Saratoga Race Course will play host to four graded stakes on its 11-race card Saturday, highlighted by the Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer Stakes, a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Breeders' Cup Turf in November at Keeneland. Also featured will be the Grade 1 Forego Stakes at seven furlongs on the main track for older sprinters; the Grade 2 Amsterdam at six furlongs for sophomore sprinters; and the Grade 3 Saranac at one mile on the inner turf for 3-year-olds.
The Sword Dancer is one of two Breeders' Cup Challenge Series “Win and You're In” races on tap for August 29 as the Pat O'Brien Stakes at Del Mar is an automatic qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Sprint. The Sword Dancer will be shown on NYRA's “Saratoga Live” telecast on FS2. Saturday's Pat O'Brien Stakes will be televised live on TVG as part of their comprehensive coverage of racing at Del Mar.
Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.
Friday August 28
5:46 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Lake George Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on FS2
Robert and Lawana Low's Sweet Melania will attempt to keep her consistent record intact when she headlines Friday's 25th running of the Lake George for 3-year-old fillies going one mile over the inner turf. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Sweet Melania arrives at the Lake George off an easy wire-to-wire victory in the Grade 3 Wonder Again at Belmont Park, which she won off a nearly eight-month. The American Pharoah chestnut began her career on the main track but made her third career start a winning one when debuting on grass over the Spa's inner turf last July. Sweet Melania followed up with a runner-up effort in the P.G. Johnson at Saratoga before a victory in the Grade 2 Jessamine at Keeneland. She completed her juvenile campaign by running third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SAR082820USA9-EQB.html
9:43 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks at Charles Town on TVG
Multiple graded stakes-winner Tonalist's Shape heads up a field of 10 in the Charles Town Oaks, one of seven stakes on the card. Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., Tonalist's Shape won her first five career starts, including the Grade 3 Forward Gal and Grade 2 Davona Dale Stakes earlier this year. The daughter of Tonalist most recently finished fourth in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga on July 18.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/CT082820USA10-EQB.html
10:18 p.m.—$600,000 Grade 2 Charles Town Classic at Charles Town on TVG
Grade 1 winner Math Wizard aims to secure his first victory since taking the 2019 Pennsylvania Derby when he faces nine challengers in the 1 1/8-miles Charles Town Classic. Math Wizard ran second last time out in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup Stakes, his best finish since his breakout triumph in the Pennsylvania Derby.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/CT082820USA11-EQB.html
Saturday August 29
2:18 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Saranac Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on FS2
Daniel M. Ryan's Vanzzy has proven capable of winning over any surface thrown his way and will try to build off a recent turf stakes victory in the Saranac, a one-mile test for sophomores over the inner turf. Trained by Michael Pino, the bay son of Verrazano was a last-out winner of the Jersey Derby on July 26 at Monmouth Park, which he won by 3 ½ lengths over the firm turf. Vanzzy began his career over the main track, graduating at second asking going one mile on October 14 at Parx, before winning the Display over the all-weather surface two months later at Woodbine.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SAR082920USA3-EQB.html
2:29 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes at Monmouth Park on TVG
In a turf race that features three from Chad Brown's powerhouse stable and one trained by Todd Pletcher, Kelly Breen will take his best shot with his classy Jersey-bred Valedictorian. With Breen's hope that she may be the lone speed, Valedictorian will look to get back on track in Eatontown Stakes, the feature on Monmouth Park's 14-race card. She won the race a year ago, one of 12 career victories that have helped her to $737,115 in lifetime earnings.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/MTH082920USA5-EQB.html
4:17 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 Ontario Colleen Stakes at Woodbine on TVG
Saratoga Vision, a 3-year-old daughter of Court Vision, will look to record a couple of firsts in Saturday's Ontario Colleen, part of Woodbine's 10-race card. Owned and trained by Alexander Patykewich, the Kentucky-bred would notch her first stakes crown with a victory in the one-mile turf Ontario Colleen while also breaking her maiden in what will be her 13th start. Bred by Charles Fipke, Saratoga Vision has a pair of seconds and a trio of thirds from 12 starts, including a strong runner-up showing in her latest effort, the Grade 3 Selene Stakes on July 25 at Woodbine.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO082920CAN7-EQB.html
4:32 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on FS2
Jackpot Farm's Basin is entered in a sprint for the first time since his juvenile campaign, making his first start for trainer Todd Pletcher in headlining a six-horse field in the Amsterdam Stakes. Under Hall of Fame conditioner Steve Asmussen, Basin started the year on the Triple Crown trail, running third in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes to start his 3-year-old campaign in March at Oaklawn Park. He again ran on a sloppy and sealed track next out, running fourth in the Oaklawn Stakes in April. Keeping at the two-turn 1 1/8-mile distance, Basin won his second career Grade 1 in a division of the Arkansas Derby on May 2, crossing the wire second, six lengths back of Charlatan, who was later disqualified from purse money.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SAR082920USA7-EQB.html
5:07 p.m.—$300,000 Grade 1 Forego Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on FS2
Veteran war horse Whitmore will face off against three other Grade 1 winners in Saturday's 41st running of the Forego Stakes. Boasting a record of 35-14-11-3 and lifetime earnings of over $3.1 million, Whitmore will attempt to join Groovy (1986-87) and Quick Call (1988-89) as the only horses to win multiple editions of the Forego. A winner of the 2018 Forego over subsequent Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup winner City of Light, Whitmore boasts six graded stakes victories. Whitmore arrives at the race off a runner-up finish to Volatile in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt on July 25 at the Spa.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SAR082920USA8-EQB.html
5:43 p.m.—$500,000 Grade 1 Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on FS2
Trainer Mike Maker will saddle a trio of top contenders, led by New York-bred Cross Border, who will look to win his third race of the 2020 Saratoga Race Course summer meet in Saturday's Sword Dancer. Bred in the Empire State by Berkshire Stud and B. D. Gibbs, Cross Border is a perfect 5-for-5 at Saratoga. His Saratoga domination continued on July 22 when 6 ¼-lengths the best in the 1 1/16-mile Lubash for state-breds, and despite being wheeled back on just 10 days rest, Cross Border crossed the wire second in the Grade 2 Bowling Green and was elevated to first following the disqualification of Sadler's Joy for lugging in.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SAR082920USA9-EQB.html
9:38 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Stakes at Del Mar on TVG
Flagstaff is a lovely, little town in the mountains of Northern Arizona. Flagstaff is also a very fast racehorse who could be tough to beat at Del Mar Saturday afternoon in the 35th running of the Pat O'Brien Stakes. Flagstaff, a 6-year-old gelding by Speighstown, didn't make it to the races until his 4-year-old season and only shows 13 starts in total. Five of them have been wins, though – the last two coming in stakes at the O'Brien's seven-furlong distance – and he sports earnings that read $485,785.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/DMR082920USA10-EQB.html
Sunday August 30
5:46 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 Shuvee Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on FS1
The top-three finishers of the Summer Colony earlier this month will each take a step up in class on Sunday, with Nonna Madeline looking for a second straight win as part of a nine-horse field of older fillies and mares in the Shuvee Stakes. One of three entrants for trainer Todd Pletcher, Nonna Madeline won her first career stakes in the 1 1/8-mile Summer Colony on August 5, posting a 1 ¼-length score over a fast track. Running at the same distance in the 44th running of the Shuvee, the 4-year-old daughter of Candy Ride (ARG) enters having run first or second in her last three starts.
Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SAR083020USA9-EQB.html
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