1931 – Hall of Famer Twenty Grand wins the Saratoga Cup. Twenty Grand also won the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes that year.
2009 – Pyro wins the Forego, defeating that year’s champion sprinter, Kodiak Kowboy.
2009 – En route to Horse of the Year honors, Rachel Alexandra completes her perfect 8-for-8 campaign by becoming the first filly to win the Woodward Stakes.
SEPTEMBER 4
2010 – Here Comes Ben wins the Forego, defeating champion sprinter Big Drama in the process.
SEPTEMBER 3
1927 – Brooms, at 15-1 odds, wins the Hopeful Stakes. Among the horses he defeated was Hall of Famer Reigh Count, who won the Kentucky Derby the following year.
2001 – Jockey John Velazquez sets a new Saratoga record with six wins on a single card. Velazquez won a record 65 races at Saratoga during the meet.
SEPTEMBER 2
1933 – Hall of Famer Equipoise wins the Saratoga Cup. Equipoise was named Horse of the Year in both 1932 and 1933.
1939 – Hall of Famer Bimelech wins the Hopeful. Bimelech went on to win the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 1940.
2006 – Premium Tap wins the Woodward at 31-1 odds. Among the horses he defeated were 2005 Travers Stakes winner Flower Alley and 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Funny Cide.
SEPTEMBER 1
1928 – Hall of Famer Reigh Count wins the Saratoga Cup over Display, the only other horse in the race. Reigh Count won six stakes that year.
AUGUST 31
1940 – Hall of Famer Whirlaway wins the Hopeful. Whirlaway went on to win the Triple Crown in 1941 and became the first Triple Crown winner (and the only one to date) to add a victory in the Travers.
AUGUST 29
1936 – Hall of Famer Granville wins the Saratoga Cup by eight lengths. Granville went on to be named Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male.
1998 – Coronado’s Quest wins the Travers Stakes by a nose over Belmont Stakes winner Victory Gallop.
2003 – Ashado wins the Spinaway Stakes at 3-1 odds. Ashado went on to be named a champion in 2004 and 2005.
AUGUST 28
1920 – Hall of Famer Sir Barton wins the Merchants’ and Citizens’ Handicap by a nose over Gnome. Sir Barton won the first Triple Crown the year before, although the series was not yet recognized.
1987 – Fan favorite Fourstardave wins the Empire Stakes for his first victory at the Spa. Fourstardave was known as the “Sultan of Saratoga” because he won at least one race there every year from 1987 through 1994.
2010 – Uncle Mo begins his career by winning a maiden special weight by 14½ lengths as the 9-10 favorite. Uncle Mo went on to be named champion 2-year-old male.
AUGUST 27
1921 – Hall of Famer Exterminator wins the Merchants’ and Citizens’ Handicap. Exterminator still holds the all-time record with 33 stakes victories.
1955 – Hall of Famer Needles wins the Hopeful. Needles goes to be named champion 2-year-old male and wins the Kentucky Derby the following year en route to being named champion 3-year-old male.
1964 – Hall of Famer Kelso sets a track record and equals the American record of 1:46 3/5 on the turf in the Mechanicville Purse. Kelso was later that year honored with his record fifth consecutive Horse of the Year title.
AUGUST 26
1924 – Hall of Famer Sarazen wins the Huron Handicap. Sarazen was Horse of the Year in 1924 and 1925 and won 27 of 55 career starts.
1972 – Hall of Famer Secretariat wins the Hopeful Stakes at 3-10 odds. The following year, Secretariat became the first horse in a quarter century to win the Triple Crown.
1989 – Hall of Famer Winning Colors wins an allowance race as the 2-5 favorite. The previous year, Winning Colors became only the third filly to win the Kentucky Derby.
AUGUST 25
1934 – Hall of Famer Discovery wins the first of his three consecutive runnings of the Whitney by 10 lengths. Discovery was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1969.
1951 – Hall of Famer Tom Foolwins the Grand Union Hotel Stakes at 2-1 odds. Tom Fool went on tobe champion 2-year-old male and won 21 of his 30 career starts.
2001 – Hall of Famer Point Given, who earlier in the year won the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, wins the Travers in his final career start. Point Given was named Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male.
AUGUST 24
1933 – Hall of Famer Battleship wins the Eastern Horse Club Steeplechase Handicap. Battleship, a son of Hall of Famer Man o’ War, won the 1934 American Grand National and the 1938 English Grand National, the latter as an 11-year-old.
1957 – Hall of Fame jockey Bobby Ussery wins on all four of his mounts, including Reneged in the Saratoga Handicap. Ussery won 3,611 races in his career.
1996 – Will’s Way wins the Travers Stakes, defeating the likes of Hall of Famer Skip Away and Preakness winner Louis Quatorze. Will’s way came back to win the Whitney Handicap in 1997.
AUGUST 22
1905 –Hall of Famer Roseben wins a handicap race carrying 140 pounds, 14 more than any other horse in the field. Roseben won 14 races in his career in which e carried 140 pounds or more.
1959 – Hall of Famer Sword Dancer wins the Travers at 4-5 odds. Sword Dancer went on to be named Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male.
1979 – Hall of Famer
John Henry wins an allowance race on the turf. John Henry was named Horse of the Year in 1981 and champion grass horse in 1980, 1981, 1983 and 1984.
AUGUST 21
1920 – Hall of Famer Man o’ War wins the Travers at odds of 2-9. Man o’ War faced only two rivals and won in 2:01 4/5 to set a stakes record that lasted 42 years.
1954 – Hall of Fame Nashua wins the Grand Union Hotel Stakes. Nashua went on to be named champion 2-year-old male and was Horse of the Year in 1955.
1973 – Hall of Famer Riva Ridge, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes the previous year, wins the Kelso Purse at 1-5 odds.
AUGUST 20
1938 – Hall of Famer War Admiral, who won the Triple Crown in 1937, wins the Whitney by a half length over the filly Esposa.
1966 – Hall of Famer Buckpasser wins the Travers Stakes at 3-10 odds. Buckpaser was named Horse of the Year in 1966 as well as the champion 3-year-old male and the champion handicap horse.
1994 – Hall of Famer Holy Bull wins the Travers Stakes by a neck over Concern. Holy Bull went on to be named Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male.
AUGUST 19
1882 – Hall of Famer Miss Woodford wins the Misses’ Stakes. Miss Woodford became the first horse in America to win more than $100,000.
1939 – Hall of Famer Eight Thirty wins the Travers Stakes for the third of his four stakes wins of the meet. Eight Thirty won 16 of 27 career starts and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994.
1978 – Hall of Famer Affirmed finishes first in the Travers Stakes, but is disqualified, which gives the victory to Hall of Famer Alydar, who finished second to Affirmed in all three of that year’s Triple Crown races.
AUGUST 18
1906 – Hall of Famer Peter Pan wins the Hopeful while carrying 130 pounds. Peter Pan won 10 of 17 career starts and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1956.
1972 – Hall of Fame jockey Ron Turcotte wins on five of his eight mounts. The following year, Turcotte won the Triple Crown aboard Hall of Famer Secretariat.
1979 – General Assembly, a son of Hall of Famer Secretariat, wins the Travers Stakes on a sloppy track and sets a track record of 2:00 for the 1¼ miles.
AUGUST 17
1959 – Hall of Fame jockey Manny Ycaza wins on all four of his mounts. Ycaza won 2,367 races in North America, including two editions of the Travers at Saratoga.
1977 – Showing the form that would make him the Triple Crown winner the following year, Hall of Famer Affirmed wins the Sanford. Affirmed went on to defeat fellow Hall of Famer Alydar in all three of the Triple Crown races in 1978.
1995 – Hall of Famer Lonesome Glory wins the New York Turf Writers’ Handicap by a neck over Mistico while carrying 166 pounds. Lonesome Glory was named champion steeplechaser in 1992, 1993, 1995 and 1997.
AUGUST 15
1931 – Hall of Famer Top Flight wins the Saratoga Special. Top Flight won all seven of her races that year as a 2-year-old, all of which were stakes races. Top Flight won 12 of 16 career starts and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1966.
1936 – Hall of Famer Granville wins the Travers. Granville went on to win Horse of the Year Honors and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997.
1953 – Hall of Fame Native Dancer wins the Travers Stakes at 1-5 odds. Native Dancer suffered only one loss in his career, in the 1953 Kentucky Derby.
AUGUST 14
1934 – Hall of Famer Discovery wins the Kenner Stakes at 1-10 odds. Discovery, known as one of the greatest handicappers of all time, won 27 of 63 career starts and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1969.
1980 – Hall of Famer Zaccio, the champion steeplechaser from 1980 through 1982, wins the New York Turf Writers’ Cup. Zaccio won 22 of 42 career starts and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990.
1991 – Hall of Fame jockey Julie Krone wins on four of her six mounts. Krone became the first woman to win a Triple Crown race when she won the Belmont in 1993. She became the first woman elected to the Hall of Fame in 2000.
AUGUST 13
1870 – Hall of Famer Harry Bassett wins the Kentucky Stakes as a 2-year-old. Harry Bassett won the Belmont, Travers, Jerome and Kenner in 1871 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2010 as a Historic Review candidate.
1919 – Hall of Famer Man o’ War suffers his only career defeat as Upset wins the Sanford Memorial Stakes. Man o’ War won 20 of his 21 career starts and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1957.
1951 – Hall of Famer Tom Fool wins his first career start, a maiden special weight. Tom Fool went on to be the Horse of the Year in 1953 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1960.
AUGUST 12
1948 – Hall of Fame steeplechaser Elkridge wins the North American Steeplechase Handicap. Elkridge, who won 31 of 123 career starts, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1966.
1967 – Hall of Famer Gamely wins the Alabama Stakes after winning the Test earlier in the meet. Gamely won 16 of 41 career starts and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980.
2005 – Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado wins with four of his five mounts. Prado won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey the following year and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2008.
AUGUST 11
1887– Hall of Famer Hanover wins the Kenner Stakes. Hanover won 17 races in a row between 1886 and 1887 and was part of the Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 1955.
1973 – Hall of Famer Desert Vixen wins the Alabama Stakes. Desert Vixen won seven stakes in 1973 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979.
1990 – In a three-horse field, Hall of Famer Go for Wand wins the Alabama Stakes. Go for Wand won 10 of 13 career starts and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1996.
AUGUST 10
1907 – Hall of Famer Colin wins the Saratoga Special. Colin, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1956 won all of his 12 races that year as a 2-year-old and finished his career a perfect 15-for-15.
1946 – Hall of Famer Stymie, who rose from the claiming ranks, wins the Whitney Handicap. Stymie, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1975, won 35 of 131 career starts.
1987 – Hall of Famer Lady’s Secret, the 1986 Horse of the Year, finishes last at 3-10 odds in an allowance race after bolting around the first turn. It was the final start of her career.
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AUGUST 8
1914 – Hall of Famer Regret, who in 1915 became the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby, wins the Saratoga Special in her first career start.
1978 – Hall of Famer Affirmed, who earlier in the year won the Triple Crown, rallies from 10 lengths behind to win the Jim Dandy. Affirmed went on to win Horse of the Year honors.
1980 – Hall of Famer Davona Dale, who won eight consecutive stakes races the year before, wins the Ballerina.
AUGUST 7
1920 – Hall of Famer Man o’ War, who won 20 of his 21 career starts, wins the Miller as the 1-20 favorite while carrying 133 pounds.
1965 – Hall of Famer Kelso, winner of five Horse of the Year awards, wins his third and final Whitney Handicap.
2010 – Champion Older Male Blame defeats favorite Quality Road in a thrilling running of the Whitney Handicap. Blame went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic and in the process handed Horse of the Year Zenyatta her only career defeat.
AUGUST 6
1904 – Hall of Famer Sysonby, who won 14 of his 15 career races, wins the Saratoga Special by six lengths. Sysonby was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1956.
1977 – On a sloppy track, Nearly on Time wins the Whitney Handicap. Hall of Famer Forego finishes last as the 4-5 favorite.
1988 – Hall of Famer Personal Ensign, who finished her career undefeated in 13 starts, wins the Whitney Handicap against only two opponents.
AUGUST 5
1907 – Hall of Famer Fair Play wins the Flash Stakes. Fair Play set track records at Gravesend, Belmont and Jerome Park and was the sire of arguably the greatest Thoroughbred ever, Man o’ War.
1978– Hall of Famer Alydar, who finished second to Hall of Famer Affirmed in all three Triple Crown races earlier in the year, wins the Whitney Handicap by eight lengths.
2006 – Champion Older Male and Horse of the Year Invasor wins the Whitney Handicap. Invasor went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic that fall and finished his career with 11 wins from 12 starts.
AUGUST 4
1881 – Hall of Famer Hindoo wins the United States Hotel Stakes. The victory was the 13th in a row for Hindoo, who won 18 in a row from May 12 through September 1.
1952 – Hall of Famer Native Dancer wins the Flash Stakes, his first of four stakes wins during the meet. Native Dancer was the Champion 2-Year-Old Male in 1952.
1973 – Hall of Famer Secretariat, the recent Triple Crown winner, is defeated by Onion in the Whitney Handicap in one of the biggest upsets in Saratoga history. Secretariat was favored at 1-10 odds before a crowd of 30,119. Onion was trained by Hall of Famer Allen Jerkens.
AUGUST 3
1863 – Organized by undefeated bare-knuckle boxing champion John Morrissey, the first Thoroughbred races in Saratoga Springs are run at Horse Haven. The following year, Morrissey and partners open Saratoga Race Course across the street on Union Avenue.
1936 – Hall of Famer Seabiscuit, who left the claiming ranks to become one of the most popular horses in history, wins the Mohawk Claiming Stakes while running for a claiming tag of $6,000.
1985 – Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero, Jr. wins the Whitney Handicap with Track Barron. Cordero wins four races on the card. He won 13 riding titles in all at Saratoga, including 11 in a row.
AUGUST 1
1917 – Hall of Famer Roamer wins the Saratoga Handicap. Roamer won 15 of his 16 starts and set five track records the year before. Old Rosebud, the 1914 Kentucky Derby winner and also a Hall of Famer, finished fifth.
1985 – Hall of Famer Lady’s Secret wins the Test at 10-1 odds. Lady’s Secret defeated fellow Hall of Famer Mom’s Command, who was favored at 1-2.
2004 – Hall of Famer Azeri, a three-time Eclipse winner as Champion Older Female, wins the Go for Wand. The favorite, Sightseek, finishes second.
JULY 31
1880 – Hall of Famer Luke Blackburn, who won 23 of 24 races at ages 3 and 4,wins the Summer Handicap for his fourth of eight wins during the Spa meet.
1972 – Hall of Famer Secretariat, on his way to Horse of the Year honors, wins an allowance race at odds of 2-5. He went on to win the Triple Crown in 1973.
1996 – Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith wins five races, including the Honorable Miss with Twist Afleet. Smith was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.
JULY 30
1874 – Springbok, who won nine consecutive races as a 3-year-old in 1874, including the Belmont Stakes, defeats the likes of Preakness in the Saratoga Cup.
1926 – Hall of Famer Princess Doreen, who had the career record for earnings when she retired in 1927, wins the Saratoga Handicap. Princess Doreen won 34 of her 94 career races for earnings of $174,745. She was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982.
1968 – Hall of Famer Ta Wee finishes fourth in a maiden special weight to Queen’s Double. Ta Wee won 15 of 21 career starts and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994.
JULY 29
1866– Hall of Famer Kentucky, winner of the inaugural Travers Stakes, wins a four-mile purse race. Kentucky won 21 of his 23 career starts, including a perfect 7-for-7 mark in 1866.
1991 – Fourstardave, known as the “Sultan of Saratoga” because he won a race at the Spa every year from 1987 through 1993, wins the Daryl’s Joy and sets a track record of 1:38 4/5 on the turf.
2007 – Street Sense, the Champion 2-Year-Old Male of 2006 and the 2007 Kentucky Derby and Travers Stakes winner, wins the Jim Dandy.
JULY 28
1866 – Hall of Famer Ruthless, who went on the win the inaugural running of the Belmont Stakes the following year, wins a purse race, defeating Red Wing, who beat her in the Saratoga Stake two days earlier.
1897–Hall of Famer Hamburg, whom Hall of Fame jockey Todd Sloan described as the greatest horse he ever rode, wins the Flash Stakes.
2002 – Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey wins on four of his six mounts, including Dancethruthedawn in the Go for Wand.
JULY 27
1938 –Hall of FamerWar Admiral, the Triple Crown winner in 1937, wins the Wilson over Fighting Fox and Esposa, a mare who had won the 1937Whitney Handicap.
1995– Hall of Famer Lonesome Glory,the steeplechase champion in 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999, wins the A.P. Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase while carrying 164 pounds.
2002 – Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey wins four races, including the Grade 1 Test Stakes. Bailey also won four races on this date in 2003.
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