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NYRA Announces Saratoga Post Times

The New York Racing Association announced post times for the 40-day summer meet at historic Saratoga, which will feature 76 stakes worth $21.5 million in total purses.

With the exception of Travers Day, Whitney Day and closing weekend, first post on live race days will be 1:05 p.m. First post for the GI Runhappy Travers Day card Aug. 28 will be 11:35 a.m. GI Whitney S. Day Aug. 7 kicks off with a 12:35 p.m. first post. Closing weekend of the Saratoga meet will offer a 12:35 p.m. post time Saturday through Monday.

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Essential Quality ‘Looks Amazing’ After Belmont; Cox Eyes Travers

Essential Quality (Tapit) got great marks from trainer Brad Cox the morning after the colt triumphed in a strong renewal of the GI Belmont S., and Cox said the Godolphin homebred will be pointed next to the GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 28 at Saratoga. The Belmont victory marked the first Grade I win as a sophomore for last year's champion 2-year-old male and offered a measure of redemption for the gray, who was the beaten favorite when fourth in last month's GI Kentucky Derby, his first career defeat.

“He looks amazing. It doesn't look like he lost any weight. We jogged him up this morning and he was moving great,” Cox told the NYRA notes team Sunday. “He's a very intelligent horse. It's amazing to watch him. We train him on race day and whenever we put him back in, he'll lay down the rest of the day. He knows what's going on and he deserves a good rest today after such a long race yesterday.”

Rallying past stubborn pacesetter Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) in the final sixteenth of Saturday's $1.5-million Belmont, Essential Quality earned a career-best 109 Beyer and stopped the timer in 2:27.11 for the 1 1/2 miles, the third-fastest Belmont clocking this century, behind only American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile)'s 2:26.65 in 2015 and Point Given (Thunder Gulch)'s 2:26.56 in 2001.

In addition to the Travers, Cox said Essential Quality could start in the GII Jim Dandy S. July 31 at the Spa.

“It's one of the more prestigious races out there for 3-year-old colts. So that would be the logical spot,” Cox said of the Travers. “It's a mile and a quarter and we know he can handle that. In regard to a race before, it would be nice. Saratoga is obviously a demanding track. I wouldn't say we have to have a race before that, but it would be nice. I think the logical spot would be the Jim Dandy, but we'll get him back to Churchill and let him tell us over the next couple of weeks how he's feeling.”

Hot Rod Charlie, who ran valiantly to be a clear second in the Belmont after setting a scorching early pace of:22.78 and :46.49, also came out of his effort well, according to trainer Doug O'Neill.

“He looks awesome, just awesome,” said O'Neill before jetting back to his Southern California base. “He ate up everything and licked his feed tub. We scoped him after the race, and he scoped clean. He was definitely a little rubber-legged after the race, but by the time he got back to the barn area he had already recovered. He recovered quickly. He's amazing. He's so dappled, it's unbelievable. His coat is still beautiful. He's full of energy and is just great this morning.”

O'Neill added that a run in the Travers would likely be on the agenda for his charge as well.

“I think that's very logical,” he said. “The great thing about this group of guys [owners Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, William Strauss and Gainesway Stable] is that they're so patient. I'm sure we'll talk about that in the next week or two, but just knowing the way this journey has played out, and hopefully, there are plenty more chapters in the Charlie tale, we probably won't decide for another three weeks or so. But it is the most logical next spot. If he takes us there.”

O'Neill also told the Santa Anita notes team that a start against elders in the GI TVG Pacific Classic Aug. 21 at Del Mar is under consideration.

“As a 3-year-old, we'd get a big break in the weights and a few of our owners live down there,” he said.

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Essential Quality to Bypass Preakness; Belmont Possible

Trainer Brad Cox told Steve Byk on At the Races Tuesday morning that champion Essential Quality (Tapit), fourth in the GI Kentucky Derby as the 29-10 favorite, will skip the GI Preakness S. May 15.

The grey could be considered for the GI Belmont S. June 5, with Godolphin's Jimmy Bell telling TVG's Alicia Hughes that the Belmont is “part of the conversation, but that's not definitive at all. We're skipping the Preakness, that's for sure. Our primary goal is to run in the [Aug. 28 GI] Travers and we'll work backwards from there. His next start may or may not be in the Belmont as all options are being considered.”

Cox told Byk that Triple Crown decisions on Derby runner-up Mandaloun (Into Mischief) and Smarty Jones S. winner Caddo River (Hard Spun) would be made in the coming days with their respective co-owners.

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Jockey Club Gold Cup, Flower Bowl Both Moved To Saratoga Meet

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced the stakes schedule for the 40-day summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course, which will feature 76 stakes worth $21.5 million in total purses. The summer meet will open on Thursday, July 15, and conclude on Monday, Sept. 6.

Earlier this month, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that live sports and entertainment venues with a minimum reserved seating capacity of 10,000 will be permitted to re-open to a limited number of spectators beginning on Feb. 23 with approval from the New York State Department of Health. All attendees must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the event and adhere to health and safety requirements, including mandatory facial coverings and social distancing.

NYRA will continue to closely monitor New York State-issued regulations to determine how they impact Saratoga Race Course. Additional details on fan attendance and tickets for the 2021 summer meet will be provided as information becomes available.

The 2021 summer meet, which will offer at least one stakes race every live racing day, will be highlighted by the 152nd renewal of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on Aug. 28 and the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on Aug. 7, as the anchors of two of the most prestigious racing days in North America.

The Saratoga meet will also include the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Grade 1, $600,000 Flower Bowl, both previously run during the fall meet at Belmont Park.

Following the four-day opening weekend, racing will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, with the exception of the final week, when the meet will conclude on Labor Day.

Whitney Day will feature three Grade 1 events, led by the Whitney at 1 1/8 miles offering an automatic berth to the Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

Completing the trio of Grade 1s on Whitney Day will be the $500,000 Longines Test for sophomore fillies and the $1 million Saratoga Derby Invitational, the second jewel of the Turf Triple series for sophomore males in its first running with Grade 1 status. Whitney Day will also include the Grade 2, $250,000 Glens Falls for older fillies and mares on turf, and the $120,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure.

Whitney weekend kicks off Aug. 6, with the Grade 2, $200,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame for sophomore turf milers; the Grade 3, $200,000 Troy, presented by Horse Racing Ireland, for 4-year-olds and up going 5 ½ furlongs on the turf; and the $120,000 Alydar at nine furlongs for older horses.

Whitney weekend concludes on Aug. 8, with three stakes highlighted by the upgraded Grade 3, $700,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational, the second leg of the Turf Triple series for sophomore fillies. The August 8 card will also include the Grade 2, $200,000 Adirondack, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies, and the $120,000 Fasig-Tipton De La Rose at one mile on turf for older fillies and mares.

New York-breds will take center stage on Friday, Aug. 27, for New York Showcase Day, featuring six stakes for state-breds worth a combined $1.15 million. The lucrative card is headlined by the $250,000 Albany, a nine-furlong test for sophomores. Also featured are a trio of $200,000 stakes in the Fleet Indian for sophomore fillies; the Funny Cide, presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, for juvenile sprinters; and the Seeking the Ante for juvenile filly sprinters. Rounding out a special Empire State-bred slate are a pair of $150,000 turf events with the West Point Handicap presented by Trustco Bank for 3-year-olds and up and the Yaddo for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

The 152nd edition of the Travers is the centerpiece of a blockbuster day of racing on Saturday, Aug. 28. The 2021 Travers Day card will include seven stakes, including six Grade 1 events, offering $4.6 million in total purse money with automatic berths in the Breeders' Cup to the winner of the Grade 1, $750,000 Sword Dancer [Turf], the Grade 1, $600,000 Personal Ensign [Distaff], and the Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina [Filly & Mare Sprint].

In addition, the Travers Day card will also include the Grade 1, $600,000 Forego, a seven-furlong sprint for 4-year-olds and upward, and the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs. Rounding out the signature day at the Spa is the Grade 2, $400,000 Ballston Spa for turf fillies and mares.

The traditional local prep for the Travers, the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy, will be held on Saturday, July 31. It will be joined by the Grade 1, $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, and the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green at 1 3/8 miles on the turf. Closing out Jim Dandy weekend on Aug. 1 is the Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam for 3-year-olds at 6 ½ furlongs.

Additional upgraded races for the Saratoga summer meet include the previously listed Grade 3, $200,000 Caress, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for older fillies and mares slated for Saturday, July 24, in addition to 20 stakes receiving a $20,000 boost to offer a $120,000 purse.

Opening Day, Thursday, July 15, will begin with a pair of graded stakes: the Grade 3, $150,000 Schuylerville for 2-year-old fillies and the Grade 3, $120,000 Quick Call for 3-year-olds going 5 ½ furlongs on the grass.

Saratoga's first Grade 1 of 2021 is the $500,000 Diana for turf fillies and mares on Saturday, July 17. The following Saturday, July 24, will see the Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks take center stage.

Among the other 20 Grade 1 races at the Spa will be the $150,000 A.P. Smithwick Memorial on July 29, and the $150,000 New York Turf Writers Cup on Aug. 26 for steeplechasers; the $600,000 Alabama on Saturday, Aug. 21; and the $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap, a Breeders' Cup qualifier for the Mile, on Saturday, Aug. 14, to be held on the same card as the Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special presented by Miller Lite.

Closing Weekend of the Saratoga meet will feature a pair of Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Win and You're In events previously held in the fall at Belmont Park with the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup [Classic] at 10 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up, and the $600,000 Flower Bowl [Filly and Mare Turf], an 11-furlong turf test for older fillies and mares, to anchor a Saturday, Sept. 4 card that also includes the Grade 2, $250,000 Prioress and the Grade 3, $300,000 Saranac.

To accommodate the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Flower Bowl, the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward and the Grade 3, $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Waya will move from Saratoga to the Belmont fall meet.

On Sept. 5, 2-year-old fillies will sprint seven furlongs in the Grade 1, $300,000 Spinaway.

Closing Day on Monday, Sept. 6, will feature the Grade 2, $200,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap as well as the prestigious Grade 1, $300,000 Hopeful for 2-year-olds going seven furlongs to conclude the 153rd Saratoga meeting.

Beginning in 2021, the use of Furosemide (Lasix) is prohibited within 48 hours of all stakes races conducted at NYRA tracks.

To view the complete stakes schedule for the 2021 summer meet, visit NYRA.com/stakes.

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