Season 146 at Saratoga kicks off today. There’s always a special vibe to Day 1, especially as the opening call to the post approaches.
That’s when Tom Durkin, the famed and soon-to-be-retired race caller urges the crowd to join him in saying, “And they’re off at SARATOGA!” Everybody cheers then Durkin gets to work. It’s the most excited anyone will be for a $25,000 claiming race all season, maybe all year.
But that’s not the point. The point is that Saratoga’s racing season is the last great push of the summer. It’s the late kick we’ve seen in great racehorses like Zenyatta, Curlin and the one-hit wonder Mine That Bird. Saratoga is the bridge between mid-summer and the new school year.
It’s a ladies first kind of weekend with the Grade III Schuylerville Stakes for juvenile fillies leading the charge, as it were. Saratoga is known for many things, but one of its lynchpins, especially among those in the know (and, let’s face it, since you’re reading this, you are in the know) is 2-year-old racing.
This is where many of tomorrow’s race stars cut their teeth. This is where Todd Pletcher, perennial leading trainer, unleashes his stable of young, precocious horses that all have eyes on next year’s Triple Crown.
In 2007, Big Brown (the 2008 Kentucky Derby winner) won his maiden (on the grass) by a smashing margin. Orb, the 2013 Kentucky Derby winner, was a respectable third in a highly touted maiden special weight.
Stars come to Saratoga, but Saratoga also makes stars.
That could be the case come Race 3 today when the field for the Schuylerville breaks. In recent memory, the Schuylerville has run as the feature race late in the card, but this year it starts early.
Breaking from Post 4 is the very familiar combination of Pletcher and Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. The filly is Fashion Alert, the heavy 3-5 favorite on the morning line. The Pletcher/Velazquez combination makes most horses an underlay, but in this case, she’s a worthy favorite.
She broke her maiden in the Astoria Stakes at Belmont Park winning by an impressive 4 ¾ lengths. She covered the 5 ½ furlongs in 1:04.01 and now she makes just her second start here in a Grade III.
“She’s special,” said George Bolton, owner of Fashion’s Alert. “Obviously, Todd thought enough of her to start her off in a stakes. I hadn’t seen her since March, and she’d grown up since then. From the way she gallops out and the Tiznow side, we’re hoping distance won’t be an issue for her this year.”
Fashion Alert broke a bit slow in the Astoria, rushed to the front three wide and kicked clear of the field.
While Fashion Alert leads the 2-year-old fillies, Cinco Charlie, a horse trained by Steve Asmussen, heads up the juvenile colts. Cinco Charlie is 2-1 on the morning line breaking from Post 9 in a nine-horse field.
Cinco Charlie, a son of Indian Charlie, is unbeaten in two starts including a win in the Grade III Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs. He put in an easy four-furlong breeze at Saratoga in 51.23 seconds. Not blazing by any stretch, but just a tune up by a heavy favorite.
On top of that, Pletcher has yet another young contender in Nonna’s Boy. This son of Empire Maker set blazing fractions in his maiden win in the mud at Belmont Park and opened up to win by 5 ½ lengths. He goes off as the 2-1 second-choice against Cinco Charlie.
Both colts went to the lead in their last races but the way in which Nonna’s Boy hit the front, he’ll be the likely speed.
“He’s doing very well,” said Pletcher. “He’s training well and we’re very happy with the progress he’s made. We’ll let him run out of the gate and see how the race unfolds.”
Big Trouble, trained by Tony Dutrow, broke his maiden by 4 ½ lengths. He whipped through five furlongs in a minute flat on the main track at Saratoga signifying he’s dead fit.
“He’s doing really, really good,” said Dutrow. “He’s still a bit immature. Some of the 2-year-olds are mature, focused horses, and he’s not one of them. I breezed him over the [Saratoga] main track and he went [five furlongs] in a minute, and it takes a pretty good horse to be able to do that.”
Rounding out the field of the Sanford Stakes are Chocolate Wildcat, Silverhill, Souper Colossal, Mr. Z, Less Than Perfect and Bessie’s Boy.
Not to be outdone are some of the older fillies and mares. Joining the Sanford on Saturday is the Grade I $500,000 Diana Stakes run at 1 1/8th miles on the grass.
And it’s Mechanicville native Chad Brown who sends out two quality mares to try and steal a Grade I. Alterite is the favorite at 3-1 on the morning line and Stephanie’s Kitten is the 6-1 third-choice on the morning line for Brown.
Alterite comes in off a long layoff once a bone chip in her ankle was discovered after the Breeders’ Cup. She’s breezed three times on the Saratoga turf leading up to the Diana. It’s a tall order asking this filly to make her 2014 debut in this spot.
“I’m not running unless I think I have a chance to win,” he added, “but, she’s a filly with a ton of ability and a ton of class, so we’ll see what happens.”
Frankie Dettori, a world famous jockey who does most of his riding in Europe, makes his Saratoga debut aboard Brown’s Stephanie’s Kitten in the Diana.
Closing out the weekend will be the 3-year-old fillies in the Grade I $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks.
