The half way point ....... of the 2014 Saratoga meet

Well, today marks the half way point of the 2014 Saratoga racing season. With the exception of a few days, the weather has been fabulous. The racing on track has been good with large fields and decent wagering opportunities. On the quality side, the weekend stakes action has continued to trend much like the Belmont Summer meet with high talented horses entered in the graded stakes. During the week though, there has been many statebred contests, lots of maiden races for all ages and the return of straight claiming events at a lower level. This trend of "cheaper" races is inevitable with 40 days of racing and ten plus races carded five days a week. I shutter to think how the racing will look the final week of the meet leading up to Labor Day.

After starting off a bit slow the first four "mini" days of the meet, my handicapping has improved with about the same amount of "winners on top" at the half point this year, compared to last year. The Todd Pletcher barn continues to roll on as expected and the jockey race will go down to the wire with half a dozen or so top jockeys. My biggest disappointment for the first 20 days, was last weekend's Whitney Handicap and the dull effort from Palace Malice. Seemingly with no apparent excuse, he may return during closing weekend in the Woodward Stakes and face the same cast with a few other big names.

Attendance is up slightly and handle about the same, which seems to make NYRA happy at this time. The atmosphere on track has been full of energy the times I have been present there. The New York Racing Association has been really "playing it up" with their results for the first half. Sounding like a carryover from Belmont Stakes day, the people in charge at NYRA are all smiles at this present time. But as we know in the past, that can change at the blink of an eye!

With mid way point here, it's relatively quiet stakes weekend. In today's Fourtstardave Handicap at a mile on the turf, we lost it's main star when Two-time Horse of the Year ~ Wise Dan came down sick several weeks ago. We have a short six horse field and it's the only stake race on today's Saturday card. Tomorrow, two year old stakes action for both the girls and boys combined for the first time this year with the Saratoga Special & Adirondack Stakes. On Monday, NYRA has a unique handicap contest for the "low rollers" who like a little action at a smaller price. The "live money" tournament has a $40 entry fee, which $30 goes toward live wagers with five $2.00 WPS wagers on five different horses and $10 into a players prize pot for most money won for the day. The breakdown is 70% for first, 20% for second and 10% for third. I'll be participating in this Monday's contest and there will be one on each Monday during the meet.

It looks like Bayern will be pointing toward the Travers Stakes in two weeks off his wire to wire victory in the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park. But, the same cannot be said for the three year old filly; Untapable for the Alabama Stakes next weekend. Her off the board effort has her pointing for the Cotillion Stakes at PARX racetrack (Philadelphia Park) in late September. The top three finishers of the Jim Dandy (Wicked Strong, Tonalist & Kid Cruz) will be in the Travers, along with possibly the Shug McGaughey trainee; Mr. Speaker who has excelled on turf and polytrack this year. Trainer Bob Baffert said, when coming to Saratoga "why come for the small race (the King's Bishop at seven furlongs) when you can come for the big one (Travers).