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Snap Decision21

Foxfield: Picks & Preview

Week two of the fall season. The jumpers roll up or down Route 29 or across I-64 for the Foxfield Fall Races Sunday in Charlottesville, Va. It’s the 47th time for the fall standard which has hosted the best in the sport – Zaccio, Sailor’s Clue, Double Reefed, Victorian Hill to name a few – and will … Read more

Shawan Downs Picks & Preview

The steeplechasers come in from a long summer on the road – in Virginia for Colonial Downs and in New York for action at Saratoga and Aqueduct – as the autumn season jumps to life at Shawan Downs in suburban Baltimore, Md., Saturday. The six-race card showcases four hurdle races and two timber tests to … Read more

Putting a bow on Saratoga 2025

The training championship went down to the final race. The Jockey Club Gold Cup turned into demolition derby. A horse with a flip-flopped name won the Hopeful and might be the best 2-year-old in the country. And The Saratoga Special’s Tom Law won the 2025 Saratoga Race Course handicapping challenge. Law, The Special’s managing editor … Read more

Monday’s Saratoga picks – Sept. 1

And here we are. Down to the final day of racing for 2025 at Saratoga Race Course, the finale to the proper 40-day meeting and ultimately the last of 49 days since the doors opened this spring. A few races are on ice, including our annual handicapping battle for most wins. Tom Law owns that … Read more

Sunday’s Saratoga picks – August 31

And then there were two. That’s all that remain of the 40-day Saratoga Race Course meeting – not counting the other nine days for the spring and summer festivals. Make it count, it’s a long winter. Sunday’s star-studded card features the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup featuring the best older horses not named Fierceness. … Read more

Saratoga Special August 30 edition

And then there were none. The final edition of The Saratoga Special for 2025. Le Mehana tries to make it three in a row in the Flower Bowl. Percy’s Bar rolls in from Keeneland for the Spinaway. Mindframe takes on a ring of stars in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Sunday. From Scylla to Scotland, … Read more

Racing returns to Fair Hill Saturday

The races are back. If you’re in or near Cecil County, Maryland, this weekend, Thoroughbreds race at Fair Hill once again Saturday with The Races at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory, a six-race card of races on the rebuilt turf course. Post time is 1 p.m. If you’ve been before – the event hasn’t happened … Read more

Friday’s Saratoga picks – August 29

The closing week train rolls on Friday with a 12-race card featuring a pair of turf stakes – the $150,000 Bernard Baruch for older horses and the $150,000 Perfect Sting for older fillies and mares. The day starts at 12:35 p.m. and racing fans should be mindful of different post times throughout the final few … Read more

Thursday’s Saratoga picks – August 28

Down to five. That’s all that remains of the 2025 Saratoga Race Course meeting – five cards. Thursday’s 11-race program includes a little bit of everything and features the Grade 3 With Anticipation for 2-year-olds on the grass. A field of eight entered the 1 1/16-mile feature, including Saratoga maiden winners Capital Partner, Final Score, … Read more

Summer Reading: Sovereignty provides Mott with first Travers

Bill Mott ducked out of the horse-path gap of the paddock Saturday afternoon and weaved through Travers Day fans on his way to Box F20 in the fifth row of the clubhouse. A man raised an oversized can of a Modelo Especial and shouted out Mott’s name. Another fan by the shoeshine stand in front … Read more