SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2019 BRICKS AND MORTAR HANDLE FIGURES SHOW REVAMPED SARATOGA DATES WORKING MEETS TITLE-DEFENDING News Analysis, by Bill Finley When NYRA reached the halfway point of its 2019 Saratoga STABLEMATE IN MILLION meet Wednesday, all-sources handle was $320,684,714, or 2.3% higher than the number posted after the 20th racing day a year earlier. While that may seem like only a minor increase in handle, the number is more impressive than it may look on paper. For several reasons, comparing Saratoga 2019 vs. 2018 is like comparing pineapples to watermelons, but there is a key factor involved in those numbers that tells you just how well NYRA has broken out of the gate. Due to the heat, NYRA lost an entire Saturday card July 20. Saturday cards at Saratoga in July normally handle in the $23-million range. Cont. p4 IN TDN EUROPE TODAY Bricks and Mortar | Sarah Andrew SISKIN PREVAILS IN SOGGY PHOENIX Siskin (First Defence) did not find the ground to his liking at by Joe Bianca The Curragh on Friday, but still managed to eke out a win in the When stablemates Bricks and Mortar (Giant's Causeway) and G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. to remain unbeaten. Click or tap here Robert Bruce (Chi) (Fast Company {Ire}) first met in the June 8 to go straight to TDN Europe. GI Manhattan S. at Belmont, division-leading Bricks and Mortar got the jump while Robert Bruce was stuck in some midstretch traffic, and kicked away to a 1 1/2-length conquest. Saturday, the two will reconvene at Arlington Park for the 37th running of the GI Arlington Million, where Robert Bruce will be defending his title after taking home last year's Million trophy. Klaravich Stables and Bill Lawrence's Bricks and Mortar, four-for-four to start his career before running third in the local GIII Saranac S. as a sophomore two summers ago, was famously lost to injury for over a year after filling the same slot in the GIII Hill Prince S. at Belmont. Returning to powerfully annex the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. second off the layoff Jan. 26, he reeled off victories in the GII Muniz Memorial H. at Fair Grounds and GI Old Forester Turf Classic S. at Churchill before returning home to take the Manhattan, asserting himself as the clear favorite for champion turf male. Robert Bruce, undefeated in six starts in his native Chile, including two Group 1 triumphs, scored in his Stateside debut in the GIII Fort Marcy S. last spring before running sixth, beaten just a length, in the Manhattan. Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Saturday, August 10, 2019 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN News and Features Editor Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Amie Morosco Advertising Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey Photographer/Photo Editor Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] Seth Benzel's "Glory Now and Forever," a 44 x 56" acrylic on canvas, will be on display in Social Media Strategist the lobby of the Pavilion Grand Hotel in Saratoga until the end of the race meeting. Justina Severni Fifty percent of the proceeds of the sale of the painting will go to the Akindale Thoroughbred Rescue, a Thoroughbred sanctuary that is home to 165 retired Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes racehorses started by John Hettinger, one of the pioneers of the rescue movement. [email protected] Hettinger was inducted into the Hall of Fame Aug. 2 as a Pillar of the Turf. Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen TODAY’S GRADED STAKES EST Race Click for TV Director of Information Technology Ray Villa 9:00a Scandinavian Open Championship-G3, COP -------------- ------- [email protected] 10:05a Rose Of Lancaster S.-G3, HAY -------------- TVG 10:45a german-thoroughbred.com Sweet Solera S.-G3, NEW -------------- TVG Bookkeeper 5:11p Saratoga Special S.-GII, SAR TJCIS PPs TVG/NBC Terry May [email protected] 5:46p Fourstardave S.-GI, SAR TJCIS PPs TVG/NBC 5:53p Beverly D. S.-GI, AP TJCIS PPs TVG WORLDWIDE INFORMATION 6:28p Secretariat S.-GI, AP TJCIS PPs TVG International Editor 7:12p Arlington Million XXXVII S.-GI, AP TJCIS PPs TVG/FS2 Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] 7:55p Pucker Up S.-GIII, AP TJCIS PPs TVG European Editor 8:30p Best Pal S.-GII, DMR TJCIS PPs TVG Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 12 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • AUGUST 10, 2019 Arlington Million Preview cont. from p1 Shipped to Chicago, he finished fastest of all to earn a half-length success in the Million, but was a well-beaten runner-up in the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational and a no-factor seventh in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf to close out his 4-year-old season. Fifth at odds-on when defending his Fort Marcy crown, he ran on well after being forced to idle in traffic to be second in the Manhattan when returning to his preferred firm ground. He'll likely get that ground again Saturday as forecasts are clear for the big day in Arlington Heights. Coolmore's Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the only filly in the 10-horse field, has already placed in a pair of Grade I events so far this year and takes her fourth journey across the Atlantic for Aidan O'Brien. Winless since a dominant success in the G2 Ribblesdale S. last June at Royal Ascot, the bay was runner-up in both the G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille and G1 Prix de l'Opera Longines at Longchamp before finishing fourth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Completing the exacta again behind Bricks and Mortar in the Pegasus Turf, she was fifth in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic and third, beaten less than a length in the GI Man O’ War May 11 at Belmont. Second two more times in the Wolferton S. and G1 Juddmonte Pretty Polly S. back in Europe, she’ll try to rebound from a rare poor effort after finishing last of 11 behind superstar Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. just two weeks ago at Ascot. Fiona Carmichael's Intellogent (Ire) (Intello {Ger}) looks to get back to the Group 1-winning form from his sophomore season in this North American bow. Notching a 10-1 upset in the G1 Qatar Prix Jean last July at Deauville, he was off the board in his next two before running third at 16-1 when debuting as a 4-year-old in the G2 Prix d'Harcourt Apr. 7 at ParisLongchamp. Last of five in the G1 Prix Ganay there three weeks later, the chestnut bounced back to be fourth, beaten 1 3/4 lengths, in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan last out May 26 in Paris. The Fabrice Chappet trainee adds blinkers and Lasix for this test and will be piloted by Florent Geroux, who won the 2015 Million aboard The Pizza Man (English Channel). CAN’T WAIT TO GET YOUR TDN BREAKING NEWS AND RACE RESULTS? Click Here to sign up for TDN Alerts TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 12 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • AUGUST 10, 2019 News Analysis cont. from p1 Big fields drive handle at Saratoga 2019 | Sarah K. Andrew Had NYRA been able to run that card it would likely be up about 9.5% on the year at the midway point. Saratoga also lost seven races on July 25 due to a thunderstorm and one jump race earlier in the meet. They’ve made up for it by adding extra races to some cards and ran only six fewer races in the first half of 2019 than they did in 2018. Still, there’s no making up for a $23-million handle day on a Saturday. This is the first year that NYRA has gone to what basically running six days a week there’s little doubt field size would be amounts to a five-day-per-week, eight weeks of racing schedule. down. Officially, the change was made because NYRA needed to clear NYRA has also been able to run more turf races (85) this year out of Belmont early to allow construction to begin on the new as opposed to last (74). The difference is that 27 races came off arena being built for the New York Islanders. the grass last year versus 20 this year. Likely, they’ve already seen enough. Eight weeks, five days is Ironically, while NYRA’s off-track business has been booming, here to stay. on-track handle is down significantly, off 11.8% from last year. Employees, fans and horsemen will probably be worn out Through the first half of the meet there had been a $7.16- come closing day, Labor Day, and ready to leave quaint Saratoga million decline. That could be because of the early start of the for not so quaint Elmont, Long Island. Even in a place as special meet, July 11.