Now that the Saratoga summer meet is over, I have begun my annual look back at some of my favorite photos I took. I had the pleasure of shooting for The Saratoga Special again this summer, capturing morning preview photos as well as race day shots. In this post, I will share the first batch of favorite photos taken during the mornings. Click here to view my other posts about the track.
MGSW Locked exercises by early light over the main track. The Todd Pletcher trainee added a third place finish in the Grade II Suburban Stakes to his resume this summer.
MGSW Antiquarian gallops around the backstretch. The Todd Pletcher trainee added a second place finish in the Grade II Suburban Stakes and a win in a controversial renewal of the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes to his resume.
2023 champion two-year-old male Fierceness goes for a spin with regular rider Danny Wright onboard. The Todd Pletcher trainee finished a disappointing fifth in the Grade I Whitney Stakes here at the Spa, but then shipped out west to Del Mar and took the Grade I Pacific Classic Stakes.
MG1SW Raging Sea gallops over the main track with regular rider Felipe Arenas onboard. The Chad Brown trainee finished third in the Grade II Shuvee Stakes and fourth in the Grade I Personal Ensign Stakes this summer. The five-year-old mare won both of the aforementioned races last year.
G1SW Sandman gallops around the main track. The Mark Casse trainee finished fifth and last in the Grade II Jim Dandy Stakes this summer.
A horse who at this point needs no introduction, Sovereignty, heads around the far turn with regular rider Jimmy Quispe onboard. The Bill Mott trainee added the Grade II Jim Dandy Stakes and the Grade I Travers Stakes to his already impressive resume this summer.
MG1SW Mindframe gets a bath after a morning gallop. The Todd Pletcher trainee DNFed in the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup after a chain reaction caused his rider, Irad Ortiz, Jr., to be unseated. Both the horse and rider escaped serious injury. This marked the first time the four-year-old colt did not finish first or second.
That’s a lot of talent on one washpad! Pictured are Todd Pletcher trainees Mindframe (front left), Antiquarian (back left), and Fierceness (back right) getting their post-gallop baths.
Fierceness gets a bath after his morning gallop. Click here to read the digital edition of this issue of The Special.
MG1SW She Feels Pretty takes a stroll around the Oklahoma Track prior to running in the Grade I Diana Stakes, where she finished second to Excellent Truth. The Cherie DeVaux trainee returned to the winner’s circle later in the summer, though not at Saratoga, when she took the Grade I E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine. Click here to read the digital edition of this issue of The Special.
She Feels Pretty stops for a drink while being hot walked.
Francisco Serrano, assistant to trainer Kenny McPeek, cuddles with 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna in her stall. The four-year-old filly added the Grade I Personal Ensign Stakes to her resume this summer.
Newlyn, a two-year-old Munnings colt bred by my friends Britt Wadsworth and Sean Mahoney at Mahoney Eden Manor, gallops around the clubhouse turn of the main track. The George Weaver trainee finished fifth on debut this summer.
2024 champion two-year-old filly Immersive heads around the clubhouse turn of the main track. The Brad Cox trainee finished second in the Grade I Coaching Club American Oaks this summer.
Thorpedo Anna jogs around the Oklahoma Track with rider Danny Ramsey onboard.
2024 champion three-year-old male Sierra Leone takes a spin on the Oklahoma Track with regular rider Kriss Bon onboard. The Chad Brown trainee finished the meet with a win in the Grade I Whitney Stakes and a second place finish in the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup.
GSW Magnitude gallops around the Oklahoma Track with regular rider Roberto Howell onboard. The Steve Asmussen trainee finished third in the Travers.
2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan exercises over the Oklahoma Track with regular rider Danny Ramsey onboard. The Kenny McPeek trainee did not race at the Spa this summer, but shipped down to Colonial Downs where he finished fourth in the Grade I Arlington Million Stakes.
2024 Whitney winner Arthur’s Ride takes a quiet moment on the Oklahoma Track with regular rider Damian Hinds onboard. The Bill Mott trainee finish third in an optional claiming this summer and was subsequently retired.
Trainer Whit Beckman returns to his barn in Horse Haven on his pony after watching a set. The conditioner finished the meet with two wins, three seconds, and two thirds from 21 starts.
Hot walker Yonibel Correa grazes Sovereignty at the barn of Bill Mott on a sunny morning.
Kentucky Oaks winner soaks in the scenery before taking a stroll around the main track. The Brad Cox trainee finish second in the Grade I Alabama Stakes this summer.
MG1SW Scottish Lassie peeks out from her stall at the Oklahoma Annex. The Jorge Abreu trainee won the Grade I Coaching Club American Oaks by 15 1/2 lengths this summer.
Sovereignty heads out to the track with Jimmy Quispe onboard and assistant trainer Neil Poznansky on the pony. Click here to read the digital edition of this issue of The Special.
To see more of my equine photography be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook. All photos in this post © Samantha Decker and may not be reused without permission.
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One thought on “Saratoga Race Course 2025: The Mornings, Part I”
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Mornings at the track are the best!