Tip Top Thomas gamely turned back graded stakes winner Coal Battle to win the $300,000 Grade 3 Indiana Derby July 5 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. He zipped 1 1/16 miles in a track record final time of 1:41.15 on a fast-playing main track.
Welcome to summer in Saratoga, where the horses are fast, the stakes are high, and the vibes are unbeatable. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just getting into the sport, there’s no better way to stay dialed in for all 40 days of racing than with a friendly fantasy-style betting pool.
The Triple Crown may be over, but there are still several rich opportunities for 3-year-olds to compete in. A case in point is Saturday’s Grade 3 Indiana Derby at Horseshoe Indianapolis, which could propel its winner into the picture for one of the major Grade 1 races later in the summer.
While Belmont Park’s reconstruction continues, the lucrative Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes will be held away from Long Island for the second consecutive year as a group of top-class turf 3-year-olds will race at historic Saratoga Race Course.
They are, without question, the two best fillies to race on dirt in this century.
They most likely would both appear on a Top 10 list of North America’s all-time greatest fillies or mares.
Their combined collection of wins includes such prestigious Grade 1 stakes as the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Preakness Stakes, Haskell Stakes, Breeders’ Cup Distaff and Kentucky Oaks.
They finished 1-2 in the balloting for 2009 Horse of the Years honors.
 (Saratoga)_88412.JPG?itok=GWJ9eclJ&c=bd481998a080ffabb38416125441093c "Belmont Derby Invitational, Saratoga Race Course, New Century")
