SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Two of the biggest days in North American racing will highlight the historic 147th meet at Saratoga Race Course, with the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers the centerpiece of a supercharged Travers Day and the Grade 1, $1.25 million Whitney anchoring five stakes on Whitney Festival Day, Saturday, August 8.
The 40-day meet, which includes 69 stakes worth a record $18.7 million in purses, will run from Friday, July 24, through Labor Day, Monday, September 7. After opening weekend, racing will be conducted six days a week, Wednesdays through Mondays.
Joining the 146th running of the Mid-Summer Derby for 3-year-olds on Travers Day, Saturday, August 29 will be five other Grade 1 stakes, including the 1 ½-mile Sword Dancer Invitational on the turf, whose purse has been enhanced to $1 million. Also added to the card and receiving purse hikes are the $750,000, 1 1/8-mile Personal Ensign for fillies and mares and the $700,000 Forego at seven furlongs. Rounding out the stellar card are the $500,000 Ballerina for fillies and mares and the $500,000 King’s Bishop, both at seven furlongs, and the Grade 2, $400,000 Ballston Spa for turf fillies and mares.
“We have made improvements to Travers Day to keep in line with the creation of our ‘must-see’ events,” said Martin Panza, Senior Vice President of Racing Operations for the New York Racing Association. “We are developing Travers Day into a national event – a mini Breeders’ Cup – by increasing the purses for the Personal Ensign and the Forego. By including the Sword Dancer and raising the purse to $1 million we hope to create international involvement in that race.”
The traditional local prep for the Travers, the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy, will be held on Saturday, August 1.
The prestigious 1 1/8-mile Whitney will pair with the Grade 1, $500,000 Test for 3-year-old fillies atop the festival card, which also offers the Grade 3, $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Waya for turf fillies and mares going 1 1/2 miles. Also on August 8 are two additional turf stakes: the $100,000 Lure at 1 1/16 miles and the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton De La Rose at a mile for fillies and mares.
Additions to the Spa stakes schedule include the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green at 1 3/8 miles on the turf on Saturday, August 1, which will serve as a prep for the Sword Dancer, and two new juvenile turf stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs: the $100,000 Bolton Landing for fillies on Wednesday, August 19, and the $100,000 Schenectady on Friday, August 21.
“Both of these 2-year-old turf stakes were created with a look ahead to the Breeders’ Cup,” said Panza.
A prelude to the Travers will be New York Breeders’ Showcase Day, which will be moved to Friday, August 28, instead of on Sunday. The popular state-bred card will include six stakes, highlighted by the $250,000 Albany for 3-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles.
Opening Day, Friday, July 24 will kick off with a pair of graded stakes: the Grade 3, $150,000 Schuylerville for 2-year-old fillies and the Grade 3, $200,000 Lake George for 3-year-old turf fillies. Continuing the traditional juvenile dirt stakes are the Grade 3, $150,000 Sanford on Saturday, July 25; the Grade 2, $200,000 Toyota Saratoga Special on Sunday, August 16 and the Grade 1, $350,000 Hopeful on Monday, September 7, along with their sister races: the Grade 2, $200,000 Adirondack on Saturday, August 15 and the Grade 1, $350,000 Spinaway on Saturday, September 5.
Grade 1 action commences with the $500,000 TVG Diana for turf fillies and mares on Saturday, July 25, and the $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on Sunday, July 26. Continuing the world-class Grade 1 offerings are the $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap for sprinters on Saturday, August 1; the aforementioned Whitney and Test on August 8; the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama on Saturday, August 22, and the Travers, Sword Dancer, Personal Ensign, Forego, Ballerina and King’s Bishop on Saturday, August 29.
Closing weekend Grade 1 features include the $600,000 Woodward for 3-year-olds and up and the Spinaway on Saturday, September 5, along with the Hopeful on Monday, September 7.
| 2015 Saratoga Stakes Schedule | ||
| Friday, | Schuylerville (Grade III) | $150,000 |
| July 24th | Fillies, Two Years Old | Six Furlongs |
| Lake George (Grade II) | $200,000 | |
| Fillies, Three Years Old | One Mile & One-Sixteenth (Turf) | |
| Saturday, | TVG Diana (Grade I) | $500,000 |
| July 25th | Fillies & Mares, Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One-Eighth (Turf) |
| Sanford (Grade III) | $150,000 | |
| Two Year Olds | Six Furlongs | |
| Sunday, | Coaching Club American Oaks (Grade I) | $300,000 |
| July 26th | Fillies, Three Years Old | One Mile & One-Eighth |
| Monday, | Lucky Coin | $100,000 |
| July 27th | Four Year Olds & Upward | Five & One-Half Furlongs (Turf) |
| Wednesday, | Honorable Miss (Hdcp.) (Grade II) | $200,000 |
| July 29th | Fillies & Mares, Three Year Olds & Upward | Six Furlongs |
| A.P. Smithwick Memorial (S’Chase, Grade 1) | $100,000 | |
| Four Year Olds & Upward | Two Miles & One Sixteenth (Turf) | |
| Thursday | John Morrissey (NYB) | $100,000 |
| July 30th | Three Year Olds & Upward | Six and One-Half Furlongs |
| Friday, | Curlin | $100,000 |
| July 31st | Three Year Olds | One Mile & One-Eighth |
| Saturday, | Jim Dandy (Grade II) | $600,000 |
| August 1st | Three Year Olds | One Mile & One Eighth |
| Alfred G. Vanderbilt (Hdcp.) (Grade 1) | $350,000 | |
| Three Year Olds & Upward | Six Furlongs | |
| Bowling Green (Grade II) | $250,000 | |
| Four Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & Three Eighths (Turf) | |
| Amsterdam (Grade II) | $200,000 | |
| Three Year Olds | Six Furlongs | |
| Sunday | Shuvee Hdcp | $200,000 |
| August 2nd | Fillies & Mares, Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One Eighth |
| Caress | $100,000 | |
| Fillies & Mares, Four Year Olds & Upward | Five & One-Half Furlongs (Turf) | |
| Monday | Coronation Cup | $100,000 |
| August 3rd | Fillies, Three Years Old | Five & One-Half Furlongs (Turf) |
| Wednesday, | Shine Again | $100,000 |
| August 5th | Fillies & Mares, Three Years Old & Upward | Seven Furlongs |
| Thursday, | Quick Call | $100,000 |
| August 6th | Three Year Olds | Five & One-Half Furlongs (Turf) |
| Friday, | Hall Of Fame (Grade III) | $200,000 |
| August 7th | Three Year Olds | One Mile & One-Sixteenth (Turf) |
| Whitney Festival | ||
| Saturday, | Whitney (Grade I) | $1,250,000 |
| August 8th | Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One-Eighth |
| Test (Grade I) | $500,000 | |
| Fillies, Three Years Old | Seven Furlongs | |
| Fasig-Tipton Waya (Grade III) | $200,000 | |
| Filliese & Mares, Three Year Olds & Upwards | One Mile & One-Half (Turf) | |
| Lure | $100,000 | |
| Four Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One Sixteenth (Turf) | |
| Fasig-Tipton De La Rose | $100,000 | |
| Fillies & Mares, Four Year Olds & Upward | One Mile (Turf) | |
| Sunday, | Alydar | $100,000 |
| August 9th | Four Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One-Eighth |
| Monday, | Cab Calloway Division – NY Stallion Series | $100,000 |
| August 10th | Three Year Olds | One Mile (Turf) |
| Wednesday, | Birdstone | $100,000 |
| August 12th | Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & Three Quarters |
| Thursday, | Statue of Liberty Division – NY Stallion Series | $100,000 |
| August 13th | Fillies, Three Years Old | One Mile (Turf) |
| Friday, | Knob Creek Lake Placid (Grade II) | $300,000 |
| August 14th | Fillies, Three Years Old | One Mile & One Eighth (Turf) |
| Saturday, | Fourstardave (Hdcp.) (Grade II) | $500,000 |
| August 15th | Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile (Turf) |
| Adirondack (Grade II) | $200,000 | |
| Fillies, Two Years Old | Six & One-Half Furlongs | |
| Sunday, | Toyota Saratoga Special (Grade II) | $200,000 |
| August 16th | Two Year Olds | Six & One-Half Furlongs |
| Monday, | Saratoga Dew (NYB) | $100,000 |
| August 17th | Fillies & Mares, Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One Eighth |
| Wednesday, | Bolton Landing | $100,000 |
| August 19th | Fillies, Two Years Old | Five & One-Half Furlongs (Turf) |
| Thursday, | New York Turf Writers Cup (Grade I) | $150,000 |
| August 20th | Four Year Olds & Upward | Two Miles & Three-Eighths (Turf) |
| Union Avenue (NYB) | $100,000 | |
| Fillies & Mares, Three Year Olds & Upward | Six & One-Half Furlongs | |
| Friday, | Schenectady | $100,000 |
| August 21st | Two Year Olds | Five & One-Half Furlongs (Turf) |
| Saturday, | Alabama (Grade 1) | $600,000 |
| August 22nd | Fillies, Three Years Old | One Mile & One-Quarter |
| Troy | $100,000 | |
| Three Year Olds & Upward | Five & One-Half Furlongs (Turf) | |
| Sunday, | Lord & Taylor Tale of the Cat | $100,000 |
| August 23rd | Three Year Olds & Upward | Six Furlongs |
| Monday, | Summer Colony | $100,000 |
| August 24th | Fillies & Mares, Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One-Eighth |
| Wednesday, | John’s Call | $100,000 |
| August 26th | Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & Five-Eighths (Turf) |
| Thursday, | Riskaverse | $100,000 |
| August 27th | Fillies, Three Year Olds | One Mile (Turf) |
| New York Breeders Showcase Day | ||
| Friday, | Albany (NYB) | $250,000 |
| August 28th | Three Year Olds | One Mile & One-Eighth |
| Fleet Indian (NYB) | $200,000 | |
| Fillies, Three Year Olds | One Mile & One-Eighth | |
| Funny Cide (NYB) | $200,000 | |
| Two Year Olds | Six & One-Half Furlongs | |
| Seeking the Ante (NYB) | $200,000 | |
| Fillies, Two Years Old | Six & One-Half Furlongs | |
| West Point (NYB) | $150,000 | |
| Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One-Sixteenth (Turf) | |
| Yaddo (NYB) | $150,000 | |
| Fillies & Mares, Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One-Sixteenth (Turf) | |
| Travers Day | ||
| Saturday, | Travers (Grade I) | $1,250,000 |
| August 29th | Three Year Olds | One Mile & One-Quarter |
| Sword Dancer Invitational (Grade I) | $1,000,000 | |
| Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One-Half (Turf) | |
| Personal Ensign (Grade I) | $750,000 | |
| Fillies & Mares, Thee Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One-Eighth | |
| Forego (Grade I) | $700,000 | |
| Three Year Olds & Upward | Seven Furlongs | |
| Ballerina (Grade I) | $500,000 | |
| Fillies & Mares, Three Year Olds & Upward | Seven Furlongs | |
| King’s Bishop (Grade I) | $500,000 | |
| Three Year Olds | Seven Furlongs | |
| Ballston Spa (Grade II) | $400,000 | |
| Fillies & Mares, Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One-Sixteenth (Turf) | |
| Sunday, | Smart N Fancy | $100,000 |
| August 30th | Fillies & Mares, Three Year Olds & Upward | Five Furlongs & One-Half (Turf) |
| Monday, | Better Talk Now | $100,000 |
| August 31sst | Three Year Olds | One Mile (Turf) |
| Wednesday, | With Anticipation (Grade II) | $200,000 |
| September 2nd | Two Year Olds | One Mile & One-Sixteenth (Turf) |
| Thursday, | P.G. Johnson | $100,000 |
| September 3rd | Fillies, Two Year Olds | One Mile & One-Sixteenth (Turf) |
| Friday, | Evan Shipman (NYB) | $100,000 |
| September 4th | Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One-Eighth |
| Saturday, | The Woodward (Grade I) | $600,000 |
| September 5th | Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One-Eighth |
| Prioress (Grade II) | $300,000 | |
| Fillies, Three Years Old | Six Furlongs | |
| Saranac (Grade III) | $300,000 | |
| Three Year Olds | One Mile & One-Eighth (Turf) | |
| Glens Falls (Grade III) | $200,000 | |
| Fillies & Mares, Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & Three-Eighths (Turf) | |
| Spinaway (Grade I) | $350,000 | |
| Fillies, Two Year Olds | Seven Furlongs | |
| Monday, | Hopeful (Grade I) | $350,000 |
| September 7th | Two Year Olds | Seven Furlongs |
| Bernard Baruch (Grade II) | $250,000 | |
| Three Year Olds & Upward | One Mile & One Sixteenth (Turf) | |