As the vibrant summer racing season at Saratoga approaches its final weeks, the spotlight intensifies on a spectacular trio of premier events. With only three weeks remaining in the meet, horse racing enthusiasts are gearing up for a thrilling conclusion, headlined by two of the most prestigious Grade 1 contests for three-year-olds: the $600,000 Alabama Stakes for fillies this Saturday, and the lucrative $1.25 million Travers Stakes on August 29. The championship meet will wrap up over Labor Day weekend with a pair of exciting Grade 1 stakes for promising juveniles, namely the $300,000 Spinaway for fillies on September 5 and the $300,000 Hopeful on September 6.
The Alabama Stakes has shaping up to be a highly competitive, albeit compact, field of six fillies, with Counting Stars emerging as the dominant force. Having convincingly scared off top-tier competition, the champion filly is set to compete in the 1 ¼-mile test in her quest to secure an impressive third consecutive Grade 1 victory. Following a respectable third-place finish in the prestigious Kentucky Oaks, Counting Stars rebounded brilliantly at Saratoga, capturing both the Acorn Stakes and the Coaching Club American Oaks. As the sole stakes winner in the current lineup, she enters the race as the prohibitive 1-2 favorite to complete the Grade 1 hat trick.
Trainer Mark Casse is full of confidence as he aims for a historic milestone, seeking consecutive wins in the
