{Monday, August 30, 2010} THE TOUGHEST BEAT
by John Piesen Like any and every horseplayer within my reading range, I’ve suffered my share of bad beats. But, barring any evidence to the contrary, and short memories,

{Tuesday, August 24, 2010} CLOCKING THE PICK SIX
by John Piesen Of course the national focus at Saratoga is on the weekend – notably the Travers on Saturday, and Rachel Alexandra in the Personal Ensign on

{Monday, August 23, 2010} Life at Ten delivers in final major move for Personal Ensign Trainer Todd Pletcher sent out a handful of workers early this morning on the Oklahoma training track, including Grade 1 queen LIFE AT TEN (Malibu

{Sunday, August 22, 2010} CHECK THE LABEL GOES FOR FOUR IN A ROW Trainer Graham Motion believes Check the Label continues to improve. If that trend continues, Check the Label’s five opponents in Sunday’s Grade 2, $150,000 Lake Placid Stakes

{Friday, August 20, 2010} NOT SO LUCKY
by John Piesen It’s unfortunate for the connections of Blind Luck that the Alabama, Saratoga’s marquee race for 3-year-old fillies, wasn’t raced two weeks ago when the racetrack was favoring closers.

{Thursday, August 19, 2010} BANROCK FACES TOUGH ASSIGNMENT IN WEST POINT It’s not easy winning a stakes race three straight years – just ask Zenyatta, who recently bagged her third Clement L. Hirsch by a neck, or Forever Together, whose bid

{Tuesday, August 17, 2010} THE BEST OF SARATOGA
by John Piesen  With the Saratoga race meeting at its halfway point, it seems like a good idea to review the Top 15 moments of the first half of the meeting.

{Sunday, August 15, 2010} TELLING WINS 2ND STRAIGHT SWORD DANCER Winless since scoring an upset in last year’s Sword Dancer Invitational (gr. IT), Telling received a brilliant ride from Garrett Gomez to win the $500,000 race for the second

{Friday, August 13, 2010} SWORD DANCER SATURDAY AT THE SPA
by John Piesen It seems that nobody got the memo. As far back as I can remember, the lead was the best place to be in dirt races at Saratoga. Watching hundreds

{Thursday, August 12, 2010} PROVINCIAL CAMPAIGN WILL DENY ZENYATTA ’ve tried, I’ve pleaded, I’ve cajoled, just short of begging. I’ve written pieces such as “Can’t We All Get Along?” Go back in the archives and read one if you doubt that. Other

{Tuesday, August 10, 2010} THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
by John Piesen Todd Pletcher, a four-time Saratoga champion, is well on his way to his fifth…but, oh the one that got away. We are speaking of course of Quality Road, who, despite getting

{Sunday, August 08, 2010} Champagne d'Oro passes Saratoga's Test Southern Equine Stable and Mike Smith's CHAMPAGNE D'ORO (Medaglia d'Oro) kept the pressure on pacesetter Pica Slew (Pico Central [Brz]) throughout Saturday's $250,000 Test

{Friday, August 06, 2010}
THE BEST RACE The first Saturday in May no doubt provides the best show in racing, but the first Saturday of August - at least this year - will provide the best race. That of course is the

{Thursday, August 05, 2010} CASTELLANO KEEPS WINNING Three Chimneys Racing's Miss Keller won the $70,000 De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Wednesday to give jockey Javier Castellano his fourth victory on the afternoon card. The

{Tuesday, August 03, 2010} SPEED KILLS
by John Piesen  Interesting weekend at the Spa. The first thing that jumps out at this columnist is the fact that they ran four dirt stakes in three days…and, in each case, the winner was

{Monday, August 02, 2010} QUALITY ROAD TUNES UP FOR WHITNEY Quality Road and Blame, the two main protagonists for next Saturday’s Grade 1 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga, put in workouts just minutes apart Sunday over the main track. As has