It was the summer of '69, I was in Saratoga, and my future could wait. What better place to put your life on hold than glorious Saratoga, where the rest of the world seemed so distant and removed?...
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We should get an indication of how horsemen look at the Belmont Stakes when Godolphin and trainer Brendan Walsh announce their plans for Matt Winn (G3) winner Maxfield....
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I have just written a script. It's not your everyday script. It is futuristic...well, not too far in the future. Some of the names are made up and some are real. Yes, the script is fiction, but that's not to say it can't happen. You never know....
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Their names echoed throughout Saratoga Springs in the summer of 1978. From the whispers through the elms to the shouting down Broadway and Union Avenue, the Spa pulsated with the names of Affirmed and Alydar....
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There are a lot of decisions to be made in the next few weeks or months regarding the rescheduling of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) and the ramifications it will have on the other two Triple Crown races and several major race meets, especially Saratoga. ...
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History has proven that it is extremely difficult for a Triple Crown race winner to maintain his form and capture the Travers. That is, except the Belmont Stakes for some reason....
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For racing's aristocracy, the tycoons of business and pillars of society who ruled the Sport of Kings back in the early to mid-1900s, it was all about the sport and the glory and seeing horses they bred and raised carry their famed colors to victory. These moguls knew how to win, and more important, they knew how to lose....
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How does a horse establish a legacy in six starts, only four of them stakes?...
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We should remember the Arrogate who raised goose bumps on our arms and left us numb from the experience of watching him run. And we should ignore the phantom who floundered at Del Mar, as we would any mirage....
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Just as Arrogate burst on the national scene last year with great fanfare in the historic Travers Stakes, so too has his successor, West Coast, a colt Bob Baffert thought so highly of he seriously contemplated running him in the Belmont Stakes, despite having only four starts in his life....
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In racing, like most everything in life, people like clearly defined lines. For handicappers reading the past performances or their preferred speed figures, they want those lines sharp enough where they can see a race unfold before their eyes. Who is going to set the pace. Who is is going to lay off the pace. Who is going to come with a late run. And most important, who is going to win...and finish...
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Could it be that we actually saw the Travers winner, or at least a major threat in the Midsummer Derby, compete on Saturday?...
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While it is still too early to get a clear picture of who is going where, one thing is for certain: the Haskell, Jim Dandy, and Travers are going to be extremely competitive and entertaining events...
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Since last year's Travers Stakes, the racing world has been trying to place Arrogate's astounding feats in historical perspective. With the Juddmonte colt having started in only three stakes races, it's been nearly impossible to explain his mind-boggling performances and meteoric rise to stardom, because no one has seen anything like it before....
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Question: How good is Arrogate and do you think he can beat California Chrome in the Breeders' Cup Classic?...
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Seeing those familiar Juddmonte Stable silks flying way ahead of the others down the stretch in the Travers Stakes, and witnessing the sheer brilliance and dominance of the horse carrying those silks, all you had to do was replace the sandy loam of Saratoga Racetrack with the lush green grass of Europe's finest racecourses and you might as well have been watching the great Frankel demolishing his opponents in unprecedented fashion....
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Todd Pletcher's once seemingly powerful army of 3-year-olds has pretty much disbanded, with some of the troops retreating from the battlefield, others spending time in sick bay, and two transferred to another outfit....
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There have been some exciting racing videos on YouTube this year, but none more exciting and revealing, and ultimately profound than the GoPro video of American Pharoah's gallop the day before the Travers Stakes....
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So, is Tonalist better with or without blinkers?...
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All I can say, from past experience, is that this race scares the heck out of me, even though American Pharoah looks as if he could have everything his own way on the lead and could very well take the field on a merry romp. ...
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Although we are well aware of Saratoga's reputation, this in no way is meant to suggest or influence what American Pharoah's connections should do regarding running in the Travers....
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Saturday's Travers Stakes (gr. I) was not just about V.E. Day, but also V.J. Day. We had the Victory in Europe tie-in and the Victory for Jerkens tie-in....
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First, Bayern is going to be very tough on an uncontested lead, especially breaking from post 2 and with a stone closer, Commanding Curve, inside him. Second, Tonalist and Wicked Strong are both sitting on big efforts, and it was apparent from the Jim Dandy Stakes that Wicked Strong has improved several lengths with blinkers added and is much more focused and professional now....
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Shug McGaughey threw everyone a bit of a curve when he stated that his grass star Mr Speaker was being considered for the Travers Stakes....
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Dozens of Aikenites have come out to watch Palace Malice train and even just graze during his current winter stay....
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