Saratoga Race Track Horse Racing News & Tips

A Spotlight on Harness Racing in Saratoga: Pacers, Trotters, and Beyond

Written by John Furgele, SaratogaRaceTrack.com

Several Julys ago, one of my then co-workers asked if I was excited for the opening day of the Saratoga Race Course season.

My reply: “The track’s been open since February.”

Cheeky comment aside, there are thousands of Capital Region residents who have no idea that there's another track in Saratoga that conducts horse racing. That track is Saratoga Casino Hotel—or for long-timers, Saratoga Raceway.

SCH is a harness racing track where the four-legged ones either pace or trot on a half-mile oval. All races are two laps—one mile—and because of that, it’s much easier to see the horses. If it can be said, that makes it more fan-friendly.

SCH opened in 1942. While it doesn’t have the same history as the Spa, 84 years is nothing to dismiss. The track has seen its share of highs and lows. Before OTB, a harness track was the place to be on a Friday or Saturday evening. Crowds in excess of 25,000 were not uncommon.

That all changed when OTBs opened in the 1970s. Instead of going to the track, people stayed away. Some went to local OTBs to place their bets, while others let the sport go.

In the early 2000s, it looked like several harness tracks in New York might close, but legislation that established video lottery terminals at harness tracks saved the industry. These racinos allowed people to gamble on VLTs with the stipulation that a portion of the revenue be distributed to harness racing. In short, the harness tracks allowed a gambling outfit to install VLTs in exchange for a cut of the pie.

Harness racing might not be flourishing, but it’s far from dying. As of June 11, $605 million has been wagered on paces and trots. Clearly, people are interested.

Standardbreds are completely different athletes than Thoroughbreds. During this year’s Triple Crown, much of the talk centered on whether spacing out the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont might be better for the horses. Today’s Thoroughbreds prefer six to eight weeks between starts, and racing three times in five weeks is considered risky.

Standardbreds are the exact opposite. These horses are grinders; they’re conditioned to race—and race often. The most prestigious race for pacers is the Little Brown Jug, and there, horses have to race twice in the same day to claim the prize.

An example: On Tuesday, June 16, 2025, there are 13 races scheduled on the SCH card. In race two, eight horses are entered in a $6,500 pace. Those horses have combined to make 125 starts this year. One of them, Kathy’s Moment, has made 19 starts, with five wins, two seconds, and one third. She’s not getting rich with $16,180 in earnings, but she’s staying healthy and hitting the track each week.

Acefortyfour Money is doing a bit better. In 17 starts, he has five wins, four seconds, and four thirds, good for $29,270 in earnings. Most Standardbreds, once trained and deemed fit, will race on average once per week.

SCH runs from February to December, with 150 racing days—much more than the customary 40 that take place at the Spa. And during the Spa season, it’s common to see people do the doubleheader. They’ll watch the Thoroughbreds in the afternoon and the Standardbreds in the evening. I’ve seen this with my own eyes.

There are both Pacing and Trotting Triple Crowns for 3-year-olds. The most famous harness race of the year is The Hambletonian, held on the first Saturday in August at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. Ten trotters compete in a race with a $1 million purse and a national TV audience.

The most famous pace, the Little Brown Jug, takes place at the Delaware County (OH) Fairgrounds on the last or second-to-last Thursday in September. This race routinely draws over 45,000 spectators to watch the best pacers blaze two laps on a fast half-mile track.

SCH has its own “Travers.” The $250,000 Jim Gerrity Memorial Pace takes place on Saturday, July 19 and will attract an elite field of older pacers. This is an invitational pace; the track’s racing secretary invites trainers to race at SCH on the third Saturday in July. Like the Travers, the Gerrity draws the biggest crowd of the year.

New York is a great state for harness racing. In addition to SCH, we have Batavia Downs, Buffalo Raceway, Vernon Downs with its famous 7/8-mile oval, Tioga Downs, and the two year-round tracks: Yonkers Raceway and Monticello Raceway.

The Empire State offers a lucrative Sire Stakes competition, with each track hosting events. The Night of Champions will be contested on Saturday, September 6 at Batavia Downs, as New York’s top 2- and 3-year-old pacers and trotters compete for $2.4 million in purses.

There’s nothing like a big Thoroughbred stakes race, but on a daily basis, Standardbred racing is hard to beat.

For more information on harness racing, check out:

• https://saratogacasino.com/racing/
• https://www.ustrotting.com/
• https://www.nysirestakes.com/

So when someone asks after Labor Day, “Do you miss the track?”—tell them no. The track season doesn’t end until December.

Sovereignty Does It Again

Written by John Furgele, SaratogaRaceTrack.com

Let the debate begin. In what looked like a replica race of this year’s Kentucky Derby, Sovereignty ran down Journalism to win the 157th Belmont Stakes on what turned out to be a sunny and pleasant day at the Saratoga Race Course before 46,243 fans. Baeza finished third, just like he did in the Kentucky Derby.

The win gives Sovereignty two wins in this year’s Triple Crown series–in two starts. He skipped the Preakness because his owner and trainer were not keen on running back in just two weeks time.

After the win, I’m sure some fans were puzzled, if not upset or angry. The prevailing thought is that had he run in and won the Preakness, he would have (possibly) won the Triple Crown in the Belmont at Saratoga.

The other debate that keeps gathering steam is what I call the “space-out,” which would call for more time between each race. Many support a first-first-first, which would keep the Derby on the first Saturday in May; the Preakness would move to the first Saturday in June, with the Belmont moving one month back to the first Saturday in July.

Those are discussions for another time. In this race, everything played out to form. As expected, Rodriguez took the lead, followed by Uncaged and Crudo, but unlike the Derby, the fractions were moderate: 23.42, 47.60, 1:12.20, and then 1:36.70 at the mile. Rodriguez led at all those calls, before falling off. This was his first race since winning the Wood Memorial in April. He missed the Derby and Preakness with a foot bruise, but his courageous performance here suggests he could make some noise down the road if he stays healthy.

Rodriguez slowed the race down, which usually doesn’t set it up for closers, but we’ve found out over these five weeks that Sovereignty and Journalism are the two best 3-year-olds and when it was time to go. These two, like they did in Louisville, asserted themselves and pulled away from the other challengers.

In the stretch, Journalism had a slight lead, but Sovereignty blew past him and left no doubt, edging clear by a good two lengths. His gallop out was strong, suggesting that this son of Into Mischief is feeling good and is just getting started.

Winning trainer Bill Mott was asked if there were any regrets and the Hall of Famer handled those questions with class and ease.

“You’ve got to be a man and stand up for the decision that you make,” Mott said. “If it’s wrong, you bite the bullet. And, in this case, I don’t think it was wrong. I’m happy having a Derby and a Belmont and a future to look forward to.”

Without overanalyzing what Mott said, note that he is a horseman of the highest degree. As such, my belief is that he wanted to run in the Preakness because he believes in legacy, history, and what the Triple Crown represents.

There was one thing that was clear. The owners of Sovereignty–Godolphin Racing–didn’t want their horse running three races in five weeks and because Mott works for and is paid by the owners, you adhere to the company line. Mott did just that and we may never know his true feelings.

We also will never be able to answer the question of what might have been. Sovereignty could have won the Preakness and then stumbled in the Belmont. He could have finished somewhere other than first in the Preakness and then skipped the Belmont. And, yes, he could have won the Preakness and did what he did yesterday–win the Belmont.

The one conclusion that can be made from the now-completed Triple Crown is that each race can stand on its own. The Derby was fantastic; the Preakness was fantastic; and yesterday’s Belmont, won by Sovereignty in a sizzling 2:00.69 was just as fantastic.

The “space-out,” has just as many cons as pros. It certainly guarantees nothing. Derby runners Final Gambit, East Avenue, and Burnham Gap ran in the $400,000 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs, choosing that over coming to Saratoga for the Belmont.

There has to be caution here. A knee-jerk decision is the worst thing the sport can do because if you change the schedule and things don’t improve, you can never change it back. Let’s pause, see how the new Pimlico and Belmont tracks come out and then, take the temperature and reassess.

We just had three terrific Triple Crown races. The sport of horse racing is fine.