Saratoga

Chancer McPatrick wins Curlin Stakes at Saratoga
'Rising Star' Chancer McPatrick Bounces Back in Curlin

'TDN Rising Star' and MGISW Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie), winless in three prior runs this season, got back on track with a hard-fought win in Thursday's Curlin S. at Saratoga. The rail-drawn, 4-1 chance raced in an inside fourth through an opening quarter in :24.27. He was under a ride on the far turn, began to fire in the stretch and fought on gamely while bumping between rivals to outbattle longshot So Sandy (Omaha Beach) by a head. It was another half-length back to his favored Chad Brown-trained stablemate and 'Rising Star'...

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Saratoga Notebook, Presented by NYRA Bets: Alvarado Not Feeling the Heat as Jim Dandy Looms for Sovereignty

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--One of the most anticipated horses on the grounds at Saratoga comes to the races on Saturday. His name is Sovereignty (Into Mischief) and he is the unquestioned headliner in the GII, $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes, the traditional local prep for the GI, $1.5 million Travers Stakes on Aug, 23. Why shouldn't he be? He has already won the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes and is regarded as the best 3-year-old colt in the land. Jockey Junior Alvarado, who has ridden Sovereignty in six of his...

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Garamond Back To One Turn For The Amsterdam

A winner of two of his three starts at distances up to a mile, Juddmonte homebred Garamond (Uncle Mo) will try to atone for a disappointing effort when heavily favored in the NYRA Bets Pegasus Stakes in Friday's GII Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga. A popular debut winner going Friday's 6 1/2-furlong distance at Tampa back in late January, Garamond was a very sound third to Flood Zone (Frosted) making his stakes debut in the GIII Gotham Stakes going the one-turn eight-furlong configuration at Aqueduct Mar. 1. The bay colt set...

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Navy Seal wins by a whisker at the Spa
Making Waves: Navy Seal Completes His Mission

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the win of Navy Seal (Dubawi). Navy Seal Another For Dubawi At Saratoga Fitri Hay's Navy Seal clawed out a nose victory at the Spa for trainer Wesley Ward on July 19 (video). Bred by Coolmore, the gelding was formerly trained by Aidan O'Brien and earned a Galway victory from five Irish starts before signing off his career for the Coolmore partners with a fifth in...

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Shannon Castagnola and Matt Scull
Tomorrow's Front Runners: Amplify Mentorship Graduate Matt Scull Paying It Forward With First Rodeo Racing

Tomorrow's Front Runners is a new TDN series spotlighting young people who got involved with horse racing through Amplify Horse Racing and are now pursuing careers in the industry. Amplify is a 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to amplifying education, mentorship and career opportunities for young people in the Thoroughbred industry. For Matt Scull, it all began with the annual family reunion at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. At the age of five, it was just something to do. He'd take the $20 bill from his mom and share his picks...

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Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance In The Spotlight During Whitney Weekend At Saratoga

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will return to Saratoga during the first week of August to highlight accredited aftercare through a variety of initiatives at both Saratoga Race Course and Fasig-Tipton, the TAA announced Thursday. The organization will participate in events during Whitney weekend, which includes the GI Whitney Stakes, and will remain active through the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Sale the following week. The New York Racing Association will feature Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance as its Community Partner during Whitney weekend and TAA will also be present at NYRA's Community Outreach Booth on...

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Summer Breezes Sponsored By OBS: Thursday, July 24, 2025

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced juveniles from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes, sponsored by OBS Sales, highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, including links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Thursday at Saratoga. Thursday, July 24, 2025 Saratoga 1,...

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Tap Into This wins at Saratoga
Five Fastest Maidens, Presented By Taylor Made, For The Week Of July 14-21

  5. BARB, SAR, 7/16, 7 furlongs (2nd) (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure- 87 (3, g, by Candy Ride {Arg}--Classic Point, by Flatter) O-Flying P Stable. B-Marc Keller (Ky). T-Mike Maker. J-Ricardo Santana, Jr. He faded after setting the pace vs ultra-fast BAQ maidens April 19 (the top three made our Five Fastest Maidens), and Mike Maker and owner Jason Provenzano saw enough to claim him next out when dropped to $75,000. His Beyers already have improved 10+ points, and Maker hasn't even run him 1 3/8 miles on turf yet....

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Mo Plex works at the Spa
Mo Plex: More Than A Fun Saratoga Summer Horse For R & H Stable

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Howard Read chuckled as he recalled the instructions he gave trainer Jeremiah Englehart, who was shopping for a New York-bred at the 2024 OBS April Sale. "To get somebody we could get on the track last summer and actually win," Read said, "rather than buying a horse and then letting him work out for a few months and then maybe get him on the track in September, or something like that, which happens all too often. I said, 'Let's get us one that's ready to go.'...

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Saratoga Q & A With Mike Maker

Trainer Mike Maker is a man of few words. Really, he is. Don't take it personally. The 56-year-old is just not naturally blabby. The TDN's Tim Wilkin sat down with him in his office on the backstretch at Saratoga Race Course, and found that Maker has some things to say. A former assistant to the late, great D. Wayne Lukas (you know there are stories there), Maker has a favorite horse he has trained, a favorite sports team, and a definitive answer on what actor would play him in a...

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Halina's Forte winning at the Spa
The Florida-Bred Takes New York: Halina's Forte Wins the Honorable Miss at Saratoga

Even with a lack of it for this running of the GII Honorable Miss Stakes in Saratoga, the Sunshine State was well-represented as Halina's Forte (Mitole) outbattled fellow Florida-bred R Disaster (Awesome Slew) to earn her first graded stakes win. Given the cold shoulder by the betting public, she went off at 24-1 long odds for this sloppy (sealed) running of the contest, and was content to watch R Disaster set the pace as she saved all the ground on the rail in fifth. Still in midpack behind an opening...

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Saratoga Notebook: Presented by NYRA Bets: Casse Not Moaning After L Cara Not Able to Run in CCA Oaks

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. --The expectations? Oh, they were through the roof. Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse thought his 3-year-old filly La Cara (Street Sense) was going to run huge in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga. Those hopes turned to despair mighty quick. About eight hours before the CCA Oaks was run Saturday, La Cara was denied the chance to run after a suspected case of strangles forced the New York Racing Association and the New York State Gaming Commission to place a group of horses in...

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