2023 Saratoga 2yo Stakes Race Results.

2yo Fillies.

1. Schuylerville Stakes. Becky's Joker, 21.20-1. Gary Contessa. 6-5 Wine of Tap fourth for Pletcher.

2. Adirondack Stakes. Brightwork, 5.10-1. John Ortiz. 5-2 Here U Come Again 2nd for Brad Cox 5L behind. Asmussen last at 4.40-1.

3. Spinaway Stakes. Brightwork, 3.00-1. John Ortiz. 0.45-1 to Ways and Means 2nd for Chad Brown.


2yo Colts.

1. Sanford Stakes. Yo Yo Candy, 46-1. Daniel Velazquez. 0.35-1 Gold Sweep 2nd for Asmussen after a terrible break and didn't come close to prior speed figures on at least some figs.

2. Saratoga Special. Rhyme Schemes. 1.05-1. Norm Casse. Lukas, Pletcher, and Asmussen up the track as winner won by 9 plus.

3. Hopeful Stakes. Nutella Fella, 54.50-1. Gary Contessa. Cox, Pletcher, Pletcher, Baffert, Asmussen, Lukas, Asmussen all up the track.

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What kind of odds could a person get before the meet that: Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher, Steve Asmussen, Bill Mott, Wayne Lukas, Brad Cox would win NONE of these races?

Maybe HISA is doing something. Maybe NYRA is looking harder at their 2yo graded stakes races. Maybe I'm just a conspiracy theorist as people like to say. But take a long look at these results and tell me you ever would have predicted the big guns wouldn't get a single one of these.

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Oh you want some historical context. Gotcha.

I went back to 2015 just to get a feel for this issue.

There have been 47 2yo dirt races in that period for the 2yo series for fillies and colts: Schulerville, Sanford, Adirondack, Saratoga Special, Spinaway, and the Hopeful. (the Sanford did not run in 2020). There were 48 winners of these 47 races as there was a dead heat in the 2016 Spinaway.

Of these 47 races/48 winners: Pletcher, Asmussen, Chad, Mott, Lukas, and Cox won 23 of those races. Nearly 50 percent of them. And every year since 2015, one of those six trainers won at least one of the six 2yo graded stakes for open company (Asmussen won Three of the Five races in 2020). And since 2020 more specifically, they accounted for winning 11 of the 17 races.

I guess this year was an abberation. Oh, and Baffert scratched today because he didn't know the date of the race or the distance of the race.