Photo provided by the New York Race Track Chaplaincy.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Kim Weir, the director of strategic growth for Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga, received on Tuesday the first-ever Nancy Kelly Volunteer Award for her efforts with the New York Race Track Chaplaincy. Weir was presented with the award at a luncheon held at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by this kind gesture from the chaplaincy,” Weir said. “As a volunteer, I am inspired by the legacy of Nancy Kelly’s life of service. I hope that this award and celebration will shine light on the lasting impact that we can each make, every day, in the lives of our neighbors and our community when we share our time and talents.”
“Our organization could not serve all the people it does without the exceptional assistance we receive from volunteers and Kim really exemplifies what this award is all about,” said Hall of Fame jockey Ramón Dominguez at the luncheon. “She gives generously of her time and is most deserving of this honor.”
The prize is named in honor of the late Nancy Kelly, a former president, vice president, and longtime volunteer with the New York Chaplaincy. Kelly passed away in February of last year. The chaplaincy created the award to honor her memory and recognize an individual who supports the organization with their volunteerism.
Weir is a resident of Saratoga Springs and is actively involved with numerous racing-related organizations in the area, in addition to her work with the chaplaincy.
Photo of Brett Beckwith via the Saratoga Casino Hotel.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Brett Beckwith, a Saratoga Springs High School graduate and Wilton resident, is currently representing the United States at the 2025 World Driving Championships in New Zealand. The championships include more than 20 heats run at five different racecourses across the country.
On Sunday, Beckwith earned a second-place finish from two drives at the Kaikoura Trotting Club, placing him fourth overall in the opening round of competition. He also finished third in a Nov. 2 race. As of Nov. 4, Beckwith was 7th in the championship standings with 28 total points.
“It’s been a blast so far,” Beckwith told Harness Racing New Zealand earlier this week after his second-place finish.
Beckwith launched his career as a driver at the Saratoga Casino Hotel’s harness track when he was only 18 years old. In 2021, he won 69 of 625 starts, earning the Johnny Page Driver Breakthrough award. In 2024, he was the leading driver at Saratoga with 306 wins. In his career thus far, Beckwith has accumulated at least 1,399 first-place finishes in 8,353 starts for a total purse of nearly $14 million.
The World Driving Championships will continue with additional race days scheduled for Nov. 7, 9, and 11.
The Spa Catholic girl’s soccer team poses for a team photo after defeating Germantown 2-1 at Skidmore College on Sept. 19. Photo provided by Assistant Coach Tony Nucera.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Central Catholic girl’s soccer team finished its 2025 fall season with an overall record of 7-10-1. The squad earned a 2-0 class D quarterfinal sectional win over Germantown before falling in the semis to Fort Ann.
The team was led by top scorers and captains Addison Quail and Allison Fuller, as well as defensive standouts Ava Brown (another captain), Emma Gilchrist, and Maggie Durfee.
The Saints’ momentum shifted mid-season when Grace Schaefer began playing goal full time. During that stretch, the defense gave up 17 goals over their final 12 games and earned 4 shutouts.
Highlights of the season included nighttime wins at Skidmore College over Germantown and Gloversville, as well as a sectional win over Germantown at Saratoga Springs High School. The Saints earned the section’s 4th seed entering the postseason.
After starting 0-5-1 with a challenging early schedule that included games against Bolton, Berlin, and Cambridge, the Lady Saints piled up 7 wins in their last 12 games, which also included tough road losses to Whitehall (1-0 in double overtime) and Corinth (2-1, after leading 1-0 at halftime).
The team expects a breakout season in 2026 despite losing four seniors: Fuller, Brown, Isabella Hutter, and Anna Fitzpatrick. 13 players are set to return next year including a core group of talented starters in Schaefer, Quail, Lily Guidon, Jill Venn, and Sophia Ryan. 8th grade star Sophia Brunner, sophomore Julia Dejnozka, and juniors Ryan and Venn will work collectively to make up for the lost offensive production due to Fuller’s graduation.
The team also recently held its end-of-season banquet, and the following awards were presented:
• Team MVP: Addison Quail
• Coaches Award: Ava Brown
• Dan Cogan Award: Allison Fuller
• Most Improved: Lily Guidon
Head Coach Brian Venn and Assistant Coach Tony Nucera said they would like to thank the Lady Saints players for another “magical ride” in 2025, as well as the players’ parents for the “incredible support they provided to the team all season long.”
Coach Rich Johns, founder of “Act With Respect Always” (AWRA) and a former Saratoga Springs tennis coach, recently spent a day at the Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville (OESJ) Elementary School, delivering two presentations and recognizing a number of students and teachers with the AWRA Starfish Award. Pictured here are the students in Mrs. McNulty’s class, with Coach Johns, prior to signing the school banner. “Act With Respect Always” presentations are designed to build respect and leadership, teach positive and constructive behavior, and stop bullying before it starts. Photo provided by Rich Johns.
Photo of Skidmore riding team junior captain Ani McIntyre via Eye Was Here Photography/Skidmore College Athletics.
GUILDERLAND — The Skidmore College equestrian team won their second show of the season, which was hosted by Siena University at Dutch Manor Stable on Nov. 1. Junior Captain Ani McIntyre rode away with the High Point Rider prize and was also awarded the Ride of the Day. The team added 5 blue ribbons to their tally for the Blue Ribbon Challenge.
The riders’ first blue ribbon of the day was won by Ian Guadio, in his Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) debut in the Intermediate Fences on Skidmore’s Stella. Penelope York also showed for the first time in the IHSA, winning her Limit Fences classes. McIntyre soon followed with another blue in the Limit Fences.
The Open riders were back to their winning ways for the second half of the day, with Isa Jensen winning her Open Flat on Skidmore’s Milan. McIntyre returned to win her Limit Flat class, earning her the High Point Rider honors. Sierra Wiser rode to second place in her first IHSA competition, and Catherine Epstein finished the day with a blue ribbon in the Introductory Equitation.
The team next competes in the Skidmore College Show doubleheader on Nov. 15 at the Van Lennep Riding Center.
Hannah Paynter, winner of the Women’s Open 1x at the 2025 Head of the Fish regatta. Photo via ARION Rowing.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Athletes from the Saratoga-based ARION (Advanced Rowing Initiative of the Northeast) program excelled at the 2025 Head of the Fish regatta at the end of October, with Hannah Paynter winning the Women’s Open 1x and the team of Sophia Ortega and James Schmidt winning the Mixed Open 2x.
“ARION athletes raced hard, worked all over the regatta, and even put together some great costumes,” ARION said in a social media post. “Grateful for the [Saratoga Rowing] community and to all the competitors who came out.”
The ARION program has sent some of its athletes to the Olympics, including Kristi Wagner and Lauren O’Connor, who both finished ninth overall in their respective events at the 2024 games in Paris, France.
Head of the Fish is one of the largest regattas in the country, bringing more than 160 teams and 1,600 crews from across the northeast to compete in Saratoga Springs.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs field hockey player Mia Khazin shattered her school’s single-season scoring record in a brutal 3-2 overtime loss to Guilderland on Oct. 28. In that contest, Khazin netted her 30th goal of the year, surpassing Lindsey Frank’s record of 29, which was set in 2018.
By surpassing Frank, a Blue Streak Hall of Famer who now works as a marketing coordinator for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, Khazin catapulted herself into the ranks of all-time great Saratoga athletes.
“[Mia] always looked up to people like Lindsey Frank,” said the field hockey star’s coach, Jo-Anne Hostig. “She said, ‘It’s a nice feeling to be amongst them but I never thought I would.’ But then I say to her, ‘it’s your hard work. It’s what you did in the offseason, your determination…’ I’m really proud of her to have done that, and I think there’s a lot more to come, to be honest. I think it’s just the beginning for her.”
Khazin has already committed to play field hockey for the Division 1 Quinnipiac University, which just wrapped up their 10-8 season on Halloween. Khazin was interested in the school not just because she wanted to play Division 1 field hockey, but also because Quinnipiac boasts a strong academic reputation. Prior to the start of the 2025 season, the school’s field hockey team received the BIG EAST Team Academic Excellence Award thanks to a team GPA of 3.8, the highest among all BIG EAST field hockey programs. All 21 Quinnipiac field hockey players were also named to the 2024-25 BIG EAST All-Academic Team.
“She’s always been a scholar-athlete,” Hostig said. “I think that she’ll fit in well there.”
Khazin has made the Saratoga Springs High Honor Roll multiple times during her high school career, and according to her recruiting profile, she’s also served on the student council and the Women’s Empowerment Club.
“She’s a person that, as far as being a great role model, she’s been inspiring to the younger players because she set herself up two years ago to say, ‘I’m going to improve. I want to get better.’ She doubled her scores from her sophomore year to her junior year,” Hostig said. “She set herself in the offseason to really work hard at trying to improve everything about what she was as an athlete, as a player, mentally and physically. It was hard and she had things that she had to overcome, and she did.”
The Saratoga Racers of the American Basketball Association (ABA) recently released their full regular season 2025-26 schedule. Last season, the team played at the Saratoga Central Catholic gym on Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs, but a change of ownership will result in all of this season’s home games being played at 10 North Main Street in Mechanicville. Graphic of schedule via the Saratoga Racers.
This weekend all roads lead to southern California and beautiful Del Mar Racecourse for the 42nd rendition of the Breeders’ Cup. It is the pinnacle event of the horse racing season. The two-day extravaganza showcases the best thoroughbreds in the world competing in 14 races with a mind-boggling 30 million dollars in purse money.
The grand finale of the weekend is the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The mile and quarter event brings together the best in the three-year-olds and up category. The rivals will compete for a seven million dollar purse and probable Horse of the Year honors. No less than an astounding 17 of the 41 winners have gone on to claim that title.
This year’s field has all the earmarks of becoming “One for the ages.” The race is absolutely loaded with talent. The top contenders include: SOVEREIGNTY…2025 Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, Travers Stakes. SIERRA LEONE…2024 Breeders Cup Classic, Whitney Stakes. FIERCENESS..2024 Travers Stakes, Jim Dandy Stakes, 2025 Pacific Classic. FOREVER YOUNG…2024 Japan Dirt Classic, 2025 Saudi Cup. JOURNALISM…2025 Preakness Stakes, Haskell Stakes. BAEZA…Pennsylvania Derby. MINDFRAME…2025 Stephen Foster Stakes. Grade 1 winners NEVADA BEACH
and ANTIQUARIAN round out the field.
One may have to look back to the 1973 Marlboro Cup to find a more accomplished field. It showcased the likes of the great Secretariat and his brilliant stablemate Riva Ridge. The supporting cast included fellow Hall of Fame champion Cougar 2nd, 1972 Three-year old champion Key to the Mint and 1973 Canadian Horse of the Year Kennedy Road.
Comparing previous Classics, the 1998 version has aged like a bottle of 1959 Lafite Rothschild. The Canadian star Awesome Again defeated the great champions Silver Charm and Skip Away, along with a host of Grade 1 winners. It is considered one or the greatest fields ever assembled.
I have reached out to Saratoga’s own Michael Veitch to analyze the race for our readers. He needs no introduction here. His resume speaks for itself. Mike will guide us through the entries and their chances of winning the race. He will also present a short history of the Breeders’ Cup.
Without further interruption, the Maestro can take it from here.
The Breeders’ Cup was created to increase the exposure of racing on a national scale and to help determine national champions with a year-end program of rich races. Owner and breeder John Gaines is credited as one of the driving forces in its creation, which for several years saw the races held at such tracks as Gulfstream Park, Lone Star in Texas, and Woodbine in Toronto. Hollywood Park hosted the 1984 inaugural, with Aqueduct Race Track hosting the second edition in 1985. Over the decades, the program itself has grown from a single day of six races to a two-day event of 14.
Its importance is such that many of the old barometers of titles, races such as the Travers, Champagne, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Arlington Million and others, have now become stepping stones to the Breeders’ Cup.This was upsetting to racing traditionalists at the time. The Jockey Club Gold Cup for many years was known as “Racing’s Crowning Event.” Not anymore. It is the Breeders’ Cup that frequently anoints divisional champions.The Cup races bring together many, if not most, of the divisional leaders. Its timing in late October or early November puts the finishing touch on championship campaigns.
Now it’s time for Mike’s assessment of the field:
BAEZA is my pick to win the Classic. I think he has finally attained the composure and professionalism that goes with his considerable talent, much of which remains untapped in my opinion. He is trained by the masterful John Shirreffs, who handled the immortal Zenyatta. He finally earned his Grade 1 victory in the Pennsylvania Derby last out.
FIERCENESS has done little wrong in his career. Second in this event last year, he won the Pacific Classic this season at Del Mar after nearly bolting through the inner rail at the start. He will be hard to handle in his best.
This fabulous field also contains SOVEREIGNTY, and all he has done is capture the Kentucky Derby, Belmont, and Travers, which in all likelihood assures him the division Eclipse Award, regardless of his performance in the Classic. He is training for this event with his Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott at Saratoga’s Oklahoma Training Track.
SIERRA LEONE won this event last year. He is a confirmed closer who loves 10 furlongs and has never been out of the money. He does need help with a strong pace, but none-the- less has a lot going for him as he returns to Del Mar.
Third in the 2024 Classic was FOREVER YOUNG , who last year was third to Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone in the Kentucky Derby, just a head short of winning. He was bred in Japan, whose runners are increasingly prominent on the world stage.
MINDFRAME is yet another with a terrific resume and he holds a victory over Sierra Leone in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster this past summer. He had horrible luck in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga when he lost jockey Irad Ortiz when bumped at the start. Having said that, please note that he ran the distance and thus, presumably, got something out of it.
JOURNALISM is a solid member of the sophomore class of 2025. He won the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, and owns Grade 1 victories on both coasts. Thanks to Mike for his analysis and history of the event, Most of you that read this will surely be watching the Breeders’ Cup. For those who have a passing interest or none at all, this one is worth watching. Tune in and see what makes horse racing such a grand sport. Seldom do we get a chance to see this many accomplished thoroughbreds enter the starting gate with such great expectations. Post time for the race is Saturday at 6:25 pm EDT. It will be televised on NBC and its affiliate, Peacock TV. Article submitted before any late scratches might occur.
U.S. Congressman Paul Tonko speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 12, 2024. Photo via the press conference livestream.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Paul Tonko, who represents Saratoga County, has renewed his push for the SAFE Bet Act following a gambling scandal that rocked the NBA and allegedly involved members of the Mafia.
On Thursday, Portland Trailblazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, and a number of alleged organized crime figures were arrested after being accused of participating in rigged, illegal poker games.
According to an indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York, victims of these poker games believed they were competing against other players on equal footing. But the games were allegedly rigged using wireless technologies that enabled the defendants to read the cards dealt in each hand and relay that information to co-conspirators. According to the indictment, the victims of these card games were cheated out of millions of dollars.
Former NBA player Damon Jones was also embroiled in the wide-ranging scandal after he was accused of selling insider information for the purpose of placing illegal bets prior to at least two Los Angeles Lakers games.
The scandal has sparked a discussion about the increasing influence of sports betting, which is now legal (in some form) in 38 states. Evidence shows that gambling addiction rates have increased significantly in the last few years since sports betting became legalized across much of the country. Virginia saw a 973% increase in the number of problem gambling helpline callers, while Florida saw a 138% increase and New Jersey reported a 277% increase.
In response to all this, Congressman Tonko has renewed his call to pass the SAFE Bet Act, which he introduced last year.
“Scandals like this are an inevitable consequence of the unchecked explosion of the sports betting industry,” Tonko said in a statement issued on Oct. 23. “The constant, unfettered access to sports gambling destroys public trust in the game, while having dire consequences for countless persons across our nation struggling with problem gambling. Now more than ever, we need to pass my SAFE Bet Act to address the public health implications of gambling and protect the integrity of our sports. It’s past time for the NBA and other professional leagues to support establishing these minimum federal safety standards and meaningfully show that they value the trust of their fans and the integrity of their sport.”
Among other things, the Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet (SAFE Bet) Act would:
• Prohibit all proposition bets featuring college and amateur athletes;
• Prohibit sports betting advertising from being broadcast between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.;
• Prohibit sports betting advertising during live sporting events;
• Prohibit sports betting advertisements designed to induce gambling with “bonus,” “no sweat,” “bonus bets,” or odds boosts, or similar promotions;
• Prohibit reckless or purposeful targeting of problem gamblers, individuals suffering from gambling disorder, or individuals ineligible to place a bet, including those under 21 years of age;
• Prohibit operators from accepting more than 5 deposits from a customer in a 24-hour period;
• Prohibit operators from accepting deposits via credit card;
• Require operators to conduct ‘affordability checks’ on customers before accepting wagers in excess of $1,000 in a 24-hour period or $10,000 in a 30-day period and verify that proposed deposits do not exceed more than 30 percent of the individual’s monthly income through the application of a reasonable lender standard;
• Prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to track individual player’s gambling habits;
• Prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to create individualized offers and promotions to customers.
Tonko first introduced the bill at a Washington, D.C. press conference on Sept. 12 of last year. He also previously authored the Betting on our Future Act, which would have banned all online and electronic advertising of sports gambling.
