There is little doubt that Saturday, August 8 at Saratoga Race Course promises to be memorable. Over 100 partners, family, and friends will join together at America’s oldest sporting venue to enjoy and participate in one of the hallmark days of the country’s most prestigious meet.
Fan favorite Juba, whose twitter account has an audience of over 1,600, is the second choice in the day’s sixth race. Unraced since tangling with Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist in the Grade 3 Westchester at Belmont Park in May, Juba enters the race off of a sharp 35.44 drill over the Saratoga training track on Tuesday. Favored in the race is Ocean Knight, winner of the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis in January, but off since early March. Juba retains the services of regular rider Luis Saez in a salty field that also includes Havana, winner of the 2013 Grade 1 Champagne, and the graded stakes placed duo of Crafty Dreamer and Souper Knight.
The competition only gets tougher from there as our 2014 Grade 1 Wood Memorial winner Wicked Strong lines up in what is likely the toughest race of 2015 so far. The historic Whitney routinely draws the best older horses in the country and the 88th edition is no exception. Nearly every horse in the field is a Grade 1 winner, with victories including the Metropolitan Handicap, Belmont Stakes, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Stephen Foster, Whitney, Travers, and Donn. We began the week at the post position draw, where NYRA’s Andy Serling interviewed our own Don Little about drawing the nine, prepping on grass, and more.
Post time for Juba’s Saratoga debut is 3:55 Eastern. The Whitney, with a scheduled post time of 5:46, is part of live NBC coverage from 5-6pm.
