The Saratoga Special Stakes is an American

grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-August at

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actu ...

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...

. The race is for two-year-olds willing to race six

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hor ...

s on the dirt.Saratoga Special Stakes history at the NYRA
/ref> With its first run in 1901, the Saratoga Special was a winner-take-all race until 1959 when it became a standard stakes race. The race was held at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

on the Widener Course in 1943, 1944, and 1945. There was no race in 1911 and 1912 due to the

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...

legislated ban on

parimutuel betting Parimutuel betting or pool betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vigorish" are deducted, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winnin ...

that led to the closure of all New York racetracks. There was also no race held in 2004. Since inception it has been contested at various distances: * 5.5 furlongs : 1901–1906 * 6 furlongs : 1907–1993, 2005, 2020 * furlongs : 1994–2003, 2006–2019 Only four horses have ever won all three Saratoga Racecourse events for two-year-olds. Regret (1914),

Campfire A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campf ...

(1916),

Dehere Dehere (April 13, 1991 - c. May 16, 2014) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred and raced by Robert E. Brennan's Due Process Stable. Sired by Canadian Hall of Fame inductee and two-time North American Champion sire, Dep ...

(1993), and

City Zip A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...

(2000) each swept the Saratoga Special,

Sanford Stakes The Sanford Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of July at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. A six furlong sprint race, the Grade III event is open to two-year-old horses. Inaug ...

and

Hopeful Stakes The Hopeful Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically has ...

Records

Speed record: * at furlongs – 1:15.57 Corfu (2013) * at 6 furlongs – 1:09 –

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of pres ...

(1978) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

: * 7 – Eddie Arcaro (1935, 1947, 1950, 1954, 1955, 1958, 1959) Most wins by a trainer: * 6 –

James G. Rowe Sr. James Gordon Rowe Sr. (1857 – August 2, 1929) was an American jockey and horse trainer elected to the Hall of Fame for Thoroughbred Horse racing. He won the Belmont Stakes twice as a jockey and 8 times as a trainer. He had 34 champion horses t ...

(1904, 1914, 1915, 1920, 1922, 1929) Most wins by an owner: * 4 – Harry Payne Whitney (1914, 1920, 1922, 1929) * 4 –

George D. Widener George Dunton Widener (June 16, 1861 – April 15, 1912) was an American businessman who died in the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic''. Early life Widener was born in Philadelphia on June 16, 1861. He was the eldest son of Hannah Josephine Du ...

(1923, 1930, 1950, 1969)

Winners

*In 1953, Porterhouse finished first, but was disqualified and set back to last. *† In 1935, there was a dead heat for first.

References

{{reflist

External links

Video at YouTube of the 1993 Saratoga Special Stakes

The Saratoga Special Stakes at Pedigree Query
1901 establishments in New York (state) Horse races in New York (state) Saratoga Race Course Flat horse races for two-year-olds Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1901