The 40 day Saratoga Race Course Meet concluded over Labor Day Weekend and two of our horses (Woodford Racing) were part of the excitement.
On Sunday, September 3 we unveiled Campaign, a 2 year old colt by Curlin who was making his first career start in a $83,000 Maiden Special Weight race. The race was scheduled to be run on the turf at 1 1/16 miles but due to heavy rains was moved to the dirt main track and contested at 7/8’s of a mile (7 furlongs).
On a track rated sloppy, Campaign broke well but steadily lost ground. It was clear he was having difficulty getting his footing on the track. After the first 3/8’s of a mile Campaign trailed the leader by 21 lengths. As he got more comfortable with his footing Campaign closed strongly to finish 2nd and looked impressive in the gallop out past the finish line. We are looking forward to running Campaign at Belmont in late September or early October in a longer race on a dry dirt track. You can watch a replay of the race here.
Partners with trainer Chad Brown
On Monday, September 4, we ran Engage 3/4’s of a mile (6 furlongs) on the dirt in a $83,000 Maiden Special Weight race as well. Engage was making his second career start after losing by a length on August 5 and it was clear Engage would not be denied. He broke alertly and closely tracked two horses who vied for the early lead. At the top of the stretch, Engage swung three wide and battled to the wire to win by 1/2 a length. It was an incredibly exciting race and the win clinched the Saratoga leading jockey title for Jose Ortiz. The win aboard Engage gave Ortiz 58 wins for the 40 day Saratoga Race Course Meet. View the race here.
After the race Ortiz was surrounded by reporters who were anxious to interview him about winning the jockey title aboard Engage. As Jose fielded questions he was wearing the forest green and gold silks of Woodford Racing! It looks like Engage’s next race will be at Belmont as well.
Jose Ortiz
It’s hard to believe the racing which began on July 21 is over. We (Woodford Racing) started four horses and had two wins and two seconds at the toughest racing meet in the country!