Track Trends

Saratoga Track Trends Aqueduct Track Trends

2020

Sunday, November 1

Fast ( 1 ) Muddy ( sealed ) – 4; Sloppy ( sealed ) – 5, 7, 9 / Yielding 2-3, Soft – 6, 8
Rain
57
Wind 13 to 10 MPH NE

With rain coming down early in the card, the Main Track changed from Fast to Sloppy fairly quickly. Even in these conditions, the dirt seemed to play reasonably fairly. As for the Turf, with two on each course, the courses had taken so much rain that it likely came down to whether or not horses could handle the going as opposed to any possible bias.

Saturday, October 31

Muddy (Harrowed) / Yielding
Clear
45
Wind 2 to 5 MPH SW to N

The Main Track was drying during the day, and while listed as Muddy throughout the day, it likely was Good for much of the day. Regardless, it played fairly. There was one turf race on each course, and the course was likely closer to Soft. With the rails down, perhaps there was some advantage to being towards the inside, but it’s hard to tell.

Friday, October 30

Sloppy (Sealed)
Showery
39
Wind 18 to 12 MPH S/SW

Different track than Thursday as most of the significant rainfall had stopped by the beginning of the day. It's possible that speed was a bit of an advantage, but in no way as dominant as the prior day as we saw closers do well in some races. Also, the effective runners with speed were, at least, fairly logical. The inside was also fine. Overall, the track was pretty fair.

Thursday, October 29

Sloppy (Sealed)
Rainy
52
Wind 13 to 16 MPH SW

With a downpour throughout the day, the track was sloppy, and speed was dominant throughout the day. Most of the results were logical, but it still seemed difficult to close, save the 6th race, which may have been circumstantial, as the pace was contested, and the winner was very logical.

Sunday, October 25

Fast/Firm
Cloudy
54
Wind 8 MPH SW

All courses, Turf and Dirt, appeared to play fairly. The turf courses may have firmed up a bit but still on the Good side of Firm.

Saturday, October 24

Fast/Firm
Cloudy
64
Wind 6 to 9 MPH NE counterclockwise to SE

All surfaces and courses played fairly, with a mix of running styles successful. Both Turf courses, while listed firm, continue to appear Good at best.

Friday, October 23

Fast / Firm
Cloudy
70
Wind 5 MPH NW

All courses, dirt and turf, appeared to play fairly. Once again, while both turf courses were listed as Firm, they appeared much closer to Good.

Thursday, October 22

Fast / Firm
Foggy
64
Wind 3 MPH NW

There were three races on the Main Track, with logical results, and in all likelihood the dirt played fairly. While listed as Firm, both courses were much closer to Good, and they appeared to play fairly.

Saturday, October 18

Fast / Yielding
Clear
62
Wind 11 MPH NW

Speed was good on the Main Track, though it was possible to close, and there is at least the possibility that the rail was an advantage. Worth following going forward. There were two races on each turf course and they appeared to play fairly.

Friday, October 17

Muddy ( harrowed 1-3 ) Good ( harrowed 4-8, 10 ) / Soft ( 9th )
Clear
58
Wind 9 to 4 MPH SE

The Main Track was drying throughout the day. With a fair mix of speed and closers, and the 6th winner closing right up the rail, the track appeared to play fairly. No trends can be determined from the one grass race, a sprint, though it was dominated by closers.

Thursday, October 16

Sloppy ( sealed )/ Yielding ( Inner Turf - 1st race only )
Rainy
55
Wind 11 to 8 MPH SE

With heavy rain before the card, and during, only the first stayed on the turf. The pace collapsed in the one grass race but there is no way to pronounce a trend. All of the running on the dirt was done at least a path or two off the rail, though there is no real evidence the rail was bad. Speed did well, but enough closers were at least somewhat effective to suggest there were no distinct trends.

Monday, October 12

Sloppy (Sealed)
Rain
55
Wind 15 MPH SW

For the first time this meet, we were Sloppy and Off the Turf. Speed did reasonably well, but it wasn't necessarily an advantage. Horses and riders stayed mostly off the rail but some effective running was done inside. Not conclusive either way.

Sunday, October 11

Fast / Firm
Cloudy
66
Wind 8 MPH SW

The first two dirt races made the rail look strong, but it may well have been a case of the best horse winning on the inside, as the other dirt races made the track look totally fair. The turf courses likely played fairly as well.

Saturday, October 10

Fast / Firm
Clear
73
Wind 12 to 9 MPH NE

The Main Track was much fairer than the last couple of days. In fact, early it seemed to favor outside runners, but as the day progressed, horses did just fine inside. The turf courses appeared to play fairly overall. Inside runners did well on the Widener, but not in all situations, so likely the course was fair.

Friday, October 9

Fast / Firm
Clear
66
Wind 4 to 8 MPH N/NE

Once again, the rail was an advantage on the Main Track, but how strong isn't clear as some outside runners did reasonably well. The turf courses appeared to play fairly.

Thursday, October 8

Fast / Firm
Clear
65
Wind 13 to 15 MPH SE

The rail was very strong on the Main Track, and even though there were only four dirt races, it seemed to be a reasonable advantage. The rails were back out on the turf, nine feet on each course. Fair to say the courses played fairly overall.

Sunday, October 4

Fast / Firm
Clear
66
Wind 8 MPH W

The Main Track played fairly. The Turf courses also appeared to be more fair than the prior day, especially the Widener.

Saturday, October 3

Fast / Firm
Clear
65
Wind 6 MPH E

The main track appeared to play fairly. With the rails down on both turf courses, the rail appeared to be a significant edge on both courses. While this may appear to favor speed, and the paces often made this even stronger, horses were able to close, either inside or by spending the majority of the race on the rail before angling out.

Friday, October 2

Fast / Firm
Cloudy
64
Wind 7 MPH SE

The Main Track played fairly. There were three races on the Inner Turf, and inside runners dominated, but it could have been situational. The one race on the Widener was won wire to wire by a horse that set very slow fractions.

Thursday, October 1

Fast / Firm
Clear
73
Wind 10 MPH NE

The rail continues to be an advantage on the Main Track. Inside speed, and inside runners, dominated on the dirt and it wasn't just logical results. As for the turf, both courses played fairly, but after some heavy rains on Tuesday, the courses were not as firm as the had been last week.

Sunday, September 27

Fast / Firm
Cloudy
76
Wind 5 to 7 MPH NW

All surfaces, dirt and turf, appeared to play evenly.

Saturday, September 26

Fast / Firm
Cloudy
73
Wind 9 MPH NW

The rail continues to be an advantage on the Main Track. The Widener turf course played fairly. The Inner appeared to favor speed, but 8.5F and 9F races on that course often do because of frequent dawdling paces, which means the course was likely fair given the overall results and manner in which the races were run.

Friday, September 25

Fast/Firm
Cloudy
77
Wind 5 to 7 MPH NNE to NNW

The rail appeared to be an advantage on the main track. Not impossible to make some outside moves but the rail seemed to move runners up. In all likelihood the turf courses played fairly.

Thursday, September 24

Fast/Firm
Clear
78
Wind 5 to 7 MPH NE

The Main Track races seemed to have a bit of an outside flow. It was likely more related to dynamics and, in all likelihood, the track was fair. The Widener turf played fairly with closers dominating. The Inner Turf races were dominated by front runners and forwardly places horses, It was probably more based on race dynamics, and the natural flow of the route races with slower paces on that course, than any bias.

Sunday, September 20

Fast/Firm
Clear
63
Wind 12 to 9 MPH SW

All courses, dirt and turf, played fairly.

Saturday, September 19

Fast/Firm
Clear
64
Wind 6 to 7 MPH SW to S

While inside speed did well in some dirt races, it was likely due to race dynamics, and the track was probably fair. The turf courses played fairly.

Friday, September 18

Fast/Firm
Clear
70
Wind 13 to 11 MPH S/SW

The Main Track played fairly. Some races had the old "Balcony Belmont" look but horses ran fine on the inside in some races. The Turf courses appeared to play fairly over all.

Sunday, July 12

Fast/Firm
Clear
84
Wind 10 MPH NE

All courses, dirt and turf, appeared to play fairly.

Saturday, July 11

Good ( 1-2 ) Good & Sealed ( 3 ) Good ( 4-7-8-10 ) / Good
Clear
84
Wind 10 to 12 MPH N

Inside Speed did well on the Main Track but overall it appeared to play fairly. The turf courses were in good shape given the rain from the previous day, with one race on the Inner and two on the Widener. The courses appeared to play fairly.

Friday, July 10

Sloppy (Sealed)
Rain
78
Wind 16 to 19 MPH W/SW to W/NW

This was the first day of any races coming off the turf and it rained, sometimes very hard for most of the day until the last hour of racing. The wind was strong and, at times, gusty. Speed was a giant advantage throughout the day, with very little significant closing. Most of the running, outside of the 1st race, was done well off the rail.

Thursday, July 9

Fast/Firm
Clear
88
Wind 7 to 9 MPH N/NW

The Main Track may have been fair, and sure seemed to be for the first two on the surface, but there is a reasonable chance the rail was more than an advantage for the final two dirt races ( races 6 and 8 ). The turf courses appeared to play fairly. The last two on the Widener were won on the front end, but both were very logical winners.

Sunday, July 5

Fast/Firm
Clear
90
Wind 5 to 8 MPH NE

The rail was good on the Main Track but not a clear advantage by any means. The turf courses appeared to play fairly.

Saturday, July 4

Fast ( Good 1st race ) / Firm
Partly Cloudy
82
Wind 5 to 7 MPH SW to NW

The Main Track was playing very quickly, and while there may be an argument the rail was a bit of an advantage, as was possibly speed, that may be more due to the manner in which races were run ( i.e. race dynamics ) and relatively logical results throughout the day. While the turf courses played fairly, they were both closer to Good than Firm. This may also be more because we are used to extremely firm courses at this time of the year, so a little slower feels "Good" when it is actually a bit less firm than normal in July.

Friday, July 3
Fast/Firm ( 2, 4, 7 ) - Good ( 9 and 10 )
Cloudy
90
Wind 4 to 7 MPH SE to NW

The Main Track played fairly with the rain coming after the final dirt race. The turf courses played fairly. There was one race on each course during and after the rain, with the 9th race being run during the rain.

Thursday, July 2
Fast/Firm
Clear
90
Wind 5 MPH SE to NE

The Main Track played fairly. The rails went out 9 feet on both courses, and both races on the Widener played fairly. The one race on the Inner Turf was won wire to wire, but the second finisher made a wide close and there is no evidence that the inside bias from the prior week continued.

Sunday, June 28
Fast/Firm
Clear
86
Wind 7 to 10 MPH NE

The Main Track played fairly. The Widener course seemed fair as well, while the rail continues to be an advantage on the Inner Turf, with successful runners spending much of the race inside.

Saturday, June 27
Fast (2&4) Good and Sealed for the 5th and Good and Harrowed for the 7th, Fast for the 9th / Firm
Cloudy with some rain after the 4th race
73
Wind 11 to 15 MPH NE

While the Main Track appeared to play fairly early, it’s worth considering that after the rain, as well as sealing and unsealing of the track, that the rail for races 7 and 9 was not the best place to be. Hard to be conclusive but might be worth following going forward. The Turf courses played fairly but also may have been closer to Good, especially the Widener but probably both, starting with the 6th race.

Friday, June 26
Fast/Firm
Clear
87
Wind 8 MPH NE

The Main Track played fairly. There is an argument the rail was an advantage on the Inner Turf course while the Widener was probably more fair.

Thursday, June 25
Fast/Firm
Clear
84
Wind 7 to 10 MPH NE

There is a strong argument that inside speed was a distinct advantage on the Main Track. The rails were down on both courses for the first time, and a case can be made that saving ground, particularly on the Inner Turf, was an advantage in the sense that being inside for at least a portion of the race proven helpful

Sunday, June 21
Fast/Firm
Clear
84
Wind 7 to 9 MPH N

All courses, dirt and turf, appeared to play fairly.

Saturday, June 20

Fast/Firm
Clear
81
Wind 7 to 10 MPH N

Speed did well on the Main Track, but it appears to have been circumstantial, and likely the dirt played fairly. The two turf courses played fairly.

Friday, June 19
Fast/Firm
Clear
80
Wind 8 to 11 MPH NE

All courses, dirt and turf, appeared to play fairly.

Thursday, June 18
Fast/Firm
Clear
79
Wind 6 MPH NW

The main track was very quick, and despite some logical horses winning on the front end, the track appeared to play fairly. The turf courses also continue to play fairly.

Sunday, June 14
Fast/Firm
Clear
72
Wind 4 to 7 MPH SW to NW

All courses, dirt and turf, continued to play fairly.

Saturday, June 13
Fast/Firm
Clear
72
Wind 5 MPH SE

While speed did well on the dirt, it seemed circumstantial, and overall, all courses continue to play fairly.

Friday, June 12
Fast/Firm
Clear
85
Wind 7 to 9 MPH E/NE

All courses, dirt and turf, appeared to play fairly.

Thursday, June 11
Fast ( 1-2 ); Good ( sealed ) race 3; Muddy ( sealed ) Races 4, 5 & 7; Sloppy ( sealed ) race 9 / Firm races 6&8; Good Race 10
Showers/Rainy
72
Wind 13-9 MPH NE

While the track was likely fair, with perhaps a tilt towards speed, for the first four dirt races, the last three dirt races seemed to very much favor speed. The turf courses appeared to play fairly.

Sunday, June 7
Fast/Firm
Clear
75
Wind 10 MPH SE

The Main Track dried out rapidly and appeared to play fairly, as did the Turf courses.

Saturday, June 6
Good ( 1&3 ) Good ( sealed ) ( 5 ) Muddy ( 7 ) Sloppy ( 9 & 10 ) / Good ( 2, 4, 6 ) Yielding ( 8&11 Widener )
Cloudy with storms during the day
83
Wind 8 to 10 MPH NE to SE

Wild weather day with storms during the day. The track was likely fair the first two dirt races. The rain appeared to help speed as the day went on. Despite the rain, the turf played fairly throughout the day.

Friday, June 5
Muddy (Sealed)/Firm
Cloudy
77
Wind 6 MPH NE

While muddy and sealed, the main track appeared to play fairly. Horses may have been best a little off the rail, but at worst it was a bit off inside. The turf courses played fairly.

Thursday, June 4
Fast/Firm
Cloudy
83
Wind 6 to 10 MPH NE

Overall, the main track played fairly. The 7th and 8th races might appear to favor inside speed, but given the manner in which the 6th race was run, it doesn’t seem correct to make any conclusions outside of fair. The turf courses appeared to play fairly as well.

Wednesday, June 3
Fast ( harrowed ) Race 1; Good ( sealed ) Races 2-3; Good ( Harrowed ) thereafter / Firm
Cloudy with brief early showers
81
Wind 9 MPH NE

Inside speed did well on the Main Track, whether harrowed or sealed, though not in all races, and it may well have been situational with logical results. Hard to say either turf course had any kind of bias.

Previous Years' Track Trends:

2019 Trends 2018 Trends 2017 Trends