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Curtain rises on Saratoga's 140th season Historic Saratoga Race Course will usher in its 140th season of racing on Wednesday. The 36-day meet features at least one stakes race every day, with a total stakes schedule worth nearly $10.5 million, and the combination of healthy purses and priceless prestige lures the very best to the Spa. "The thing about Saratoga is that the competition is so tough," trainer Kelly Breen said. "You have to make sure that your horses are doing well and can run with those other horses. I mean, you don't want to look like an idiot because you brought a BB gun to a war." The opening day headliner, the $100,000 Schuylerville S. (G3), has drawn a field of 11 two-year-old fillies. OCEAN COLORS (Orientate), a daughter of the late champion Winning Colors (Caro [Ire]), is coming off a front-running, 5 1/4-length romp in her debut at Churchill Downs. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Ocean Colors is a gray, like her Kentucky Derby (G1)-winning dam. Also representing Asmussen is JARDIN (Montbrook), who likewise captured her career bow beneath the Twin Spires. Breen's weapon of choice for this skirmish is BOOM TOWN SALLY (Yes It's True), a smashing maiden scorer at Delaware Park. Other threats in the six-furlong affair include sharp first-out winners COLLEGIATE (Saarland) and MANI BHAVAN (Storm Boot), along with Astoria S. runner-up GIRLFRIENONTHESIDE (Indian Charlie) and Debutante S. (G3) also-rans RENDA (Medaglia d'Oro) and CAMERON CRAZIES (Lion Heart). The $80,000 High Rock Spring S. will be contested on the Schuylerville undercard. Twelve New York-breds have been entered for the 5 1/2-furlong turf dash, including classy main-track-only hopefuls STORMIN NORMANDY (Stormin Fever) and GOLD AND ROSES (Gold Token). Among the grassy set, the standouts are stakes-winning mare MOHEGAN SKY (Straight Man), a close third in the Jaipur S. (G3) last time out, as well as SILVER TIMBER (Prime Timber) and REDEFINED (Labeeb [GB]). The 90th running of the Schuylerville serves as the first leg of Saratoga's three-race series for juvenile fillies. Next in the sequence is the $150,000 Adirondack S. (G2) going 6 1/2 furlongs on August 13, followed by the $250,000 Spinaway S. (G1) at seven furlongs on August 31. Juvenile colts and geldings will stretch out in the same manner, starting with the $150,000 Sanford S. (G2) on Thursday, followed by the $150,000 Saratoga Special S. (G2) on August 14 and the $250,000 Hopeful S. (G1) on closing day, Labor Day, September 1.
In other changes, Friday's $150,000 Lake George for three-year-old fillies on the turf was upgraded to Grade 2 status, while the $100,000 Yaddo H. for New York-bred fillies and mares at nine furlongs on the turf will take the Sword Dancer's traditional spot on August 9. Thursdays will remain steeplechase days, with the top prize being the $150,000 New York Turf Writers Cup H. (NSA-G1) at 2 3/8 miles on August 28. There will be no shortage of stakes action on Labor Day weekend, in addition to the aforementioned Hopeful and Spinaway. The August 30 program will feature the $500,000 Woodward S. (G1) at nine furlongs and the $250,000 Forego H. (G1) at seven furlongs. Racing will be conducted daily, except Tuesdays. Regular post time is 1 p.m. (EDT), except for Travers Day, when the action gets under way at noon, and on sunset racing days (the first and last Fridays of the meet), when the 1ST race goes off at 2:45 p.m. A longstanding tradition at Saratoga is to watch the morning workouts. A buffet breakfast is served every racing day from 7-9:30 a.m. on the clubhouse porch.
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