Under the sponsorship, DraftKings's advance deposit wagering offering–DK Horse–will play a prominent role throughout the festival. Along with the DraftKings Travers, NYRA's new partner will also become the presenting sponsor for the GI DK Horse Acorn S.

Launched in 2023, DK Horse is a standalone app currently available in 20 states and allows eligible customers access to pari-mutuel wagering.

“Bringing DraftKings and DK Horse back to Saratoga for a second consecutive year is a tremendous honor,” said Christopher Cipolla, General Manager, Horse Racing, DraftKings. “Having our branding present throughout the summer at one of the most beautiful and well attended race tracks in all of the world and being named the presenting sponsor of this year's Travers and Acorn further cements our commitment to the sport of horse racing.”

The DraftKings and DK Horse brands will be displayed throughout the Saratoga property beginning in June, with a variety of on-site activations reminding fans of the broad availability of DraftKings products.

“DraftKings is a premier brand within the rapidly growing sports wagering marketplace, and this arrangement will help to introduce world class racing to a wider audience of fans and bettors, “said Tony Allevato, NYRA Chief Revenue Officer. “This will be a tremendously exciting year at Saratoga Race Course, and we thank DraftKings for supporting New York horse racing.”

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“This is a fantastic opportunity for a young person interested in racing to experience an insider's access and share their fresh perspective on the sport,” said Marie Kizenko, NYTHA's Communications Manager. “We look forward to sharing NYTHA's mission with all those interested.”

Interested applicants should send a resume and any relevant links to jobs@nytha.com by Monday, Apr. 1.

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On the work tab since late January at trainer Todd Pletcher's Palm Beach Downs base, the 3-year-old is out of broodmare of the year Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy), who also produced champion 3-year-old Malathaat (Curlin) and her full-sister GSW Julia Shining.

Also entered, but making her first start for trainer Riley Mott, is Ms Lady de Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega), who was a 240,000gns purchase by Linda Juckette at the 2021 Tattersalls October Sale. TJCIS PPS

#1a Emery breaks her maiden on debut in R2 at Saratoga for trainer @bradcoxracing with @Tyler_Gaff aboard!

#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/ULy5TuHSXI

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) August 30, 2023

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Meanwhile, dual Derby and Breeders' Cup hero Auguste Rodin (Deep Impact {Jpn}), arguably the most important older horse to have been kept in training at Ballydoyle for many years, is set to get his campaign underway in next week's Dubai Sheema Classic. 

Described by joint-owner Michael Tabor as “our Frankel” after he slammed his Dewhurst rivals last term, City Of Troy heads the Guineas and Derby betting at odds of 4-6 and 2-1 respectively.

With so much on the line for a horse who has commanded such praise, O'Brien could be forgiven for feeling the pressure. The truth couldn't be further from the case. 

Speaking at a media morning at Ballydoyle on Wednesday, O'Brien said, “I don't feel pressure at all. All we can do is our best and whatever will be will be. But he [City Of Troy] looks a bit different at the moment anyway.”

O'Brien added, “He has always been very special. He always looked a bit different–even from the time we worked him to when he ran in his maiden.  All you can do is just keep turning up and running and see what is going to happen, but he does work very differently [to anything else].

“Horses are working in very bad ground at the moment-it's deep. He shouldn't like that at all but he is just powering through it. We hope to get him to Naas on Sunday after racing. They'll all work together–him, Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), they'll all go together over seven or seven-and-a-half furlongs. The plan is to go straight to the Guineas with City Of Troy.

“If that went well, then he could go for the Derby, and if that went well, there's a chance he could go to Saratoga for the Travers Stakes. That's very possible if things go well and it will be interesting.”

O'Brien is no stranger to running top-class horses on the dirt. Johannesburg famously won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 2001 while Galileo (Ire), George Washington (Ire), Henrythenavigator and Duke Of Marmalade (Ire) are some of the more established names to have tackled the Breeders' Cup Classic, albeit the latter pair's efforts came on the Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita in 2008. 

Mendelssohn came closest to delivering O'Brien and the Coolmore team a breakthrough success in the Travers when second to Catholic Boy in the 2018 edition of the race. However, City Of Troy would rank as by far the most high-profile colt that connections have pointed towards the Travers, with O'Brien putting his confidence behind last year's European Champion Two-Year-Old's ability to handle the surface on breeding.

Speaking about the reasoning behind such ambitious campaigning, he explained, “It's just to expose him, really. Obviously he's by Justify, which makes Justify very exciting for us because he should be able to do dirt as easily as he does grass. That's what makes him unique, really. “Every one of those Justifys are the same. They are long-striding and big horses. They are scopey and very genuine. They are all happy to go forward and you can't go hard enough in their races. It's going to be very exciting.”

O'Brien added, “He's done very well over the winter. He's a medium-sized horse to look at, but when you stand into him he's much bigger than you think he is, which is the sign of a very well-proportioned horse. It will be exciting.

“When John [Magnier] and the lads are thinking like that, they are not afraid to push him out there and see what he is able to do. If it went well in the Guineas, we're happy to step up to a mile and a half in the Derby and then you could come back to a mile and a quarter on the dirt at Saratoga.”

City Of Troy is likely to be O'Brien's sole runner in the Guineas while targets for Henry Longfellow, Diego Velazquez (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), River Tiber and Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) will be decided after they work at Naas this weekend. 

O'Brien said, “I'd imagine if City Of Troy goes to the Guineas, he'll go himself. River Tiber always worked very well. He wasn't right in Deauville or in the Middle Park–he wasn't one hundred per cent, so there's a good chance there's more to come from him. I think he's a miler–he's fast. I couldn't see him getting much further.

“Unquestionable could go for the French Guineas. He's done very well. He'll go to Naas on Sunday to work and he could go for a trial in France before going back for the Guineas. He could be a French Derby horse. He's not as quick as the others, so he could get a bit further.

“When we went to America with them last year, River Tiber was five lengths better than the winner. He's not rated that way, but if you put the two of them together, that is what will happen.”

O'Brien added, “Henry Longfellow could stretch out but he looks like a miler the way he's going, so how much further he'd get, I'm not sure. He could be a French Derby horse, as could Diego Velazquez–he might be more that than a Guineas horse, but he'll go with them [to Naas] as well, so it will be interesting.”

Asked for an under-the-radar three-year-old colt to follow for the campaign, O'Brien put forward Grosvenor Square (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), winner of the G3 Eyrefield S. at Leopardstown last term and no bigger than 20-1 for the Derby.

“Grosvenor Square could be a very interesting horse,” he said. “I think he'd have no problem with better ground. He's not a heavy-framed horse, he's a good mover. He'll go for a Derby trial.”

City Of Troy is not the only horse that O'Brien is exploring the idea of running on dirt this season as Dubai-bound Auguste Rodin could tackle the surface at some point this year. More immediately, races like the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh and the Prince Of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot will come under consideration for the four-year-old after Meydan.

O'Brien concluded, “Auguste Rodin has another bit of work to do before he goes on Saturday, but everything looks good at the moment. It's his first run of the year but we're very happy with him.

“The plan was he goes there, then he could go to the Curragh for the Tattersalls Gold Cup and then Ascot for the Prince of Wales's.

“After that, we could have a look at a dirt race with him. We'll see how that goes. He could go to Saratoga as well. His season will be split in two really, with a busy first half and then a break. As a rule, Deep Impacts are mainly turf horses, but we were surprised how well he worked on the dirt at the Breeders' Cup-he floated over it. He has an unusual action, so it will be interesting to see.”

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“Season ticket plans allow fans to secure some of the best seats in the house for all 40 days of the Saratoga meet,” said NYRA Vice President of Sales Kevin Quinn. “And a season admission pass will pay for itself in fewer than 10 visits for fans looking to enjoy the backyard throughout the summer.”

Racing at Saratoga opens Thursday, July 11 and continues through Labor Day weekend.

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“What a kind gentleman he was,” recalled NYRA Stakes Coordinator Andrew Byrnes. “Mike took the time to teach me how to do things the right way. I learned a tremendous amount under him. He was one of the best. He was a jewel.”

Prunetti retired to Florida where he continued to volunteer his time until his passing.

“Mike was also a genuinely nice guy, loved the game and loved people,” said Peter McGivney, a fellow NYRA racing official. “Everybody thought the world of him.”

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She will spearhead initiatives to cultivate and expand relationships with donors and further TRF's mission to provide a lifetime sanctuary for retired racehorses.

Woolford brings extensive experience and a passion for non-profit work. Before joining the TRF, she served the Saratoga Hospital Foundation as the manager of institutional advancement and later as its executive director.

“I am honored to join The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and contribute to the vital work of ensuring a dignified retirement for these racehorses and supporting the TRF Second Chances Program,” Woolford said. “I look forward to engaging with our generous donors and stakeholders to advance TRF's mission.”

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As Saratoga prepares to host the 2024 Belmont Stakes Fesitval June 6-9, the main track will open one month earlier than customary on Monday, May 6.

Due to the ongoing construction at Belmont Park, there will be significant changes to the usual NYRA training schedule. The Belmont main track will remain closed for training through the spring and summer as NYRA reconstructs the dirt surface and both turf courses while finishing the installation of a new one-mile synthetic surface. The Belmont training track, synthetic pony track and a jogging barn will be open for daily training throughout the spring and summer.

In light of the construction, NYRA is waiving all stall rental fees at Saratoga for the spring training season beginning May 6, assuming all trainer accounts are current through the end of 2023.

The spring/summer and fall meets normally scheduled for Belmont Park will be run at Aqueduct, as previously announced.

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The news of his injury was first reported by David Grening of the Daily Racing Form.

Aron Wellman, the managing partner of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, the co-owners of Locked, described the injury as “a very minor ligament fray in the upper part of the left knee.”

Locked was first expected to make his 3-year-old debut in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 10, but missed that race due to a fever. Plan B was to run in last Saturday's GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream but he was scratched by trainer Todd Pletcher, who was concerned with the way the colt trained the morning of that race.

“The morning of the Fountain of Youth, he didn't train like he normally does,” Wellman said. “He had trained exceptionally well in the weeks leading up to the Fountain of Youth. It was just that morning. It's a tribute to Todd's sharpness and his team for picking up on it. Any other trainer, he probably would have run. With Todd's attention to detail we weren't comfortable sending him over for the Fountain of Youth.”

On Monday, the colt was sent to Dr. John Madison in Ocala, who detected the injury.

“We trained him the day after the Fountain of Youth and he was better, but considering his profile and importance we decided not to take any chances,” Wellman said. “We sent him to Ocala and thanks to the state-of-the-art technology that exists now, they found the problem. No surgery will be required. He just needs time to let it reattach and heal, which is unfortunate because we're off the Classic trail. At the same time, we're thankful to Todd and his team for detecting it early enough so that this horse will still have a future. We're thankful to the vets up in Ocala, including Dr. Madison, who ran him through a body of tests. In the grand scheme of things we were fortunate because they are now able to detect injuries like the one he had. That couldn't have been done in the past.”

Thanks to state of the art technology, we've identified a minor ligament injury in Locked's left knee. Sadly, the Derby Dream is over, but thankfully @PletcherRacing caught the issue early and Locked will come back strong. The horse always comes first! #BelieveBig pic.twitter.com/o0ArPyPEd6

— Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners (@EclipseTBP) March 8, 2024

Wellman said the goal now will be to make the major 3-year-old races run in the summer, including the GI Travers S. at Saratoga.

After winning the Breeders' Futurity, Locked ran third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The Fountain of Youth was to be his 3-year-old debut.

“Anybody who is in this game is in it with the dream of having a legitimate contender for the Kentucky Derby and the Classics,” Wellman said. “Locked fit that profile to a tee. We've been fortunate enough to have some legitimate Derby contenders in the past. I was fortunate to be part of the team with Animal Kingdom and Team Valor and we had some other horses who ran respectably in the race. But I don't know that we ever had a horse before who came into their sophomore season with the credentials and the profile that Locked had. We were really confident and had huge convictions that we had the right type of horse to really be effective in the Kentucky Derby at a mile and a quarter. Absolutely, this is a punch in the gut.”

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