SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y – Todd Pletcher has enjoyed a highly successful summer at Saratoga with his 2-year-old crop, winning 15 races – including three turf stakes entering the final three days of the meet. On closing-day Monday, Pletcher takes two shots at capturing the biggest juvenile prize of the meet on dirt when he sends out Ted Noffey and Emphasis in the Grade 1, $300,000 Hopeful Stakes. Pletcher has already won the Hopeful four times, including in 2012 with Shanghai Bobby and 2022 with Forte, both of whom went on two win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and be crowned champion 2-year-old. Ted Noffey, a son of Into Mischief who was named for Ned Toffey, the general manager of Spendthrift Farm, which owns the colt, will likely be among the two top choices in this eight-horse field. In his debut, Ted Noffey broke from the outside post, stalked the pace from fourth, made a three- to four-wide move and was doing his best running in the final sixteenth. “It was what we were seeing in the morning – pretty straightforward, professional,” Pletcher said. “He put himself in a good spot, finished up nicely, pretty much everything you could hope for.” Ted Noffey again has the outside post in this field, one that seems to have ample speed in it. “We won’t mind a fast pace,” Pletcher said. :: Bet Smarter at Saratoga. Unlock DRF data and expert analysis all meet long. Save with a Saratoga Handicapping Package from DRF.  Emphasis, a son of Yaupon, was a one-length, front-running winner of a July 19 maiden race here going six furlongs. “I thought it was gutsy. He can be a little bit of a lazy horse. I think he’s always saving a little something,” Pletcher said of Emphasis, who is co-owned by Spendthrift Farm and Mike Repole. “He’s got good natural speed, but he doesn’t have to be on the lead.” Bob Baffert has dominated the juvenile races at Del Mar this summer, sending out 17 winners from 51 starters. Included in that group is Buetane, a son of Tiz the Law who was a $1.15 million 2-year-old in training purchase and who won a six-furlong race by 3 1/2 lengths on Aug. 3, earning an 83 Beyer Speed Figure. Buetane is owned by Amr Zedan, who also owns impressive Del Mar debut winner Brant. Baffert wanted to split his horses up – Brant is pointing to the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity – so he shipped Buetane cross-country. “He ran like his works,” said Baffert, who is 0 for 3 in the Hopeful with two third-place finishes. “He was working well. He’s improving. He’s changed since we purchased him. He’s getting bigger and taller. I see big improvement. I think he’s a good horse. It’ll be interesting to see what he does against those kinds of horses.” Trainer Steve Asmussen won three consecutive runnings of the Hopeful with Basin (2019), Jackie’s Warrior (2020), and Gunite (2021). Monday, he sends out Romeo and Soldier N Diplomat. Romeo, a son of Honor A. P., won the Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill by 3 3/4 lengths in what was his third career starts for trainer John Robb. Ten days later, Romeo was put through the auction ring at Fasig-Tipton’s horses of racing age sale and was purchased for $1.7 million by Mahmoud Mouni’s Tagermeen Racing. Asmussen said exercise rider Carlos Rosas, who works him, says Romeo “is push-button, he’s very mature. I know he’s a 2-year-old who’s had three races, but it is like taking over an older horse. His appetite, his attitude, the way he goes about things is very mature.” Joel Rosario will ride Romeo for the first time. Soldier N Diplomat, a son of Army Mule owned by St. Elias Stable, won his debut by a neck here July 28. “I think he’s capable of better,” Asmussen said. “Hopefully, he jumps forward from his first race. His training has been more impressive than that race.” Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Soldier N Diplomat, replacing Jose Ortiz. Jose Ortiz rides Curtain Call, a son of Tiz the Law who was a second-out winner by 8 1/2 lengths on July 12 for trainer Mark Casse. Curtain Call finished a well-beaten second behind Obliteration in his June 12 debut, and Obliteration came back to win the Sanford Stakes. Aye Eye, trained by Joe Orseno, may have been the most visually impressive winner of the meet, rallying from 18 lengths back after breaking terribly to win a six-furlong maiden race by 1 1/2 lengths. Flying Hawaiian, a son of Maximum Mischief trained by Butch Reid, won a maiden race by 8 1/2 lengths at Parx Racing in his second start. The Hopeful goes as race 9 on an 11-race card that begins at 12:05 p.m. Following Monday’s card, racing is dark on the New York Racing Association circuit until Sept. 11, when the Belmont at the Big A fall meet opens. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.