SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – All-sources handle for the first four days of the 2020 Saratoga meet was $80,325,660, an increase of 9.4 percent over last year’s figure of $73,441,100.
Due to COVID-19-related restrictions, which include no fans on-site and only limited owners with no access to mutuel machines, nearly all money wagered on Saratoga came via account-wagering platforms.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – All was good at trainer Bill Mott’s barn Sunday morning at Saratoga, as well it should be.
The previous afternoon, Mott sent out Paris Lights and Antoinette to finish first and third, respectively, here in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks as well as Horologist, just a little while later, to capture the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth. He also had a couple of his recent graded stakes winners, Tacitus and Frank’s Rockette, work earlier Sunday morning for upcoming Grade 1 races here later in the season.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Jockey Luis Saez, who on July 9 tested positive for the coronavirus, is named on six horses Friday at Saratoga. He will be permitted to ride, provided he produces a negative COVID-19 test and gets clearance from a physician noting he can no longer transmit the virus.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – For now, trainer Christophe Clement plans to point both Decorated Invader and Gufo to the $500,000 Saratoga Derby on Aug. 15, but he will evaluate how both are training and look at the bevy of other options before committing both to the 1 3/16-mile turf race.
On Saturday, Decorated Invader passed his first distance test when he won the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes at 1 1/8 miles by 1 1/4 lengths. It was his third victory in as many starts this year, the other two coming at one mile.
The top three finishers in the Haskell Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth all emerged from the race in good order, and all will make their next start in the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs, meaning they will come into the Derby following a seven-week layoff.
Authentic narrowly lasted over Ny Traffic in the Haskell, with Dr Post another 4 1/2 lengths back in third. Authentic received a Beyer Speed Figure of 100, a career-best for a colt who has now won four times in five starts, his only loss a second-place finish to Honor A. P. in the Santa Anita Derby.
Maximum Security and Higher Power stayed on target for the postponed San Diego Handicap with quick works on a busy Saturday morning at Del Mar that saw 245 horses credited with timed drills.
Both Maximum Security and Higher Power were originally scheduled to meet Saturday afternoon in the Grade 2 San Diego. But that 1 1/16-mile race was postponed by one week owing to the cancellation of racing at Del Mar this week following 15 jockeys testing positive on Tuesday for coronavirus.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Heather Smullen had not sat on the back of Tiz the Law for about three months. It took less than a minute for her to realize how much the 3-year-old colt has changed in a short period of time.
Smullen guided Tiz the Law through a five-furlong workout in 59.63 seconds on Saturday morning over Saratoga’s main track. Working by himself, Tiz the Law went in fractions of 12.80, 24.41, 35.63, and got his final quarter in 24.00. He then proceeded to gallop out six furlongs in 1:12.84 and seven furlongs 1:26.20.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Tim Hamm said Dayoutoftheoffice came out of her six-length victory in Thursday’s Grade 2 Schuylerville Stakes in good order and she could very well stick around and train toward the Grade 1 Spinaway here on Sept. 6.
“She’s a great doer, she’ll eat the bottom out of the bucket all day every day,” Hamm said. “She was true to form last night and true to form this morning. She came out of the race great.”
Dayoutoftheoffice earned an 82 Beyer Speed Figure for her victory.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – As a native of nearby Mechanicville, trainer Chad Brown has made no secret of his desire to win the Travers Stakes, the signature event of the Saratoga meet.
So far, Brown is winless in six tries at the Travers with nine horses. It looks like he’ll have another shot at it this year with Country Grammer, who won Thursday’s Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes by a neck over Caracaro.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Wesley Ward planned to work 2-year-olds Campanelle and Golden Pal at Keeneland over the weekend for planned stakes engagements in Europe in August.
Campanelle, who won the Group 2 Queen Mary – giving Ward his 11th Royal Ascot winner – is being pointed to the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville on Aug. 23. Ward has won that race twice already with No Nay Never (2013) and Lady Aurelia (2016).
