Santa Battles Grinch in Second Saratoga Showdown

SARATOGA SPRINGS — In an annual tradition that perhaps foretells whether this Christmas will be a jolly or mean one, Santa Claus and The Grinch aired their grievances with a feat of strength: a harness race at the Saratoga Casino Hotel.

The mile-long race on Dec. 14 circled several inches of packed snow. The Grinch opened up an early lead, bursting ahead of Claus at the start of the contest. Claus was stuck on the inside, trailing by about two-and-a-half lengths as the foes entered the backstretch. Santa kept his cool, biding his time for a comeback as children across Saratoga feared their presents might be stolen by a victorious Mean One. The anxiety heightened as The Grinch expanded his lead to three lengths. As the ill-tempered, pot-bellied Christmas ruiner passed the grandstands in the stretch, he seemed to be almost taunting those in attendance.

But then, The Grinch went wide on a turn, opening up space on the inside. Claus attempted to squeeze into the gap as if it was a chimney, but The Mean One kept him at bay. Still, St. Nick gained ground and cut his enemy’s lead to about two lengths. Sensing that his chance of victory was narrowing, Santa snapped the reins as he does every Christmas when beckoning his reindeer toward the heavens. With that, Santa’s horse came so close to the reclining Grinch that the Mean One could’ve kissed its nose.

But as they entered the final stretch, centuries of a milk-and-cookies diet seemed to slow down St. Nick. The mean Green One insulted Claus and all of polite society as he cruised across the finish line with a commanding four-length victory.

It was the second-straight year that The Grinch defeated Santa in Saratoga. In 2024, The Grinch won by an inch.