Saratoga 🏇🏾// Sat., Aug. 23, 2025

Happy Travers Saturday & National Cuban Sandwich Day! 🥪

While NCAA football kicks off today, for us, Saturdays are dedicated to horse racing. Our schedule has been a bit busy, and we still think of Bill every time we analyze a card, but we are back at the racetrack and ready to help you cash some tickets. We are headed to Saratoga Springs, New York, where the Saratoga racetrack is the place to be during the summer for some of the biggest races of the year.

Today's card features 14 races, including six stakes races—five of which are Grade 1—and three "Win and In" races for the Breeders' Cup. We have highlighted each of the featured races below so you can see when the larger pools will be available.

First up in Race 9 is the return of Thorpedo Anna, the winner of the 2024 Kentucky Oaks and the Breeders' Cup Distaff, who is back to her winning ways after a successful June. This race is the $500,000 Personal Ensign Stakes (G1), contested at 1 and 1/8 miles on dirt for fillies and mares aged four and older. The winner will earn a spot in the Longines Distaff at this year's Breeders' Cup.

Next, the ladies will stay on the dirt for the $500,000 Resorts World Casino Ballerina Stakes (G1), which is a 7-furlong race that qualifies the winner for the PNC Bank Filly & Mare Sprint in November at Del Mar.

You won't have to wait long for another Breeders' Cup entry to be determined, as Race 12 features the Forego Stakes (G1). This is another 7-furlong race on dirt with a purse of $500,000, and the winner will secure a spot in the Dirt Mile at the Breeders' Cup in Del Mar.

Just one race later, we come to the featured race of the day: the DraftKings Travers Stakes (G1). This 1 and 1/4 mile race on dirt has a purse of $1.25 million and features the return of Sovereignty, the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner. Although the winner will not be heading to the Breeders' Cup, they will be remembered as one of the top horses of the year.

Today's weather is typical for this time of year, with highs in the mid-80s and partly sunny skies, resulting in a fast track and firm turf.

We will be back on X later today with one more BC race for you from Del Mar, and will tie into a nice double opportunity, so make sure you check us out over there!

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The Travers Stakes, often called the “Midsummer Derby,” is the oldest major thoroughbred race in the United States, first run in 1864 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Named after William R. Travers, the race’s first president and a key figure in establishing Saratoga as a premier racing venue, the Travers quickly became a prestigious test for three-year-olds. Over its long history, it has featured legendary winners such as Man o’ War, Whirlaway, and Secretariat (who was famously upset by Onion in 1973), solidifying its reputation as one of the most important races of the American racing calendar and a highlight of Saratoga’s summer meet.

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Need help picking winners? We've got you covered! Our (Always Free) Lundin Line's top picks and best bets are below. We use them to help narrow the field while putting our tickets together. The first post will be here soon, so don't be late -

It's time to get #InTheMoney! 💰💰💰

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Saratoga 🏇🏾 // Sat., Aug. 23rd, 2025

First Post @ 11:10 EDT / 8:10 (PDT)

R1: 1-6-5-3

R2: 8-7-3-4

R3: 3-4-1-5

R4: 10⭑-7-1A-8

R5: 6⭑-12-14-10

R6: 6-5-1-3

R7Ⓢ: 1-3-4

R8: 12-10-8-4

R9Ⓢ/BC:

Mr. Fink: 7-4-6

Mr. W.: 7-2-6

R10: 1-2-5-8

R11Ⓢ/BC:

Mr. Fink: 9-8-7-6

Mr. W.: 9-5-4-1

R12Ⓢ/BC:

Mr. Fink: 4-7-2-1

Mr. W.: 2-7-4-9

🏇R13Ⓢ/BC:

Mr. 4-3-5

Mr. W.: 4-1-3

R14: 10-1-3-7

🏇 = Featured Race(s)

⭑Best Bet(s)

R4: Merica's Back (#10)

R5: Annascaul (#6)

Ⓢtakes Races:

R7: 400K Lake Placid S. (G2T)

1 Mile on Turf for Fillies, 3 Yrs. Old

R9: 500K Personal Ensign S. (G1)/BC

1 1/8 Miles on Dirt for Fillies & Mares 4 Yrs. Old & Up

BC Div. Longines Distaff

R10: 500K H. Allen Jerkens Mem. S. (G1)

7 Furlongs on Dirt for 3 Yr. Olds

R11: 500K Ballerina S. (G1)/BC

7 Furlongs on Dirt for Fillies & Mars 3 Yrs. Old & Up

BC Div. Filly & Mare Sprint

R12: 500K Forego S. (G1)/BC

7 Furlongs on Dirt for 4 Yr. Olds & Up

BC Div. Dirt Mile

🏇R13: 1.25 Mil. Travers S. (G1)

1 1/4 Miles on Dirt for 3 Yr. Olds

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Photo from our friends at National Day Calendar

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/ As always, please forgive any typos and grammatical errors