’t long before the first of three incidents involving race favorites drew the crowd’s attention as Grace Reformed, the 2-1 choice in the opener, clipped heels with Rodeo Star around the first turn and unseated jockey Christopher Elliott. Grace Reformed was apprehended by the outrider and Elliott rode his next race finishing second on race favorite My Two Sophia’s in race 3.
But Elliott took off his remaining three mounts due to back and rib pain. He went to a local hospital for X-rays, which were negative and the apprentice jockey was cleared to ride Friday.
In race 6, the first 2-year-old race of the meet, Cooperation flipped behind the gate and was scratched. She was the 2-1 favorite at the time. In race 7, Endorse, the 7-5 favorite, stumbled leaving the starting gate, unseated jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. who immediately got up. Endorse ran free for five furlongs before being apprehended by an outrider.
All riders and horses seemed to escape these incidents unharmed.
It was a good day for jockey Flavien Prat who won the first three races on the card. Jose Ortiz won twice including a division of the $135,000 De La Rose Stakes aboard the Cherie DeVaux-trained Deep Satin. Trainer Miguel Clement and jockey Dylan Davis teamed to win the other – and faster – division of the De La Rose with Ozara.
Seven of the 10 winners paid double-digit prices with longshots Spiritual Lady ($25.40) and Dream On Cara ($34.20) ending the card. Those results led to a pick-6 carryover of $118,028 into Friday’s card.
Spiritual Lady was trained by Gregory Charlerie, who took over the training duties of the stable of John Toscano Jr., the longtime trainer who died on April 3. The stable consists of 10 horses, six based at Belmont with Charlerie and four with Toscano’s son John in Saratoga. The younger Toscano said it was the first win for the stable since his father’s passing.
“We had four seconds from the last five horses we started,” Toscano said. “To get a win like this was unbelievable, it feels great.”
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