What to look for when venerable Saratoga kicks off its 46-day meet

You’ve done it all. Watched baseball games at Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium. Witnessed the spectacular Northern Lights. Sat in celebrity row at Madison Square Garden. Camped at the Grand Canyon. Wore a cheesehead at Lambeau Field. Proposed marriage at the Empire State Building antenna. Waved the checkered flag at the Brickyard. Visited the ancient pyramids. Kicked a soccer ball on the pitch at Wembley. Played tennis at Wimbledon and climbed Mount Everest. All good.

But have you been to Saratoga?

With Aqueduct forever in our hearts and permanently in our rear-view mirror, the Saratoga expanded 46-day, 10-week summer meet begins on July 3. Yes, from the “Graveyard of Queens” to the “Graveyard of Favorites.”

The meet has more stakes than a cookout at a state fair.

Some races and horses of note:

Luminous Beauty, who broke her maiden by a half dozen lengths will go in the traditional opening day feature, the Schuylerville. Explosive action on the nation’s 250th birthday: the Belmont Derby, Belmont Oaks and the Suburban.

International traveler Title Role, a winner in Germany and Dubai, will seek another victory in the Derby. Abashiri and Kensington Lane will be co-favorites in the Oaks. And Todd Pletcher’s Antiquarian will try to rebound in the Suburban after losing to Nysos in the Met Mile.

The Diana will be run on July 18. The fillies will be front and center again when they load the gate for the Coaching Club American Oaks on July 25. The Vanderbilt is scheduled for that day as well. On Aug. 1 we will watch the Jim Dandy and Saratoga Special, but we won’t see Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes champion Golden Tempo who is under the weather.

“He’s fine, but the timeline just isn’t going to suit us to get there. We will continue to do what got us here and put him first,” trainer Cherie DeVaux said. “It’s the hand that we’ve been dealt.” And as for the Travers? “It’s up to us and our team to get him there and have him ready to go.”

Fans, media and officials at Saratoga are counting on it.

With Golden Tempo on hold, Renegade, narrowly defeated in the Derby then third in the Belmont will be there. So will Commandment, who finished between those two in the Belmont Stakes. Ohio Derby winner Chip Honcho is a likely starter for the Jim Dandy. Emerging Market and Chief Wallabee are questionable and are more likely to wait for the Travers.

Golden Tempo, Jose Ortiz up, crosses the finish line first to win the 2026 Belmont Stakes on June 6, 2026 at Saratoga Race Course. AP

Aug. 8 is Whitney day with the Fourstardave and Saratoga Special on the undercard. Heavyweights hook up in the Whitney. The star-studded field will include Magnitude, winner of the Stephen Foster; Nysos, who won the Met Mile; Nitrogen, winner of the Ogden Phipps; Baeza, Sovereignty and White Abarrio, who ran home 2nd, 3rd and 4th behind Magnitude in the Foster. Sovereignty won the 2025 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. White Abarrio is a multiple Grade 1 winner. Forever Young and Skippylongstocking are doubtful.

Alabama day is Aug. 22. Counting Stars and Always A Runner, who ran 1-2 in the Acorn, will be joined by Black Eyed Susan winner My Miss Mo.

The meet’s main event, the Travers, will be run on Aug. 29. Results from the Jim Dandy and the Haskell at Monmouth Park will determine who goes. The Super Saturday card includes the Forego, Personal Ensign and Ballerina.

Jose Ortiz celebrates after winning the Belmont Stakes aboard Golden Tempo on June 6, 2026 at Saratoga Race Course. Getty Images

And as the meet winds down, 2-year-olds will be in the spotlight in the Spinaway and Hopeful.

A look back at the 2025 Saratoga trainer and jockey standings:

Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher finished in a dead heat with 32 wins apiece. Brown had the highest money earnings ($4,509,878). Pletcher the higher win percentage (24.4). Aqueduct’s all-time leading trainer Linda Rice, Miguel Clement and Bill Mott finished 3-4-5. Steve Asmussen was 6th but his win percentage (30) was better than Pletcher’s.

The Ortiz brothers, Irad (59) and Jose (55), wrapped up the rider exacta last year. Jose (22.6) had the higher win percentage. Flavien Prat was third with 42 victories but his earnings ($5,672,620) were tops. Ricardo Santana and Kendrick Carmouche rounded out the top five. Jaime Rodriguez, who does his best riding on the front end, had just one win from six starts in 2025. The rising star has six mounts on opening day.

Good luck. And may all the photo finishes go your way.