Chad Brown Continues His Dominance; Pletcher Barn Gets Hot Late
Spoils were shared for this year\u2019s H. Allen Jerkens Training Title, with Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher both finishing the meet with 32 wins. Brown secured the tie in the final race of the meet, with his runner Say Yes To Dreams finishing first in a one-mile turf maiden special weight. This is Brown\u2019s fifth consecutive year winning the training title at Saratoga, and Pletcher\u2019s 15th time winning the award at the Spa.<\/p>\n
Notable winners for Brown include Sierra Leone, who won the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes, and Excellent Truth in the Grade 1 Dunkin\u2019 Diana. Pletcher also picked up his share of Grade 1s, including two on closing weekend with Ted Noffey in the Grade 1 Spendthrift Farm Hopeful Stakes and Antiquarian in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup. Both trainers will look to carry their successful summers into the fall, with a potential meeting of Fierceness, Mindframe, and Sierra Leone in the Breeders\u2019 Cup Classic later this year.<\/p>\n
SIERRA LEONE wins the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes!<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s @BreedersCup<\/a> Classic champ books his return with a \u201cWin and You\u2019re In\u201d score under Flavien Prat for trainer Chad Brown! pic.twitter.com\/Rh8BnPLdD7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NYRA (\ud83c\udfaa) (@TheNYRA) August 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Amoss Barn Impresses with Stellar 2YOs It’s Our Time puts on a stellar performance on debut in R7 at Saratoga! \ud83e\udd29\ud83c\udf1f@tomamossracing<\/a> trains and @luissaezpty<\/a> was aboard. <\/p>\n A nice 5\/1 top pick winner for @atthetrack7<\/a>, too! \ud83d\udcb0 pic.twitter.com\/hJHzmfFfQX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 TwinSpires Racing \ud83c\udfc7 (@TwinSpires) August 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Irad Ortiz Remains King of the Spa
It was a summer at the Spa to remember for trainer Tom Amoss, who displayed several standout 2-year-old debut runners. It\u2019s Our Time, the son of Not This Time, delivered an immaculate performance in his August debut, winning by 17 3\/4 lengths. Amoss has announced he will return in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes next month at Aqueduct. Other impressive 2-year-old winners for the Amoss barn included debut winner Big Dom, who will make his next start in the Breeders\u2019 Futurity at Keeneland, and Oscar\u2019s Hope, who won on closing day by 5 3\/4 lengths. Amoss is poised for a big second half of the year, with most of these juveniles having a real shot in Breeders\u2019 Cup races this November.<\/p>\n
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. captured his seventh Angel Cordero Jr. riding title this summer, finishing with 59 wins for the meet. His brother Jose Ortiz also had a great meet, finishing a close second with 55 wins, while Flavien Prat was third with 42. Notable wins for Ortiz Jr. included a pair of Grade 2 victories aboard Halina\u2019s Forte in the Honorable Miss and Leslie\u2019s Rose in the Shuvee. Unfortunately, he was not able to ride on closing day after a scary situation in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup<\/a>, where he was bumped and thrown off Mindframe just after the break. Ortiz Jr. will look to extend his dominance through the rest of the year, with key mounts at Kentucky Downs and the Breeders\u2019 Cup at Del Mar.<\/p>\n