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Sam Hall found himself at a crossroads after Jet Sweep Joe finished a close second in last summer’s Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Would he sell the horse to help his small racing operation stay afloat, or would he keep his promising son of Frosted and continue to watch him race? The decision was … Read more
The Saratoga Special rolls into the first Saturday of the meet with Issue 2 of Saratoga’s racing newspaper. The Fasig-Tipton Stable Tour features Jeremiah Englehart and his thoughts on Mo Plex potentially clashing with Sovereignty in the Jim Dandy. We featured 2-year-old colt Dr. Agne in the first edition, and again in this one, as … Read more
The Saratoga Special returns for its 25th season with Issue 1 of Saratoga’s racing newspaper in time for Opening Day. The first edition includes Todd Pletcher discussing Mindframe, Fierceness and the rest of his stars in the Fasig-Tipton Stable Tour, Heredia looking strong in the first division of the De La Rose and Spinning Colors … Read more
The July 4 Racing Festival comes to a close Sunday at Saratoga Race Course with a 10-race card without a stakes but plenty of opportunities for horseplayers and horsemen. The festival, which also caps the Belmont at the Big A spring-summer meeting, continues to generate interest from gamblers as total handle exceeded $26 million Saturday. … Read more
The July 4 Racing Festival rolls on with a 12-race card Saturday at Saratoga Race Course featuring three stakes. The final Saturday of the Belmont at the Big A spring meeting – which doubles as the unofficial first Saturday of the Saratoga summer season, not including the traditional 40-day stand – features the Grade 3 … Read more
Testing, testing, testing, is this thing on? Technical difficulties. This is a test of the emergency handicapping system. At the tone . . . Had this been a real emergency, you would have been instructed to try the harness track. Happy Independence Day to you and yours. Team Special wound up a little too dependent … Read more
Opening Day 2.0 of the 2025 Saratoga Race Course season kicks into gear Thursday with the start of the July 4 Racing Festival. Did you miss Opening Day 1.0? That came last month for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. And there’s one more to go, the proper opener of the 40-day season next Thursday. We’ll … Read more
The Keeneland Library Lecture Series Wednesday night featured three guys talking about covering horse racing at one iconic racetrack, while sitting a few furlongs from another. “Celebrating 25 Years: An Evening with The Saratoga Special” was an event originally scheduled to mark 20 years of The Special, but the pandemic got in the way. For … Read more
Bill Mott leaned on the outside rail deep in the trees near the half-mile pole of the Oklahoma Training Track early Friday morning. Alone. A horse trainer and his horse. Sovereignty and exercise rider Jimmy Quispe galloped past, loping the first time, rolling the second time. The Kentucky Derby winner’s final gallop went smoothly, a … Read more
Encore. Sovereignty duplicates Derby victory with decisive score over Journalism, Baeza and others in 157th running of the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Bill Mott and the Godolphin team made the decision to bypass the middle jewel of the Triple Crown in favor of the third and made it count in front of a … Read more
