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Award-Winning Saratoga Live Returns for Fifth Season

Saratoga Live, the critically-acclaimed and award-winning television program will kick off its fifth season Thursday broadcasting the 40-day summer meet at iconic Saratoga Race Course.

Saratoga Live will feature more than 210 hours of live programming from Saratoga, which runs from Thursday, July 16 through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. Saratoga Live will appear each racing day beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern on FOX Sports and MSG Networks and offer full-card coverage of a Saratoga meet offering 71 stakes worth $14.45 million, encompassing 39 graded stakes, 18 Grade Is and at least one stakes race every live racing day.

In addition to daily national coverage on FOX Sports 2, Saratoga Live will air on FOX Sports 1 for a total of 31 hours, the most hours since the partnership with FOX Sports began in 2016. The daily schedule is available here. Under current New York State guidelines, Saratoga Race Course will open without spectators in attendance, making the extensive Saratoga Live coverage even more important.

“With so many sports still out or just now coming back because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we know a lot of eyes will be on us, particularly at a meet with the prestige of Saratoga,” said Tony Allevato, NYRA’s Chief Revenue Officer and President of NYRA Bets. “That’s both a responsibility and a tremendous opportunity because life is still not back to normal. It means throwing the usual metrics out the window, doubling down and doing what we do best.”

The meet will be highlighted by the 151st renewal of the GI Runhappy Travers S. Saturday, Aug. 8 and the GI Whitney S. Saturday, Aug. 1.

“We realized back in the spring at Belmont Park that a whole lot of people not that familiar with horse racing were watching us and really getting into our sport,” Allevato said. “That gives us an added responsibility to not just show the races, but to do so with the kind of insight, commentary and features that our on-air team delivers. I put our team up against anyone; they’re the best in the business.”

Saratoga Live will feature a talented broadcast team including hosts Greg Wolf and Laffit Pincay III, who will call on experts such as Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, Kentucky Oaks-winning trainer Tom Amoss, Eclipse Award-winning jockey Richard Migliore, paddock analyst Acacia Courtney, and professional handicapper Jonathon Kinchen. NYRA veteran John Imbriale succeeds Larry Collmus as the race caller at Saratoga Race Course. Add to that the analysis provided by two well-respected figures on the New York racing scene, Andy Serling and Maggie Wolfendale.

“There are a lot of options out there for viewers,” Allevato said. “But in showing the races and a lot of what goes into them, we’re confident that our shows will be entertaining. We have a great thing going at Saratoga and we want people around the country to share it with us.”

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‘Scary’ Good: Tonalist’s Shape Will Add Blinkers For CCA Oaks

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. believes he may have found the key to talented 3-year-old filly Tonalist's Shape, and just in time for Saturday's running of the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga.

In her last several workouts, the Tonalist filly has sported blinkers. She'll don the new equipment on Saturday as well, which Joseph believes will help her step up against the competition.

“She's already proven she's a nice filly, but we needed a couple more lengths to be one of the top fillies,” Joseph said on Wednesday's media teleconference organized by the NTRA. “It's almost scary how good she worked in the blinkers. I even asked some of the clockers that I respect, like Mike Welsch, and everyone seems to think she's much better in the blinkers.”

On Tuesday, Tonalist's Shape had her first workout at Saratoga and clocked a bullet three furlongs in 34.26 seconds, more than two seconds faster than any other breeze at the distance.

“She's never been a fast work horse,” Joseph said, adding, “but the blinkers seem to have made all positive notes.”

Tonalist's Shape was entered in last weekend's G1 Ashland at Keeneland, but scratched out of that tough field (won by Speech in track-record time) to point to the nine-furlong CCA Oaks instead.

Both the Ashland, a 1 1/16-mile route, and the Coaching Club will over 170 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks on a 100-40-20-10 scale to the first four finishers.

“The Coaching Club seems like a spot where we were likely to be the favorite,” said Joseph. “That doesn't mean we're going to win, but it gives her the best shot to do so.”

In her seven career starts, Tonalist's Shape has only been defeated once, when seventh behind eventual G1 winner Swiss Skydiver in the Gulfstream Park Oaks. Most recently, the filly won the 1 1/16-mile Hollywood Wildcat Stakes at Gulfstream on May 15 by 3 3/4 lengths.

Entries for the CCA Oaks will be taken Wednesday afternoon, with the field expected to include: Altaf (Chad Brown), Antoinette (Bill Mott), Crystal Ball (Bob Baffert), Paris Lights (Bill Mott), and Velvet Crush (Rodolphe Brisset).

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Brisnet.com Triple Crown Throwdown: Peter Pan

Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com takes on TDN’s Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap Triple Crown prep races plus the big three races themselves. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets in the preps and $200 Win/Place bets in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Highest bankroll at the end wins.

DeRosa – Blue Grass Result – Art Collector (+$530) wore down Swiss Skydiver for a breakout victory. Bankroll: $4210.

GIII Peter Pan S. – I normally don’t like horses who need 1 1/8 miles on dirt to break their maidens as a 2-year-old, but given this one is by Tonalist, who has needed some time with his progeny, it’s more understandable. I loved Country Grammer’s race in the Fountain of Youth off that maiden win and the comeback wasn’t bad given he had to go long off the bench and was caught wide. Now back to nine furlongs second off the bench and I like his chances. Would loved to have pulled the trigger on Caracaro, but going this long against stakes types off a six-month layoff is a big ask. Selection: #2 Country Grammer (7-2).

Sherack – Blue Grass Result – Still plenty of work left to do to catch the top two, but nice to get back in the win column with Art Collector. Bankroll: $3135.

GIII Peter Pan S. – I couldn’t have been any higher on Mystic Guide following his eye-catching maiden win at Fair Grounds, and getting back to two turns with some added distance to work with after a good second in a quickly run race should be right up his alley. Will be making a nice exacta box with Candy Tycoon. Selection: #6 Mystic Guide (5-2).

DiDonato – Blue Grass Result – Rushie settled for third at 7-1 after a wide trip. This thing’s getting close. Bankroll: $4375

GIII Peter Pan S. – Mystic Guide and Country Grammer, the second and third finishers in that salty allowance won by Tap It to Win at Belmont June 4, are the two I’m most interested in (Caracaro’s also intriguing, but not sure what to make of him). I believe I’ve picked both in earlier contest races, but decided to side with Country Grammer here for red-hot (always hot?) Chad Brown. Mystic Guide finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Country Grammer, but the latter covered about two more lengths of ground according to Trakus data. Country Grammer also made a tougher move, being asked for his run earlier from farther back while off cover. He seems better suited to this two-turn nine furlongs, and is already a winner at the distance. Selection: #2 Country Grammer (7-2).

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Ready to Make New Memories at the Spa

John C. Oxley homebred Beautiful Memories (Hard Spun) headlines a field of eight juvenile fillies set for Thursday’s co-featured GIII Schuylerville S. at the Spa.

Trained by Mark Casse, the chestnut aired by 10 lengths for ‘TDN Rising Star’ honors on debut at Churchill Downs May 28. She’s registered a pair of bullet workouts in Louisville since, including a five-furlong spin in :59 1/5 (1/34) July 4.

Beautiful Memories’ third dam is champion older mare Beautiful Pleasure, who carried Oxley’s gold-and-blue silks to six top-level victories, led by a win in the 1999 GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

“We broke her and had her down at the training center all winter and she seemed special,” Casse said. “I told Mr. Oxley when I breezed her that she gave me chills and that doesn’t happen often.”

Casse continued, “You always want to see more than just one time. She’s come back and trained well and her last two works have been really good. We’re hoping for a similar performance, but we’ll let her do the talking.”

Hopeful Princess (Not This Time) makes her first start for Stonestreet Stables and Steve Asmussen. She became the first winner for her in-demand freshman sire graduating on debut for Jackie Huckaby, Imaginary Stables and Donna G. Hancock and trainer John A. Hancock with a hard-fought victory beneath the Twin Spires May 21.

Like Beautiful Memories, Hopeful Princess earned a field-best 75 Beyer Speed Figure on debut.

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