Saratoga commences historic 40-day meet

With the Grade 1, $1 million Travers on August 24 as its centerpiece, the

2013 meet offers 53 listed and graded stakes races worth $14.95 million.

Supporting the "Mid-Summer Derby" are 15 additional Grade 1 races, beginning

with the $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks for three-year-old fillies on

Saturday and concluding with the $300,000 Hopeful for juveniles on closing day,

September 2.

"Saratoga's unsurpassed stakes schedule, which this year is worth nearly $15

million; the two-year-old program, which serves as a launching pad for many of

our sport's future stars, and its long-standing tradition of turf racing on our

two courses make it unique among racetracks," said P.J. Campo, NYRA's

vice-president and director of racing. "Last year, champions Wise Dan, Shanghai

Bobby, Questing, Royal Delta and Trinniberg all raced here, as did Orb, Oxbow

and Palace Malice, who combined to win all three legs of this year's Triple

Crown. We're proud of the quality of Saratoga racing, and we expect racing fans

to respond enthusiastically to the product."

The leading trainers on the New York Racing Association (NYRA) circuit will

make their annual trek north for the meet, including national leaders Todd

Pletcher, Chad Brown -- a native of nearby Mechanicville, New York -- Christophe

Clement, David Jacobson and Linda Rice, as well as Hall of Famers Shug

McGaughey, Nick Zito and Bill Mott, the latter of whom will try to continue the

tradition of winning a race on his birthday, July 29.

Augmenting the powerful New York contingent is an array of the top trainers

from across the country, including Tom Amoss, Wayne Catalano, Eddie Kenneally,

Charles LoPresti, Michael Matz, Graham Motion, Kenny McPeek, Dale Romans, Al

Stall, and Ian Wilkes. Hall of Famers Bob Baffert, D. Wayne Lukas and Jonathan

Sheppard maintain strings at the Spa, with John Shireffs, newly relocated to New

York, stabled there for the first time this year.

All will be vying for the H. Allen Jerkens training title, taken for the

third straight time last year by Pletcher.

Accompanying McGaughey, Lukas and Pletcher to Saratoga will be the three

winners of this year's Triple Crown -- Kentucky Derby hero Orb, Preakness winner

Oxbow and Belmont victor Palace Malice, who could use the Travers as telling

arguments for divisional supremacy.

Making Saratoga their summer home as well will be 2012's Horse of the Year

Wise Dan and Breeders' Cup Classic winner Fort Larned, who on August 3 will try

to become the first horse to put together back-to-back victories in the Grade 1,

$750,000 Whitney Handicap since Discovery, who won it three straight times from

1934-36.

This summer will see the usual plethora of classy juvenile races including

the traditional six-pack of graded stakes: the Grade 3, $150,000 Schuylerville

(Friday), Grade 2, $200,000 Adirondack (August 11) and Grade 1, $300,000

Spinaway (September 1) for fillies along with the Grade 2, $200,00 Sanford

(Sunday), Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special (August 11) and aforementioned

Hopeful, taken last year by eventual juvenile champion Shanghai Bobby.

Top-notch turf racing is traditional at the Spa, with the Grade 1, $600,000

Diana for fillies and mares on July 27 and the Grade 1, $600,000 Sword Dancer

Invitational on July 27 capping the multitude of daily grass race offerings.

Steeplechase racing as well gets a chance to shine, with the top jumpers in

North America and abroad assembling for the Grade 1 A. P. Smithwick Memorial on

August 1 and the Grade 1 New York Turf Writers' Cup on August 22.

Competition for the Angel Cordero Jr. riding title is expected to be fierce,

as the always-tough New York jockey colony looks to fill the shoes of the

retired Ramon Dominguez, who won last year's title with a record 68 winners.

Among them are Hall of Famer John Velazquez, a five-time winner who is poised to

surpass Jerry Bailey as the all-time leading jockey (1976-2013) at Saratoga;

Javier Castellano, who has been runner-up the past three years; Derby-winning

rider Joel Rosario; brothers Irad Ortiz Jr. and Jose Ortiz, and Rosie Napravnik,

who will rejoin the New York colony for the summer.

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