After two week-long festivals – one last month, one last week – the traditional 40-day carnival known as the Saratoga summer meet starts Thursday. There are reasons to believe it could be a tremendous season.
Many of the most high-profile horses in training are expected to participate at Saratoga this summer, and the premier races of the meet have the potential to be elite. The Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on Aug. 23 is the target for dual classic winner Sovereignty, who also is planning to run in the Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy here July 26. Plans are not confirmed for Journalism, the Preakness winner and Kentucky Derby and Belmont runner-up, but the Travers has not been entirely ruled out. Baeza, third in the Derby and Belmont, is expected for the Jim Dandy and Travers.
Over the weekend, Magnitude returned from a layoff with a 9 1/4-length victory in the Iowa Derby to potentially throw his hat in the Travers ring. Magnitude was sidelined by an ankle chip following a 9 3/4-length victory in the Risen Star at Fair Grounds in February.
The Grade 1, $1 million Whitney, the premier race at the meet for older dirt males on Aug. 2, is expected to attract Sierra Leone and Fierceness, the one-two finishers from last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, as well as White Abarrio, the 2023 Whitney winner, and his stablemate Skippylongstocking. Mindframe, a two-time Grade 1 winner this year, has the same connections as Fierceness in owner Mike Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher. He also is being considered for the Whitney, though he could wait for the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on Aug. 31.
“If [Repole] runs both of those horses in the Whitney, that’s going to be an amazing race,” said Dave O’Rourke, NYRA president and CEO. “That would take guts from the owner and be an amazing race.”
Thorpedo Anna, the reigning Horse of the Year who ran a gallant second to Fierceness in last year’s Travers, was expected to arrive in Saratoga this week and is pointing to the Grade 1 Personal Ensign on Aug. 23. She will likely meet Raging Sea, last year’s Personal Ensign winner, who defeated Thorpedo Anna in the La Troienne in May. Thorpedo Anna’s Kentucky Derby-winning stablemate, Mystik Dan, also is expected to come to Saratoga, though it’s uncertain whether he will run here or not.
She Feels Pretty, arguably the top female turf horse in training, was entered for Saturday’s Grade 1 Diana Stakes. Ways and Means, among the top female sprinters in the country, is pointing to the Grade 1 Ballerina. Good Cheer, Nitrogen, Immersive, and La Cara – each among the top 3-year-old fillies in the country – are all expected to run in the Coaching Club American Oaks and/or Alabama here this summer.
Over the weekend, during the July Fourth Racing Festival held here, there were two eye-catching performances by 2-year-olds, with Obliteration winning the Grade 3 Sanford by 10 1/2 lengths and Ewing taking a maiden race for colts by 12 lengths. More 2-year-olds will be unveiled all meet long.
The traditional Saratoga meet has the momentum of a weekend in which $83.5 million was wagered on four cards. The 44 races conducted – including 20 on turf – were run over fast and firm conditions, once again exhibiting the importance of good weather on business.
With races having already occurred, it’s likely that Thursday’s opening-day card lacks the usual anticipation.
“You’re going to pull forward some demand – there’s no free lunch in the world – but if the weather holds out, that will be really nice,” O’Rourke said.
Last year, despite inclement weather that not only caused the cancellation of an entire program but forced 45 scheduled turf races to the dirt, all-sources handle at Saratoga was $803.8 million, the third-highest total in track history. In 2023, inclement weather forced NYRA officials to move 65 scheduled turf races to the dirt.
Coming off the first totally dry weekend in the capital region since mid-November, there is, naturally, rain in the forecast for Thursday’s card, which features split divisions of the $135,000 De La Rose Stakes for older fillies on turf.
Chad Brown and Flavien Prat each had record-setting meets in 2024. Brown won 15 stakes, 13 of which were graded – both single-meet records. He also won six Grade 1 races – believed to be a single-meet record – including his ninth Diana.
“There might have been a meet where I won more races,” said Brown, who won 46 in 2018, “but I never had a better meet overall quality-wise. That’ll be hard to duplicate. We’ll see how the 2-year-olds pan out, how they stack up, and we still have a lot of nice horses in the barn from last year and we have some up-and-comers.
“It’s a combination of the horses that are back for another season – can they maintain their form from last year, the ones who had Grade 1 success? The up-and-comers, can they fill shoes? And can the 2-year-olds show up?”
Prat set records for stakes wins (18) and graded stakes (14) at a single Saratoga meet. His 45 victories were seven fewer than Irad Ortiz Jr., who was the leading rider in that department for the third straight year and sixth overall.
The NYRA has made a few tweaks to its stakes schedule in 2025. The Grade 1 Sword Dancer, a race traditionally run on Travers Day, has been moved up two weeks to Aug. 9. The Grade 1 Fourstardave, traditionally run the second week of August, has been moved up by one week and will be part of the Aug. 2 Whitney Day card. The Fourstardave received a $250,000 purse increase and is now worth $750,000.
First post for cards of nine to 11 races is 1:10 p.m. On Saturdays, when the NYRA plans to run 12 races, first post is 12:35 p.m. There will be alternative first posts on Travers Day (Aug. 23) and closing weekend (Aug. 30-Sept. 1).
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