By Jarrod Horak We saw some impressive efforts in the stakes ranks at Saratoga for the week ending August 13. There were at least three performances worthy of blue-ribbon status, and I decided to go with Carl Spackler (IRE) as the star of the week. Chad Brown’s emerging stakes star made the grade in the […]
This past week on a rainy Friday morning at Saratoga, they inducted into the Thoroughbred Hall of Fame, the class for 2023, and it had a very strong California flavor for the inductees. Three champion race horses, all who made their home on the Southern California circuit, were unanimous selections in their first year of […]
By Jarrod Horak The stakes action just keeps on coming at Saratoga, and the big event this Saturday is the Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap, named in honor of The Sultan of Saratoga. I was a fan of the iron horse in the 80’s and 90’s. He captured at least one race at Saratoga from 1987-1994, […]
By Jarrod Horak We cannot begin this recap article without discussing the tragic events surrounding the Test Stakes, and that race is almost impossible to talk about given what happened just before the wire. The ending was almost too tragic to believe. Maple Leaf Mel, an extremely talented and fleet New York-bred filly, was in […]
By Jarrod Horak Whitney weekend is almost here and all eyes are on Cody’s Wish. Bill Mott’s 5-year-old horse won his last six stakes starts including Grade 1 triumphs in the Forego, Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Churchill Downs Stakes, and Met Mile. The Whitney is a Win & You’re In for the 2023 Breeders’ Cup […]
By Jarrod Horak One of the great things about Saratoga is all of the stakes activity during the week. Hopefully the weather holds up because the weekday stakes action is confined to the turf course as we flip the calendar to August. Horses for the turf course Technical Analysis and War Like Goddess headline the […]
By Jarrod Horak What a stellar week of stakes races at Saratoga. I don’t even know where to begin. Echo Zulu, Next, and New York Thunder were tremendous during the week, and Elite Power and Forte showed us why they are champions in a pair of determined victories over the weekend. It is almost impossible […]
By Jarrod Horak This weekend’s stakes action at Saratoga features an intriguing renewal of the Grade 2 Jim Dandy. The co-feature on Saturday is the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt and that race will probably be a battle between Elite Power and Gunite. Sunday’s main event is the Grade 2 Bowling Green on turf. Click […]
By Jarrod Horak We are rapidly wrapping up the month of July and the weekday stakes action at Saratoga kicks off with Echo Zulu in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss. She is 2-for-2 at the Spa and looks tough to deny on Wednesday. Next is the one to catch in the Birdstone, and Drew’s Gold […]
By Jarrod Horak Saratoga’s second week of the 2023 summer meet is in the books and seven stakes races were run from July 19-23. We witnessed big performances from Scotland in the Curlin and Wet Paint in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks, but the star of the week award goes to Nest after […]
