Winner's Circle - Not looking forward to weak third week

In the spirit of that great tradition, the opening weekend is anchored by the Breeders’ Cup “Win And You’re In” promotion. The historic Whitney, Diana, Go For Wand, and A.G. Vanderbuilt wil be contested for a staggering $1.7 million in purses.

In stark comparison however, the entire third week of racing will feature only one of the 33 graded stakes to be run at the meet. This honor goes to the $75k, Grade II, A.P. Smithwick Steeplechase event.

In recent years, Saratoga racing has lost some of its’ lustre. The industry is suffering and the Breeders’ Cup commands full attention leaving Saratoga thin on top competitors. In spite of these obstacles, NYRA continues to fill races and cards. This has been made possible by NYRA’s protracted efforts to ramp up the purse structure of races restricted to New York breds.

Efforts to maximize track attendance and wagering have led NYRA to strategically stack certain race cards chock full of graded stakes while completely overlooking other race days.

The unimaginable will occur on Saturday, Aug 9. The lone feature of the day is the $100k Yaddo Handicap for New York bred fillies and mares. The following day will feature the $100k West Point Handicap for statebreds.

These two phenominal races will only get better as NYRA continues to bolster statebred stakes by raising purses as much as 14 percent this year. However, giving them the spotlight on an August weekend is not only inappropriate, it begs for a reduction in racing days to get Saratoga back where it needs to be.