Saratoga 2017: Meeting Highlights
The 40 days of the Saratoga 2017 meeting came and went in one marathon of great racing. It is a treat for all horse racing fans to be able to enjoy the greatest thoroughbred meeting in the country, whether it is in person at the Spa or watching remotely. With pleasure, here are highlights from Saratoga 2017.
The Number One Runner
Gun Runner put on a show at Saratoga with two definitive grade one victories, which earned him the number one spot in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll supplanting Arrogate who lost twice at Del Mar. First, it was the Whitney where he earned a 111 Beyer Speed Figure and then a smashing 10 ¼ length win in the Woodward that got a 115 BSF. In both of those races, the Steve Asmussen trainee sat in second place in the early going and then made his move and overwhelmed his competition. The plan is for Gun Runner to train up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic and the possible meeting with the stars from the Bob Baffert barn.
Songbird Retires
Songbird became a favorite of the New York race fans when she won twice at Saratoga last year with smashing victories in the Alabama and the Coaching Club American Oaks. This year she came to the Spa off of two less then spectacular wins and then fell short in the Personal Ensign to Forever Unbridled. After the race, a thorough check-up revealed suspensory problems in both rear legs and some lingering bone issues. The only decision that could be made was to retire her from racing. I was lucky enough to see her win brilliantly at Saratoga and Parx last year and became a big fan.
The Saratoga Grand Slam
Voodoo Song became the first horse to win four races during the same Saratoga meeting since the immortal Native Dancer did it in 1952. The Grey Ghost did it as a two-year-old and won his four over a period of 26 days. Voodoo Song won his four on the turf going a distance of ground culminating with a stakes win in the Saranac (G3). Back in the 1950’s it was far more common place for horses to run that many races on short rest. In today’s world of weeks or months between starts, it was a very rare accomplishment for the Linda Rice trainee.
The Brothers
For the second year in a row the Ortiz Brothers dominated the Jockey standings at the Spa. Jose, age 23, won his second title in a row over his
"[It] feels great. Just being able to be here and win races here is huge. To win leading rider for a second year in a row, I feel blessed and I just thank all trainers and owners that give me an opportunity to ride the horses and my agent, who has done a great job and worked really hard for me,” said Jose. "It is very tough. A lot of racing, six days a week. You get tired. You get worn out the last couple of weeks. [You have to do] a lot of work in the morning.”
Hall of Famer John Velazquez deserves special recognition for his third-place finish. He had over 100 less mounts than each of the Brothers and had a win percentage of 26% compared to the identical 19% of Jose and Irad.
Mano a Mano
Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown battled for all 40 days and in the end Pletcher won back the Trainers title that Brown had taken from him last year. Brown was in the lead for most of the meeting and was ahead by two with just three days remaining in the meeting. Heavy rain probably helped Pletcher as several races came off of the turf in the final two days. It took 40 wins, which tied Brown’s 2016 record total, for Pletcher to beat Brown by only one victory. Interestingly, the winner had only two graded stakes wins amongst his total.
"I've never won 40 and it's hard to do,” said Pletcher. “I told Chad last year when he did it that it was a hell of an accomplishment. Those guys are tough to beat. We exceeded expectations and I'm proud of it."
The Queen of the Spa
When all of the usual superlatives have been used up to describe Lady Eli, then we need to find some new ones because her story and her racing record are nothing short of spectacular and heart-warming. Those would be my two favorite descriptors of one of my favorite racehorses in recent years. She deserves all of the accolades possible as her racing career winds down. Lady Eli, Turf Female Eclipse Award, and Lady Eli, Vox Populi Award, are two that sound good to me.
Raiders from the West
The team of ‘Big Money’ Mike Smith and ‘Big Race’ Bob Baffert came to Saratoga and won three of the 16 grade one stakes. On opening weekend, Abel Tasman continued her winning streak when she won the controversial stretch drive against Elate in the Coaching Club American Oaks. The other two came on the big Travers Day card when West Coast and Drefong were victorious in gate to wire fashion in the Mid-Summer Derby and the Forego respectively.
Terrific Travers
This year’s Mid-Summer Derby was billed as one of the best fields in a long time with all three winners of the Triple Crown races meeting up with all of the late developing sophomores. The Derby, Preakness, and Belmont winners fizzled and West Coast led every step of the way, which did very little to clarify the murky waters of the Three-Year-Old Male division.
Putting the Pieces Together
One of the things that I love to see is when talented thoroughbreds put all of the pieces together and live up to all of their potential. This year at Saratoga Practical Joke and Elate were two prime examples. Practical Joke’s big win in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial stamped him as one of the best sprinters in the country. He kept his record a perfect five for five going one-turn. Elate got her big grade one win in the Alabama after some disappointing runs earlier in the year. Trainer Bill Mott plans to take on older horses in the Beldame at Belmont Park at the end of the month.
Hopeful Times Eight
Hall of Fame trainer, D. Wayne Lukas won his eighth Hopeful Stakes just a few days after his 82th birthday, when Sporting Chance bolted nearing the finish line, but still hung on for the victory. Lukas had won the race as recently as 2013 with Strong Mandate. His stable is much smaller than in his heyday, which makes his recent triumphs just as noteworthy as his earlier wins in the Hopeful.
Big Handle
This year’s meeting was loaded with great racing, but the ultimately financial success of any thoroughbred track comes down to the betting handle. In that area, 2017 was a big success, with record numbers in all-source and on track handle. All-source handle was up 4.4% over the previous record from 2015 and on-track handle was up 3.4% over the previous year. Additionally, the $47,870,987 in handle generated on Travers Day marked the second highest handle in history for Saratoga's premier day of racing, an increase of five percent over 2016. Great weather, mild temperatures and very little rain, certainly helped with the gains in handle.