A Smashing Comeback!

Quality Road returned to racing in fine form Aug. 3 by smashing a track record in the six and half-furlong Amsterdam Stakes (gr. II) at Saratoga Race Course. He stopped the timer in 1:13.45. The son of Elusive Quality set a track record for six and half furlongs at Saratoga in his first start since winning the Florida Derby (gr. I) back in March.

The final time caught some by surprise. Even during the simulcast feed, track announcer Tom Durkin said "Ladies and gentlemen, we know Quality Road is a particularly fast 3-year-old, but I don’t think those times on the board are correct, but we’ll check it out." After a hand-timing and then another timing of the replay off the monitor, the record stood, breaking a 30-year-old mark of 1:14 2/5 set by Topsider on August 1, 1979.