Ron Correll
Senior columnist

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Ginger Punch needed every millimeter of her nose to hit the wire in front of Lemon Drop Mom in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign on Friday a the Spa. The pair locked up just inside the quarter-pole and staged a stretch-long duel that took a photo to decide the winner in the mile-and-a-quarter race.

Kat Kubik
and Bob Hill
Staff writers

Handicappers Kat and Bob offer their picks on this weekend’s seven Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In races. Two of these races are on Saturday and five are on Sunday.  They are listed in the order in which they will be contested. As always, your comments are welcome.

(Edited NYRA release)

The 139th running of the Grade 1, $1 million Travers Stakes presented by Shadwell Farm will be the 11th race (5:45 p.m. EDT, ESPN) on Saturday’s 12-race card that begins at noon. Saratoga Race Course will open its gates at 7 a.m., and the last race will go to post at 6:20 p.m.

Jim Gluckson
Breeders’ Cup

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Breeders’ Cup announced Friday that, for the first time, also eligible horses will be designated following the close of entries for all oversubscribed races at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Oct. 24-25 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.  An oversubscribed race is one in which there are more than 14 horses (or 12 in three instances) entered to participate.

Bob Hill
Staff writer

During the course of the past two days we’ve had the opportunity to talk and listen to trainers, owners, fans and media who are gathered at Saratoga for this year’s edition of Travers Week.  Here are few of the tidbits from the ongoing conversation.

Ron Correll
Senior columnist

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Wait a While did but only until she reached the quarter-pole and then she powered by longtime leader Sharp Susan to win the 20th running of the Grade 2 Ballston Spa on Thursday over the Mellon Turf Course. The 5-year-old daughter of Maria’s Mon covered the mile-and-one-sixteenth distance in 1:39.70.

Ron Correll
Senior columnist

SARATOGA Springs, N.Y. — Even though Evening Attire has qualified for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Marathon don’t look for the 10-year-old to run if his trainer Patrick Kelly has anything to say about it. And, trust me, he has a lot to say about it.

The gray, gelded son of Black Tie Affair won the mile-and-a-half Greenwood Cup on July 19 at Philadelphia Park, which is part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and Your In”…

By Francis LaBelle Jr.
NYRA

Tin Cup Chalice, owned, bred and trained by Michael Lecesse, became the first horse to sweep the OTB’s Big Apple Triple on Wednesday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course when he held off a final upset bid by That’srightofficer to win the 31st running of the $150,000 nine-furlong Albany for three-year-old New York-breds by a head.

Fran LaBelle
NYRA release

Zayat Stable’s Thorn Song proved how much he liked Saratoga Race Course by winning a pair of allowance races in his first two starts here. He has also proven that it doesn’t matter what jockey is on his back – he’s had five different ones in his last 10 starts – nor does it matter if the turf is soft, yielding or firm. He always shows up with his `A’ game.

Bob Hill
Staff writer

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – I probably never would have discovered the thrill of thoroughbred racing had it not been for my friend Cam Davenport.  Together, Cam and his cousin, Bill Roberts, introduced me to the sport and became my travel partners on trips to some of the greatest venues in American racing.  Without a doubt, Cam is the person who convinced me that no summer is complete without a trip to Saratoga Springs.  As I…