Two of the biggest days in North American
\nracing will highlight the historic 147th meet at
\nSaratoga Race Course this summer, with the
\nGrade 1, $1.25 million Travers the centerpiece
\nof a supercharged Travers Day and the Grade 1,
\n$1.25 million Whitney anchoring five stakes on
\nWhitney Festival Day, Saturday, Aug. 8, the New
\nYork Racing Association (NYRA) announced in
\nDecember.<\/p>\n
The 40-day meet, which includes 69 stakes
\nworth a record $18.7 million in purses, will
\nrun from Friday, July 24, through Labor Day,
\nMonday, Sept. 7. After opening weekend, racing
\nwill be conducted six days a week, Wednesdays
\nthrough Mondays, NYRA officials said.<\/p>\n
“We have made improvements to Travers Day
\nto keep in line with the creation of our ‘must-see’
\nevents,” said Martin Panza, NYRA senior vice
\npresident of racing operations.<\/p>\n
“We are developing
\nTravers Day into a national event–a mini
\nBreeders’ Cup–by increasing the purses for the
\nPersonal Ensign and the Forego. By including
\nthe Sword Dancer and raising the purse to $1
\nmillion we hope to create international involvement
\nin that race.”<\/p>\n
Joining the 146th running of the Travers
\nfor 3-year-olds on Saturday, Aug. 29 will be five
\nother Grade 1 stakes, including the 1 \u00bd-mile
\nSword Dancer Invitational on the turf, whose
\npurse has been enhanced to $1 million. Also
\nadded to the card and receiving purse hikes
\nare the $750,000, 1 1\/8-mile Personal Ensign
\nfor fillies and mares and the $700,000 Forego
\nat seven furlongs.<\/p>\n
Rounding out the card are the $500,000 Ballerina
\nfor fillies and mares and the $500,000 King’s
\nBishop, both at seven furlongs, and the Grade 2,
\n$400,000 Ballston Spa for turf fillies and mares.
\nOfficials said the prestigious 1 1\/8-mile
\nWhitney will pair with the Grade 1, $500,000
\nTest for 3-year-old fillies atop the festival card,
\nwhich also offers the Grade 3, $200,000 Fasig-
\nTipton Waya for turf fillies and mares going 1
\n1\/2 miles. Also on August 8 are two additional
\nturf stakes: the $100,000 Lure at 1 1\/16 miles and the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton De La Rose at a
\nmile for fillies and mares.<\/p>\n
The traditional local prep for the Travers,
\nthe Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy, will be held
\non Saturday, Aug. 1.<\/p>\n
Additions to the Spa stakes schedule include
\nthe Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green at 1 3\/8
\nmiles on the turf on Saturday, Aug. 1, which will
\nserve as a prep for the Sword Dancer, and two
\nnew juvenile turf stakes at 5 1\/2 furlongs: the
\n$100,000 Bolton Landing for fillies on Wednesday,
\nAugust 19, and the $100,000 Schenectady
\non Friday, Aug. 21.<\/p>\n
“Both of these 2-year-old turf stakes were
\ncreated with a look ahead to the Breeders’ Cup,”
\nsaid Panza.<\/p>\n
A prelude to the Travers will be New York
\nBreeders’ Showcase Day, which will be moved
\nto Friday, Aug. 28, instead of on Sunday. The
\npopular state-bred card will include six stakes,
\nhighlighted by the $250,000 Albany for 3-yearolds
\ngoing 1 1\/8 miles.<\/p>\n
Opening Day will kick off with a pair of graded
\nstakes: the Grade 3, $150,000 Schuylerville
\nfor 2-year-old fillies and the Grade 3, $200,000
\nLake George for 3-year-old turf fillies. Continuing
\nthe traditional juvenile dirt stakes are the
\nGrade 3, $150,000 Sanford on Saturday, July 25;
\nthe Grade 2, $200,000 Toyota Saratoga Special
\non Sunday, Aug. 16 and the Grade 1, $350,000
\nHopeful on Monday, Sept. 7, along with their
\nsister races: the Grade 2, $200,000 Adirondack
\non Saturday, Aug. 15 and the Grade 1, $350,000
\nSpinaway on Saturday, Sept. 5.<\/p>\n
Grade 1 action commences with the $500,000
\nTVG Diana for turf fillies and mares on Saturday,
\nJuly 25, and the $300,000 Coaching Club
\nAmerican Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on Sunday,
\nJuly 26. Continuing the world-class Grade 1
\nofferings are the $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt
\nHandicap for sprinters on Saturday, Aug. 1; the
\nGrade 1, $600,000 Alabama on Saturday, Aug.
\n22, and the Travers, Sword Dancer, Personal
\nEnsign, Forego, Ballerina and King’s Bishop on
\nSaturday, Aug. 29.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Two of the biggest days in North American racing will highlight the historic 147th meet at Saratoga Race Course this summer, with the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers the centerpiece of a supercharged Travers Day and the Grade 1,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[57,69,103,107,115],"class_list":["post-16124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-news","tag-business-news","tag-events","tag-nyra","tag-racing","tag-saratoga-springs"],"yoast_head":"\r\n