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Week 4 of the 2021 Saratoga meeting rolls along with another 10-race card Thursday topped by the 1 3/4-mile Birdstone Stakes. 

Now we can call it the August place to be. Surely you remember the old slogan for Saratoga, back when it was four weeks, six days a week, ending a week before Labor Day. Well, those days are over and here we are.

Rains washed away all but one of Thursday’s grass races at Saratoga Race Course and more heavy downpours in the early evening could do the same Friday for the 10-race card that kicks off the weekend.

 Week 3 of the 2021 Saratoga Race Course meeting rolls along Thursday with a 10-race card topped by the $100,000 John Morrissey Handicap for older New York-bred sprinters. 

The second week of the 2021 Saratoga Race Course meeting comes to a soggy end Sunday with a 10-race card topped by a strong renewal of the Grade 3 Shuvee Stakes. 

The weekend arrives and another 10-race card at Saratoga Race Course for The Saratoga Special’s handicapping team to dig into.

Week 2 of the 2021 Saratoga Race Course meeting rolls along Thursday with a 10-race card topped by the Grade 1 A.P. Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase. The handicappers are back for more – the always are Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays when we don’t have a print edition of The Saratoga Special – to dissect the card … Read more

Where does the time go? Week 1 of the Saratoga Race Course meeting amazingly comes to a close with a 10-race card on tap for Sunday headlined by the $120,000 Coronation Cup for 3-year-old fillies on the grass.

A monster Opening Day in the books and time to turn the page and look ahead to the first weekend of the 2021 Saratoga Race Course meeting. Another strong card awaits, topped the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple and a pretty favorable weather forecast.

Mike Stidham feels the pressure. He reads the polls. He understands having one of the best horses in the world in his barn means people notice. There are expectations, comparisons and plenty of attention.

“Certainly with winning a race like that comes pressure, but it’s good pressure,” said Stidham, with a nod toward Mystic Guide, winner of the $12 million Dubai World Cup in March and undefeated in two starts this year.