From Saratoga to the Breeders’ Cup

Left to right: Clairiere, Malathaat, Crazy Beautiful, Search Results, and Letruska run in the Grade I Personal Ensign Stakes, won by Malathaat. All but Crazy Beautiful are contenders in the Breeders’ Cup races.

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships, the holy grail of competition for Thoroughbred racehorses, will occur November 4th and 5th this year at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, KY. While I won’t be there in person, I’m excited to watch the many contenders who raced this summer at Saratoga Race Course, my hometown race track. In this post, I’ll share some photos of many of those contenders and what race they will run in.

Life Is Good, a Todd Pletcher trainee, is a contender for the $6 million Classic. Here is is this summer winning the Grade I Whitney Stakes with Irad Ortiz, Jr. onboard.
Secret Oath, a D. Wayne Lukas trainee, is a contender for the $2 million Distaff. Here she is being led into the paddock for the Grade I Coaching Club American Oaks, where she placed second.
Leave No Trace, a Philip Serpe trainee, is a contender in the $2 million Juvenile Fillies. Here she is running in the Grade I Spinaway Stakes with José Lezcano onboard, which she won.
War Like Goddess, a Bill Mott trainee, is a contender in the $4 million Turf. Here she is getting a bath after winning the Grade II Glens Falls Stakes.
Jackie’s Warrior (left), a Steve Asmussen trainee, and Willy Boi, a Jorge Delgado trainee, are both contenders in the $2 million Sprint. Here they are coming in first and second in the Grade I Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap with Joel Rosario and Chantal Sutherland onboard, respectively.
Casa Creed, a Bill Mott trainee, is a contender in either the $1 million Turf Sprint or the $2 million Mile. Here he is winning the Grade I Fourstardave Handicap with Luis Saez onboard.
Oxymore, a Chad Brown trainee, is a contender in the $1 million Juvenile Turf. Here he is winning the Skidmore Stakes with José Ortiz onboard.
Golden Pal, a Wesley Ward trainee, is a contender in the Turf Sprint. Here he is running in the Grade III Troy Stakes with Irad Ortiz, Jr. onboard, which he won.
Search Results, a Chad Brown trainee, is a contender in the Distaff. Here she is being galloped down by Flavien Prat after finishing second in the Grade I Personal Ensign Stakes.
Caravel, a Brad Cox trainee, is a contender in the Turf Sprint. Here she is winning the Smart N Fancy Stakes with Luis Saez onboard.
Nations Pride, a Charlie Appleby trainee, is a contender in the Turf. Here he is after winning the Grade I Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes with William Buick onboard.
Cyberknife, a Brad Cox trainee, is a contender in either the Classic or the $1 million Dirt Mile. Here he is being saddled for the Grade I Travers Stakes, where he finished second.
Logo Range Toddy, a Dallas Stewart trainee, is a contender in the Sprint. Here he is being saddled for the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap, where he finished 6th.
Longshot Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, an Eric Reed trainee, is a contender in the Classic. Here he is being exercised by Gabriel Lagunes ahead of the Travers Stakes, where he finished fourth.
Gunite (front and center), a Steve Asmussen trainee, is a contender in either the Dirt Mile or the Spring. Here he is running in the Grade II Amsterdam Stakes, which he won with Tyler Gaffalione onboard.
Clairiere, a Steve Asmussen trainee, is a contender in the Distaff. Here she is being brought out for the Grade I Personal Ensign Stakes, where she unfortunately finished last after an injury in the starting gate.
Nest, a Todd Pletcher trainee, is a contender in the Distaff. Here she is winning the Grade I Alabama Stakes with Irad Ortiz, Jr. onboard.
Virginia Joy, a Chad Brown trainee, is a contender in the $2 million dollar Filly & Mare Turf. Here she is being brought back after winning the Grade II Flower Bowl.
Jack Christopher (center), a Chad Brown trainee, is a contender in the Sprint. Here he is running in the Grade I H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes with José Ortiz onboard, which he won.
Epicenter, a Steve Asmussen trainee, is a contender in the Classic. Here he is being hot walked at the Oklahoma Training Track this fall.
Hot Peppers, a Rudy Rodríguez trainee, is a contender in the $1 million dollar Filly & Mare Sprint. Here she is being escorted to the starting gate for the Grade I Test Stakes with Luis Saez onboard, where she finished second.
Olympiad, a Bill Mott trainee, is a contender in the Classic. Here he is getting a bath after winning the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup.
Kimari (left), a Wesley Ward trainee, is a contender in either the Filly & Mare Sprint or the Sprint. Here she is running in the Grade II Honorable Miss Handicap with Joel Rosario onboard, which she won.
Forte, a Todd Pletcher trainee, is a contender in the Juvenile. Here he is resting in his stall a day before winning the Grade I Hopeful Stakes.
Wonder Wheel, a Mark Casse trainee, is a contender in the Juvenile Fillies. Here she is running in the Spinaway Stakes with Tyler Gaffalione onboard, where she finished second.
Letruska, a Fausto Gutiérrez trainee, is a contender in the Filly & Mare Sprint. Here she is coming back after finishing third in the Personal Ensign Stakes with José Ortiz onboard.
American Rockette, a Bill Mott trainee, is a contender in the Juvenile Fillies. Here she is being brought out for the Spinaway Stakes, where she finished fourth.
Chi Town Lady, a Wesley Ward trainee, is a contender in the Filly & Mare Sprint. Here she is after winning the Test Stakes with Joel Rosario onboard.
Hot Rod Charlie, a Doug O’Neill trainee, is a contender in the Classic. Here he is in the paddock ahead of the Whitney Stakes, where he finished third.
Malathaat, a Todd Pletcher trainee, is a contender in the Distaff. Here she is resting in her stall.
Happy Saver is a contender in the Classic. Here he is in the paddock ahead of the Whitney Stakes, where he finished second.
Sabra Tuff, a Dallas Stewart trainee, is a contender in the Juvenile Fillies. Here she is being brought out for the Grade I Spinaway Stakes, where she finished fifth.
Blazing Sevens, a Chad Brown trainee, is a contender in the Juvenile. Here he is being brought out for the Hopeful Stakes, where he finished third.
Annapolis, a Todd Pletcher trainee, is a contender in the Mile. Here he is after the Saratoga Derby, where he finished second.
Society, a Steve Asmussen trainee, is a contender in the Distaff. Here she is being brought into the paddock for the Coaching Club American Oaks, where she finished fourth.
Now, no discussion about the Breeders’ Cup this year would be complete without mentioning Flightline. The John Sadler trainee is the favorite in the Classic. Unfortunately (for me, at least), Flightline did not race at Saratoga this summer, so I don’t have a photo of him, so I decided I’d draw one. Here he is winning the Grade I Pacific Classic at Del Mar with Flavien Prat onboard.

To see more of my Saratoga area photography be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook. To see more of my equine illustrations, be sure to follow @togadoodles on Instagram. All photos and illustrations in this post © Samantha Decker and may not be reused without permission.

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