Saratoga Race Course

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey tells us how he got his unique nickname. He also lets us know who he doesn't like to play golf with. Who do you think is the horse that is closest to his heart out of all of those he has trained? If you thought Easy Goer, you would be wrong. Shug also tells us what his favorite race track is and how long he wants to keep doing this (hint: he isn't going anywhere anytime time soon). Here is the Saratoga Conversation. TDN:...

The King's Plate race card, rescheduled to Friday following torrential rains on its originally scheduled date last Saturday, produced total wagering handle of $11.6 million. The three-day weekend total handle was $24.5 million. "After Mother Nature had other plans for us last weekend, Friday was picture perfect for the King's Plate and the racing was outstanding," said Michael Copeland, CEO of Woodbine. "We couldn't have pulled off such a memorable day without the tremendous support of our racing fans, racing participants and entire Woodbine team." With the original King's Plate...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-When it became perfectly clear that the finish of Saturday's $1.25-million, GI DraftKings Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course was going to be desperately close, trainer Todd Pletcher went to work. Sitting up in his clubhouse box, the normally composed Pletcher rose to his feet and screamed and yelled for his 3-year-old colt Fierceness (City of Light) to get the job done in the Midsummer Derby. "I knew it was getting close," the Hall of Fame trainer said outside his office at his barn at the Oklahoma Training...

6th-Saratoga, $90,000, (S), Msw, 8-25, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:03.94, fm, 1 1/2 lengths. CHARLOTTE'S HEART (f, 2, Authentic--Achalaya, by Bellamy Road), the 3-1 half-sister to Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed), MGISW-USA, MGSP-KSA, $2,691,308, showed an affinity for the Saratoga turf may run in the family. Racing near the back of the field in her afternoon debut for trainer Mark Casse, the $725,000 yearling purchase had plenty of work to do turning for home but really hit her best stride late when switched out to the center of the track. Pacesetter...

Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) deserves all the credit in world for her game performance in the GI DraftKings Travers Stakes. Facing off against one of the toughest Travers fields in memory, she beat everyone but Eclipse Award winner Fierceness (City of Light), losing by a diminishing head. She finished ahead of the GI Toyota Blue Grass winner and GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) and GI Belmont S. and GI Haskell S. winner Dornoch (Good Magic) and four other males. It was a special effort by a special...

Saturday's 14-race DraftKings Travers Day card generated a record-setting all-sources wagering handle of $63,023,405, according to a press release from NYRA on Saturday. The 2024 figure represents a 13.4 percent increase over the prior record of $55,559,317, which was established in 2022. Paid attendance on Saturday was 47,844 with on-track handle of $11,267,864. THE CHAMP IS BACK! Fierceness, son of @LanesEndFarms stallion City of Light, wins the G1 @DraftKings Travers Stakes, leaving no doubt that he's back on top! The legendary @ljlmvel was aboard for @PletcherRacing and @RepoleStable. pic.twitter.com/M8KY6h4sQr —...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.  - A little bit of seasoning came in handy for Rare Art (Munnings) in her maiden special weight victory Friday at Saratoga Race Course. A one-length losing third in her debut on July 21, Rare Art prevailed by three-quarters of a length over Good Conduct (Without Parole) at the conclusion of their spirited duel through the stretch in the seventh race. Rare Art and Luis Saez reached the wire in the 1 1/16th miles $100,000 turf event for 2-year-old fillies in 1:46.36 and paid $6.60 as the...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--Appropriately enough, Senza Parole's (Gun Runner) name translates to "at a loss for words," which could describe the reaction to her jaw-dropping victory Friday in the first race at Saratoga Race Course. Not only did she finish 7 3/4 lengths ahead of 4-5 favorite Stunner (Girvin), Senza Parole completed the six furlongs in the $100,000 maiden special weight race for 2-year-old fillies in a sharp 1:09.84. She paid $9.40 as the 7-2 second choice in the field of seven. With Saratoga's leading rider, Irad Ortiz, Jr., pretty much...

6th-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 3:05 p.m. ET. Repole Stable and Spendthrift went in to purchase for $725,000 CHANTICLEER (Not This Time) during Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Yearling Sale before sending him to Todd Pletcher. The chestnut is out of Speightstastic (Speightstown), whose own dam MSW Cherokee Jewel (Cherokee Run) foaled her older full-sister MSW Bayerd. TJCIS PPS 9th-ELP, $71K, Msw, 3yo/up, 1m, 4:48 p.m. ET. Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Equine acquired Greer Lynn (Speightstown) for $750,000 during Keeneland November while Greer's Gold (Medaglia d'Oro) was in-utero. Set for his unveiling...

Friday is shaping up to be quite a stakes-laden slate as the rescheduled King's Plate card from last weekend at Woodbine joins the GI Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga and a pair of pricey Grade IIs from Charles Town. TDN's full coverage of the races that were forced to move because of a deluge in Toronto can be found in Patrycja Szpyra's preview, plus a piece on the King's Plate by Bill Finley. As for the Spa feature, it boasts a set of intriguing match-ups between four of the runners...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--In an intriguing GI Travers Stakes loaded with talent and questions, will anyone be surprised if 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) wins? Nope. Although it is unlikely that the colt trained by Chad Brown will be the betting favorite Saturday in the 155th running of the signature race at Saratoga Race Course--he is a narrow fourth at 7-2 on the morning line--Sierra Leone's record demands respect. He has never been worse than third in seven career starts. One of those victories came in the GI Blue...

2nd-Saratoga, $90,000, (S), Msw, 8-21, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.65, ft, 3 1/4 lengths. SACROSANCT (c, 2, Honest Mischief--Vibrato, by Unbridled's Song), the 8-5 favorite, strode home an easy 3 1/4-length victor of his debut at Saratoga Wednesday, becoming the first winner for his freshman sire (by Into Mischief). The bay colt rushed up to press the pace down the backstretch through an opening quarter in :22.58. He took over approaching the stretch as the half went up in :46.12 and was well in control despite drifting slightly down the lane. Skytown...