On Saturday, a talented group of fillies will face the starter in what may be the deepest field ever to run in the Alabama Stakes. Unfortunately, Believe You Can will not be one of them. Her trainer, Larry Jones, said, "She really touts you in her work." When he failed to see her brilliance in Monday's work, he decided to rest her rather than risk her future. She's proven in the past that there is more to her name then meets the eye. She needs a little break now but you can expect her to come back and continue to penetrate hearts.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The highlight of every Thoroughbred racing season in Saratoga Springs is the “Mid-Summer Derby” $1,000,000 Travers Stakes, traditionally held the last Saturday in August since 1864. For an event as big and historic as this, the city of Saratoga Springs and the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce will hold the annual Travers Festival beginning August 18 and culminates with the 143^rd running of the Grade 1 Travers Stakes.

Racing to the Microphone

Monday is Friday for the jockeys of Saratoga, who have off on dark Tuesdays. In the spirit of ‘TGIM,’ Vapor Night Club came alive on Monday, August 13, for Riders Up!, benefiting the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF).

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The New York State Racing and Wagering Board announced August 8 the enhanced security protocols that will be in place during the upcoming Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. The guidelines focus on the safety of the horses, as well as monitoring the integrity of horse racing by monitoring the horses’ nutrition and medical treatment.

Alabama High Test

Fillies take center stage August 18 for the Grade 1 $600,000 TVG Alabama Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Run at 10 furlongs, it is the longest race these fillies will ever run. Heading up the field will be Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can and Grade 1 Acorn winner Zo Impressive.

Originally named Sunny Side, 55 Union Avenue was built as a testament to the success of its owner, George M. Crippen. Completed in 1901, when natural night was essential, two of the rooms on the main floor (one on the east side and one on the west) are flooded with either morning or evening sunlight, thus the name. Typical of those who made their own fortunes, Crippen’s mansion used light woods for moldings, leaving the darker, heavier woods for those staid families who were raised with money.

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The two-day Saratoga selected yearling sales at Fasig-Tipton raked in $32 million from August 6 – 7, with 107 Thoroughbreds sold at a median price of $225,000 and a high bid of $1,575,000.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – During the hot summer months leading into the Thoroughbred racing season, Saratoga Springs welcomes thousands of tourists each and every day. Located along Broadway at the intersection of Congress Street, the Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center is the place where many people experiencing Saratoga for the first time start their trip - whether they’re fans of horses, history or even mineral water.

If an American equivalent to Downton Abbey or Upstairs Downstairs were to be produced, it should be set in Saratoga and it should feature the Batcheller Mansion. That is because no other house reflects the family who had it built, the city it is built in, and America at the time it was built (1874) more than this great mansion.

On Monday, August 6, Dylan Davis put on white pants and slipped his arms into the sleeves of racing silks for his first-ever rides as a jockey. He’s been galloping horses for two years and spent a year at Chris McCarron’s North American Racing Academy. The young lad was champing at the bit to ride races. “It’s too soon,” were the words coming from many of the people on the backstretch, but his dad felt differently.