SARATOGA RACE COURSE Home of Champions

Just as was happening on the national political scene, the second weekend of the Saratoga racing season was characterized by a female taking center stage. Thorpedo Anna overcame a hop at the start and chased a loose leader into the first turn and down the Saratoga backstretch before asserting dominance in a small field.  Taking the Grade One Coaching Club America Oaks with considerable ease, Thorpedo Anna has firmly established herself as the leading three-year-old filly of 2024. Having easily vanquished all top three-year-olds of her gender there now is a clamoring for her connections to run her against colts in Saratoga’s marquee event – The Travers Stakes on August 24th.  A win there would boost Thorpedo Anna’s chance to be named 2024 horse of the year. The last filly to win the Travers was 1915 (bonus points to those that can name her answer below). 

Meanwhile, 225 miles south at Monmouth Park, Belmont winner Dornoch again withstood the menacing rally of an erratic Mindframe to win the Haskel Stakes. The race was a virtual repeat of their Belmont Stakes efforts. Since both Dornoch and Thorpedo Anna have front running styles, should they meet up in the Travers Stakes a battle of differing gender speedsters could be an interesting match up for fans. Stay tuned. 

SARATOGA GATEWAY TO THE BREEDERS’ CUP 

Due to the earlier boutique Belmont Stakes meet Saratoga Race Course will host nine Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In Races this year.  No other track will host as many such races in 2024. 

The three already held on Saturday, June 8, provided National Treasures (Met Mile), Cogburn (Turf Sprint) and Randomized (Distaff) with automatic berths into the Breeders’ Cup. There are six more such races to be conducted at the meet, starting with the Whitney Stakes August 3rd.   

New York-based horses went to the west last year and as a group proved to be the dominant force in last year’s Breeders’ Cup series. A full nine winners in last year’s championship Breeders’ Cup races started last summer at Saratoga.

• Breeders’ Cup Champions Fierceness, Just F Y I, and Hard to Justify all broke their maidens at Saratoga.  

• White Abarrio won the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic after gaining a free berth in the race when he won the Whitney Stakes.

• Idiomatic, who won the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, gained a berth into the Distaff when she won the Personal Ensign.

• Breeders’ Cup winners Cody’s Wish (Dirt Mile, 3rd in Whitney), Elite Power (Sprint, 1st in the A.G. Vanderbilt, 2nd in the Forego), Goodnight Olive (F&M Sprint, 2nd in the Ballerina) and Nobals (Turf Sprint, 2nd in the Troy), also competed at Saratoga in 2023.

This year’s Breeders’ Cup will again be conducted on the West Coast, this time in San Diego at Del Mar Race Course on November 1st and 2nd. It is a two-day event that every racing fan would enjoy. It caps off the racing year in a flurry of good races. That Saratoga acts as a preview of this championship weekend makes our meet even more important. The upcoming weeks at Saratoga truly provide the opportunity to see championship caliber thoroughbreds live. Come out and see (and take pictures). Answer: 1915 Travers’ Stakes winner – Lady Rotha.

2024 Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Races at Saratoga

 6/8/24 Metropolitan Handicap 1 Mile  

 6/8/24 Jaipur Stakes 5 1/2 Furlongs (T) 

 6/8/24 Ogden Phipps Stakes 1 1/8 Miles 

 8/3/24 The Whitney Stakes 1 1/8 Miles  

 8/10/24 The Fourstardave Stakes 1 Mile (T) 

 8/24/24 The Ballerina Stakes 7 Furlongs 

 8/24/24 The Sword Dancer Stakes 1 1/2 Miles (T) 

 8/31/24 The Flower Bowl Stakes 1 3/8 Mile (T) 

 9/1/24 Jockey Club Gold Cup 1 1/4 Miles