Saratoga Race Course | Horse Racing Free Tips

After Sanford Win, Hopeful Likely Next for Mo Strike

Nasser Bin Omairah's Mo Strike (Uncle Mo), winner of Saturday's GIII Sanford S., will likely make his next start in the Sept. 5 GI Hopeful S., trainer Brad Cox confirmed Sunday.

“He's great and looks fantastic. I think the right thing to do, from a timing standpoint, is to look at the Hopeful and work our way back from there,” Cox said Sunday. “I think we'll skip the [Aug. 13 GII] Saratoga Special, because it's asking a lot of him and this gives him more time. We brought him back quick off of his maiden win, so he'll have all summer here. It's a great place to be, so there's no rush.”

Mo Strike was Cox's third winner of the three-day old Saratoga meeting. The trainer will look to add to his graded tally in the coming weeks with Caravel (Mizzen Mat) looking to repeat in July 23 GIII Caress S. and Arklow (Arch) making his 8-year-old debut off a nine-month layoff in the July 31 GII Bowling Green S.

Caravel and Arklow both breezed over the Oklahoma turf training track Sunday, the former working a half-mile in :49.60 (24/52) with jockey Tyler Gaffalione up and the latter drilling five furlongs in 1:01.72 (2/15).

Cox said he was particularly impressed with the way Caravel has trained since her win in the June 10 GIII Intercontinental S.

“She was amazing. She was amazing last week [:47.22 (1/29)] and this week she was too, but a little more steady–a maintenance move,” Cox said. “Tyler was on her; he's worked her several times in Kentucky and she looks like she's set up for a big race Saturday. I don't know if we need to see any improvement from her, just more of the same. She likes it up here and we're hoping she can duplicate her run from last year.”

Arklow has not raced since finishing fifth in the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont last October.

“It's a tall task off the layoff, but he's shown the ability to run really well off layoffs,” Cox said. “Last year, his first race back was in the Louisville H. and he won that. I'm pretty happy with how he's doing.”

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Early Voting to Jim Dandy

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY- Klaravich Stables's GI Preakness S. winner Early Voting (Gun Runner) was shipped from Belmont Park to Saratoga Race Course Sunday and will run in the GII Jim Dandy July 30.

Trainer Chad Brown announced that Early Voting will go in the Jim Dandy with stablemate Zandon (Upstart), rather than face another stablemate, unbeaten Jack Christopher (Munnings) in the GI Haskell S. July 23. Brown is aiming all three of his graded stakes-winning 3-year-old colts for Saratoga's signature race, the $1.25-million GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 27. He waited until after Early Voting's work Saturday at Belmont Park before deciding whether the colt would go to Monmouth Park with Jack Christopher in a Grade I contest or come to Saratoga and have a race over the track before the historic Travers.

“Jack Christopher looked great this morning, he looks ready to go for the Haskell and at the end of the day I'm going to run two horses in one race and one on the other,” Brown said. “I'd rather only run the one in the Haskell and I just didn't see the benefit of putting Early Voting in a larger field against a really fast horse, what it might do to him five weeks out from the Travers.”

In the Jim Dandy, for decades the local prep for the Travers, Jeff Drown's Zandon will be making his first start since finishing third in the GI Kentucky Derby May 7. He won the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. April 29.

Early Voting gave Brown his second Triple Crown race win in the Preakness May 21. In 2017, Brown brought his Preakness winner Cloud Computing back in the Jim Dandy.

Jack Christopher, co-owned by Jim Bakke, Gerald Ibister, Coolmore Stud and Peter Brant, extended his record to 4-0 with a smashing 10-length victory in the seven-furlong GI Woody Stephens June 11. The nine-furlong Haskell will be his first race beyond one mile and his first around two turns.

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NYRA Announces New Backstretch Healthcare Clinic at Saratoga

Officials at NYRA Cares and Backstretch Employee Service Team (B.E.S.T.) announced that a new healthcare clinic will be built at Saratoga Race Course and is due to open in 2023. As a tribute to his late wife, Marylou Whitney, philanthropist John Hendrickson is funding construction of the new clinic, which will replace a double wide trailer that has housed on-site healthcare services at the track.

The new clinic will provide a dramatically improved experience for those receiving primary and emergency healthcare services at Saratoga Race Course, which will be provided by doctors and medical professionals from Saratoga Hospital. John Hendrickson has pledged $1.2 million for construction of the permanent clinic, some $400,000 of which was raised in a 2020 auction of possessions belonging to Mrs. Whitney.

To date, a concrete foundation has been poured for the new clinic, which will include a large waiting area, four examination rooms, a lab for blood work and office space. A groundbreaking ceremony is set for Wednesday, July 13, on the eve of the 2022 summer meet. Work will then resume in September with the building to open in the spring of 2023.

“No one shared her blessings and good fortune more than Marylou,” Mr. Hendrickson said. “No one was more dedicated to helping charities than Marylou, and so the idea was born. Her spirit of giving will live on.”

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NYRA, NYTHA and NYTB to Host Saratoga Aftercare Day

The New York Racing Association, New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and the New York Thoroughbred Breeders will host the second annual New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day at Saratoga Race Course July 21. The day will include a variety of events and demonstrations to highlight the work of the New York State aftercare community.

The featured race will be the $125,000 Rick Violette, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for New York-bred sophomores named for the late trainer and NYTHA President who spearheaded the creation of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program and TAKE THE LEAD Retirement Program.

Violette was a founding member of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), the non-profit organization that accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retire, retrain, and rehome Thoroughbreds. Based in Lexington, the TAA is supported by owners, trainers, breeders, racetracks, aftercare professionals, and other industry members

Representatives from TAA-accredited aftercare organizations will be on-site at Saratoga to educate racing fans about the importance of responsible aftercare efforts, including New Vocations, ReRun, Akindale Thoroughbred Rescue, Lucky Orphans, ACTT Naturally, Old Friends at Cabin Creek, Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga.

Fans can visit the Community Booth behind the jockeys' quarters to learn more about the participating organizations.

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