Rice's Roll Extends to Saratoga, Taking Opening Race
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Amira Chichakly
Horses running in the opening race at Saratoga Race Course
The traditional "And they're off at Saratoga" call may have come from a new voice, but the excitement that the first race of the Saratoga Race Course meet generates was as vibrant as ever.
The 160th racing season at the Spa kicked off in typical fashion July 13, with a mile-and-an-eighth race that starts in front of the grandstand, and the loud cheers from the crowd that jammed the apron echoed the words of track announcer Frank Mirahmadi as the horses broke from the gate.
At the wire, the finish was a familiar one as well, as Linda Rice, winner of the last four training titles at New York Racing Association meets, vaulted to the top of the Saratoga standings, sending out Winning Move Stable's Bustin Bay to a 1 1/2-length victory over Klaravich Stables' Virtual Reality .
"It was exciting," Rice said. "There's a great crowd. It's opening day and it's always fun to win on opening day, especially the first race. I hope it's an omen for good things to come. I was thinking we may have used all our bullets at Belmont and Aqueduct, but hopefully we can keep it going."
Aside from the debut of Mirahmadi at the microphone, the race also produced the first payoff for NYRA's new program offering a 30% purse boost to New York State-breds who compete in open races.
Bred by Robert and Peter Rosenthal and Martin Greenberg in New York, the 5-year-old daughter of Bustin Stones ran for $149,500 in purse money in the open first-level allowance optional claiming race as opposed to the $115,000 that was up for grabs for the three starters in the field of six who were bred outside of the Empire State.
Winning Move pocketed $82,225 thanks to the bonus, a boost of $18,975 from the original purse of $115,000, which would have paid $63,250 to a winner who was bred outside of New York.
The added 30% also benefitted Mia Bea Star , a New York-bred who was third and received $17,940 and an additional $4,140 through the state-bred incentive for running in an open race. Honey Money (sixth) received $4,485, with an extra $1,035.
"It's an excellent program. It's going to be great for the New York breeders. It will cause people to invest more in breeding mares in New York," Rice said. "I am so excited about NYRA and (CEO and president) Dave O'Rourke and everyone else involved in it for coming up with this. I think it's fabulous."
Bustin Bay, who won for the 10th time in 33 starts (most of them in state-bred races), covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:53.90 and paid $5.40 to win as the 8-5 favorite. She was ridden by Belmont Park riding champ Jose Ortiz.