Saratoga Race Course

1st-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 12:35 p.m. ET. BC Stables went to $850,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale to acquire CODE OF JUSTICE (Into Mischief). Sent to Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, the colt is the first foal for GSP Meal Ticket (Malibu Moon), who was picked up in a private sale by John Mulholland's Mulholland Springs. Now a 10-year-old, the dam is responsible for Code of Justice's younger full-sister Peanutbutternjelly and she foaled a colt by Gun Runner Apr. 14. Herself a half-sister to MSW...

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.--While it wasn't the scenario he expected at the beginning of the month, trainer John Ortiz will be busy late Saturday afternoon saddling the fillies Brightwork (Outwork) and 'TDN Rising Star' Quietside (Malibu Moon) in consecutive stakes at Saratoga Race Course. First up will be WSS Racing's Brightwork in the GIII $200,000 Prioress Stakes, scheduled for 5:04 p.m. ET. Immediately after the six-furlong Prioress, Ortiz will scoot back to the paddock to prepare Shortleaf Stable's Quietside in the $300,000 GI Spinaway Stakes, which Brightwork won last year. When...

Mentee (City of Light), the two-year-old full-brother to GI Travers Stakes winner Fierceness (City of Light), came down with laminitis after his winning debut on June 15 at Aqueduct. According to owner Mike Repole, who revealed the news on the TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland, the situation was so severe that the colt is "lucky to be alive." However, Mentee recovered so well and so quickly that he is set to start in Monday's GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga. Mentee broke his maiden by a nose, defeating another...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-Just the mere fact that a $3,500 yearling has won two races of any kind at Saratoga this summer, puts The Queens M G (Thousand Words) in a "that's impressive" category. In the GI Spinaway Stakes Saturday, she will try to add to her reputation by completing the rare sweep of the track's three stakes for 2-year-old fillies. The Queens M G scored in the 5 1/2-furlong Schuylerville Stakes, long the opening day feature, by 2 3/4 lengths at 44-1 July 11. She crushed the six-furlong GIII Adirondack...

The National Hockey League's Stanley Cup--one of the most celebrated trophies in sports--will travel to Saratoga Race Course Aug. 31. Fans of hockey and horse racing will have an opportunity to take photos with the Stanley Cup at no charge when it is on display from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Jockey Silks Porch. Awarded annually to the National Hockey League's championship team, the Stanley Cup currently resides with the Florida Panthers, whose principal owner is Vinnie Viola of St. Elias Stable. "We are grateful to Vinnie Viola...

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey tells us how he got his unique nickname. He also lets us know who he doesn't like to play golf with. Who do you think is the horse that is closest to his heart out of all of those he has trained? If you thought Easy Goer, you would be wrong. Shug also tells us what his favorite race track is and how long he wants to keep doing this (hint: he isn't going anywhere anytime time soon). Here is the Saratoga Conversation. TDN:...

The King's Plate race card, rescheduled to Friday following torrential rains on its originally scheduled date last Saturday, produced total wagering handle of $11.6 million. The three-day weekend total handle was $24.5 million. "After Mother Nature had other plans for us last weekend, Friday was picture perfect for the King's Plate and the racing was outstanding," said Michael Copeland, CEO of Woodbine. "We couldn't have pulled off such a memorable day without the tremendous support of our racing fans, racing participants and entire Woodbine team." With the original King's Plate...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-When it became perfectly clear that the finish of Saturday's $1.25-million, GI DraftKings Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course was going to be desperately close, trainer Todd Pletcher went to work. Sitting up in his clubhouse box, the normally composed Pletcher rose to his feet and screamed and yelled for his 3-year-old colt Fierceness (City of Light) to get the job done in the Midsummer Derby. "I knew it was getting close," the Hall of Fame trainer said outside his office at his barn at the Oklahoma Training...

6th-Saratoga, $90,000, (S), Msw, 8-25, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:03.94, fm, 1 1/2 lengths. CHARLOTTE'S HEART (f, 2, Authentic--Achalaya, by Bellamy Road), the 3-1 half-sister to Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed), MGISW-USA, MGSP-KSA, $2,691,308, showed an affinity for the Saratoga turf may run in the family. Racing near the back of the field in her afternoon debut for trainer Mark Casse, the $725,000 yearling purchase had plenty of work to do turning for home but really hit her best stride late when switched out to the center of the track. Pacesetter...

Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) deserves all the credit in world for her game performance in the GI DraftKings Travers Stakes. Facing off against one of the toughest Travers fields in memory, she beat everyone but Eclipse Award winner Fierceness (City of Light), losing by a diminishing head. She finished ahead of the GI Toyota Blue Grass winner and GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) and GI Belmont S. and GI Haskell S. winner Dornoch (Good Magic) and four other males. It was a special effort by a special...

Saturday's 14-race DraftKings Travers Day card generated a record-setting all-sources wagering handle of $63,023,405, according to a press release from NYRA on Saturday. The 2024 figure represents a 13.4 percent increase over the prior record of $55,559,317, which was established in 2022. Paid attendance on Saturday was 47,844 with on-track handle of $11,267,864. THE CHAMP IS BACK! Fierceness, son of @LanesEndFarms stallion City of Light, wins the G1 @DraftKings Travers Stakes, leaving no doubt that he's back on top! The legendary @ljlmvel was aboard for @PletcherRacing and @RepoleStable. pic.twitter.com/M8KY6h4sQr —...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.  - A little bit of seasoning came in handy for Rare Art (Munnings) in her maiden special weight victory Friday at Saratoga Race Course. A one-length losing third in her debut on July 21, Rare Art prevailed by three-quarters of a length over Good Conduct (Without Parole) at the conclusion of their spirited duel through the stretch in the seventh race. Rare Art and Luis Saez reached the wire in the 1 1/16th miles $100,000 turf event for 2-year-old fillies in 1:46.36 and paid $6.60 as the...