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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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Longtime NYRA Assistant Starter Jimmy Tsitsiragos Dies

James (Jimmy) Tsitsiragos, a longtime assistant starter at the New York Racing Association, passed away Tuesday, Feb. 16 at the age of 71.

Born Aug. 6, 1949 in Leonia, New Jersey, Tsitsiragos graduated from Leonia High School in 1967 where he was a beloved football legend nicknamed by his classmates as “Zorba the Greek.” He then attended Texas A&M University as a walk-on for the football team and quickly earned a full scholarship under Head Coach Gene Stallings. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1972, he began his career as an assistant starter for NYRA, loading horses in the starting gate. He said he loved the “spirit” of the horse and built a stellar reputation within NYRA. He can be seen at the 3:05 mark of this video of the 1981 Whitney H. improbably keeping hold of eventual winner Fio Rito after he broke through the gate.

Tsitsiragos is survived by sisters Christine Tsitsiragos and Paula Tsitsiragos, his adored nieces Stella Tsitsiragos and Nota Tsitsiragos, first cousins Louise Ermides and Maria Tsitsiragos and extended family in Greece. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation to support the care and well being of retired racehorses. Gifts may be made in Jimmy's name by mail at P.O. Box 834, Saratoga Springs, NY, or by phone at (518) 226-0028.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

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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.

The post Jockey Club Gold Cup, Flower Bowl Both Moved To Saratoga Meet appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Mr. Buff On The Muscle Ahead Of His Bid To Repeat In Empire Classic

Chester and Mary Broman's Mr. Buff will look to defend his title in the nine-furlong $175,000 Empire Classic, the feature event on Saturday's 11-race Empire Showcase Day card at Belmont Park, offering eight stakes races worth $1.2 million.

Trained by John Kimmel, the 6-year-old Friend Or Foe chestnut sports a record of 39-14-7-4 with purse earnings in excess of $1.1 million. He enters the Empire Classic from a pair of off-the-board efforts in graded races, including a last-out fifth in the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 1 at Saratoga.

The 17.2 hands tall Mr. Buff has breezed consistently on Big Sandy under regular rider Junior Alvarado in preparation for his title defense.

“He's giving me every indication that he's doing well,” said Kimmel. “He's training well and breezing well. Junior gets on him for all his breezes and says he feels terrific. I can't say anything negative about the way he's coming into the race.

“He's had a nice little break,” added Kimmel. “There weren't any New York-bred races for him at the Saratoga meet and this was the first restricted race he was eligible for that he fit.”

The eight-time stakes winner spent his winter at Aqueduct, capturing the Alex M. Robb against state-breds in December and the open Jazil in January ahead of a 20-length score over state-breds in the Haynesfield at one mile on the Big A main that matched a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure.

Kimmel said he is hopeful Mr. Buff will return to winning ways on Saturday.

“He's trying to repeat,” said Kimmel. “He's had a good little break coming into it and plenty of preparation breezes. Hopefully it will be enough and he can come out and do his thing.”

Whisper Hill Farm's Frost Me, a Frosted gray bred in the Empire State by Gallagher's Stud, will be among the favorites in Saturday's $150,000 Maid of the Mist at one-mile on Big Sandy for juvenile fillies.

Frost Me earned a 54 Beyer for a debut score at 1 1/16-miles in an off-the-turf maiden allowance tilt on Oct. 12 over a sloppy Belmont main. With Jose Ortiz up, Frost Me was an in-hand 2 ¾-length winner over the more experienced Maid of the Mist-rival Cara's Dreamer.

“It's a little out of my normal routine to run a horse back on a short turnaround like that, but considering the competition it's probably a pretty winnable spot for her,” said Kimmel. “Jose Ortiz said to me that in her first race she was very green and looking around a lot and that there was a lot more in the tank.

“She's come out of the race in good order and she's eating well and happy going back and forth to the track,” added Kimmel. “She's not giving me any signals that the last race knocked her for a loop. We'll take a shot.”

Despite being entered on turf for her debut, Kimmel said he is confident Frost Me can handle any surface.

“I think she can run on anything. I was just looking for a long race and that's why I entered her on the grass,” said Kimmel. “She has a lot of stamina. She just does not get tired. She may not be the quickest thing, but she has a lot of stamina.”

Kimmel will also be represented on Empire Showcase Day by John McClutchy's Arrowheart in the day's opening race, a 1 1/16-mile turf maiden for state-bred juveniles.

After running third on the Saratoga turf at second asking on Sept. 4, Arrowheart was again third last out under Benjamin Hernandez in a one-mile turf maiden on Sept. 26 at Belmont captured by Breadman, who is entered in Saturday's Sleepy Hollow for trainer John Terranova.

“Breadman is a nice horse. He was by far the best that day and my horse got in a little tight in certain spots in that race,” said Kimmel. “Maybe he can work out a little better trip, he has the experience now of two starts on the grass. He's in the one-hole, so he'll have to figure out an inside out trip.”

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