2025 Saratoga Special Stakes Preview

Key Takeaways:

• Obliteration (7-5) is the favorite off a dominant Sanford win and brings proven pace versatility and local form.
• Ewing (8-5) impressed with a 12-length debut win at Saratoga but must handle inside pressure and tougher foes.
• Comport (8-1) has tactical flexibility and is the only runner coming off a defeat, but offers upside at a price.
• Camigol and Thunder Chuck both step up after maiden wins, but need significant improvement to contend.

The second in Saratoga’s three-race graded-stakes series open to juveniles, the Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special Stakes, covers 6 ½ furlongs on the dirt. The distance is longer than anyone in the field has yet tried. Obliteration, who began the series with a score in the Sanford (G3), will try to prove whether he is still at the top of the 2-year-old set at the Spa, or if someone is ready to catch him.

The Saratoga Special dates back to 1901. In its early days, it was a winner-take-all race: owners could nominate groups of three two-year-olds, run one horse per owner in the race, and the winner got the whole purse. The race no longer has such a structure; it was changed to a conventional stakes race in 1959.

Well, befitting one of the features of the meet, the winners’ list has always been replete with stars. The undefeated Colin (1907) counted this race among his wins. The first-ever filly to win the Kentucky Derby, Regret, won the 1914 edition. Eventual Triple Crown winner Whirlaway (1940) won this race, as did fan favorite and influential sire Native Dancer (1952), first-ever Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Chief’s Crown (1984), and recent sprint star Jackie’s Warrior (2020).

2025 Saratoga Special Information

• Race Date: Saturday, August 2
• Track: Saratoga Race Course
• Post Time: 1:09 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 6 ½ furlongs
• Age/Sex: two-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel Racing, Fox
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Saratoga Special Draw and Odds

This is the field for the 2025 Saratoga Special, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and official morning-line odds for each runner. A maximum of five horses will run; though Dazzle d’Oro was entered, he suffered a catastrophic training injury on Monday.

Saratoga Special Prep Race Results

Two of the runners in the Saratoga Special come out of stakes races. Morning-line favorite Obliteration led at every call and won the Sanford by 10 ½ lengths on July 5 over the local course. Comport has also tried stakes company, pressing the pace and chasing home to finish second, 2 ¾ lengths behind Romeo, in the Bashford Manor on June 29 at Churchill.

The other three runners come out of maiden victories. Ewing debuted at Saratoga on July 5, setting the pace and galloping clear to win by a dozen lengths. Thunder Chuck won second out in a muddy maiden sprint at Monmouth Park on June 22, and Camigol won by 5 ¾ lengths in frontrunning fashion over Florida-breds June 26 at Gulfstream Park.

Saratoga Special Contenders

This is a closer look at the horses in the 2025 Saratoga Special, from the rail out.

1. Ewing: This first-crop son of Knicks Go, trained by Mark Casse, was bet down to odds-on in a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight on July 5. He ran to the money, setting the pace and drawing off to win by 12 lengths. He faced only four horses that day—and won’t be tested from a field size perspective, as he’ll face at most four others in this. The inside post could be tough, as he has plenty of speed outside him. However, he did break from post 2 on his debut, meaning the fence is less of a worry than if he had drawn outside in that race.
2. Comport: He is the only horse coming in off of a defeat, as he proved only second best when he contested the Bashford Manor last out. He’ll have to prove he can ship, and he’ll have to prove he can track a fast pace, but to his credit, he has been able to win from a stalking spot and not just wire to wire, something several in this field have not proven yet. He does need a step up from his Churchill form, but it’s perfectly within the realm of what a lightly-raced horse can do, and by not needing the lead, he has upside at a price.
3. Thunder Chuck: He wired the field in the mud last out in his second start, but more interesting was his debut. He missed by a nose that day, but rallied from several lengths off the pace and proved he could pass horses. Will that be enough? That’s questionable, as both of his races at Monmouth came back slower than the top contenders in this field.
4. Dazzle d’Oro: He was entered in this race after an impressive debut win at Churchill Downs, but sadly, he was fatally injured in training on the Monday before the race.
5. Camigol: The other long shot in the field, his form reads similarly to Thunder Chuck in that he rallied from off the pace to come close on debut, but then won on the front end at second asking. The fact that he passed horses on debut is a positive, and compared to Thunder Chuck, he took a much better step forward from a speed perspective from that debut to that second out. Another step forward makes him an interesting prospect. He will have to prove that he can beat classier foes than the Florida-breds he won against at Gulfstream, and he needs to prove that he is not solely a Gulfstream Park horse. But, there is upside at the price.
6. Obliteration: He won the Sanford on the front end, showing his class and his ability over the Saratoga course. But, that’s not the only way he can win—he graduated in stalk-and-pounce fashion at Churchill Downs in June, in a race that has proven to be a key race. That pace versatility from an outside gate makes this horse, who would have been the favorite no matter where he drew, an even stronger contender in this race.

Saratoga Special Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Saratoga Special?

A: The Saratoga Special will be run Saturday, August 2, 2025, at 1:09 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. It is the third race on the 13-race card.

Q: Where is the Saratoga Special?

A: The race happens at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Saratoga Special?

A: Trainer James G. Rowe, Sr. won the Saratoga Special six times between 1904 and 1929 with stars like Regret and Sysonby. Among trainers with entrants in 2025, Steve Asmussen leads with five wins, most recently with Jackie’s Warrior in 2020. He can tie Rowe if Obliteration wins in 2025.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Saratoga Special?

A: Obliteration is the 7-5 morning-line favorite for the Saratoga Special, ahead of Ewing at 8-5. Both are winners over the local course, though between his stakes win, his better post, and his proven tactical speed, Obliteration should hold as the betting choice.

Q: Who is the best Saratoga Special jockey?

A: Eddie Arcaro leads all jockeys with seven wins between 1935 and 1959. Among jockeys who are in the 2025 edition, Irad Ortiz, Jr. leads with three wins. He can make it four if he rides Ewing to victory.

Q: Who won the Saratoga Special in 2024?

A: Showcase won the 2024 Saratoga Special for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. Pletcher does not have a 2025 entrant; Ortiz rides Ewing for Mark Casse this year.

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