European raiders sweep weekend Grade 1 turf races at Saratoga

Robert Kieckhefer, UPI Racing WriterMon, Jul 6, 2026·7 min read

July 6 (UPI) -- European raiders carted off the big loot from Saratoga's opening weekend, with the promise of more of the same to come during the summer season.

Much of the action around the country was on turf, although Sweet Azteca's third straight win in the Great Lady M Stakes in California and Phileas Fogg's repeat in the Suburban at Saratoga were dirt-racing highlights.

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Title Role, last seen winning the German 2,000 Guineas, pressed the pace throughout Saturday's $750,000 Grade I Belmont Derby at Saratoga, took a narrow lead in deep stretch under John Velazquez and held off West End Kid by a scant nose at the end of the 1 1/4 miles. The favorite, Remember Mamba, was just a neck farther back.

Texas businessman Will Stroud bought a controlling interest in Title Role from the Coolmore partners before the race and said Title Role will stay in the United States with co-trainers Simon and Ed Crisford in charge, eyeing New York's generous turf stakes program.

"I believe we'll target the Saratoga Derby," he said, referencing the Grade I heat Aug. 8. "We'll stay with the Crisfords through that race. The more winners we can get at Saratoga, the better."

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Heeere's Johnny won Friday's $150,000 Saranac for 3-year-olds at Saratoga. Gran Oriente came from last of eight to win Saturday's $100,000 Soldier's Dancer Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

Filly & mare turf

Kensington Lane traveled from Ireland to score a front-running, 1 3/4-length victory in Saturday's $600,000 Grade I Belmont Oaks at Saratoga.

The Starspangledbanner filly, trained by Donnacha O'Brien, turned back an early challenge from Godolphin raider Abishiri and opened a sizeable lead by the time the field turned for home.

Faithful Departed made up ground on the rail to grab second and Fitz Right advanced outside rivals to finish third.

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The plan originally was to send Kensington Lane to California, where she would be virtually guaranteed the firm turf she seems to relish. After Saturday's score, Phillip Shelton, racing manager for part-owner Medallion Racing, said the options expanded with a return to Europe and a longer residence in New York on the table.

To a Flame ran best late to win Friday's $150,000 Wild Applause Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga by 1 1/4 lengths over Pillar of Beauty. The Justify filly, out of the Galileo mare Moth, ran 1 mile on firm turf in 1:35.29.

Zulu Kingdom waited behind the early speed in Sunday's $225,000 Kelso Stakes at Saratoga, came to challenge pacesetter Mi Bago about the furlong pole, and the two hit the wire together in a dead heat. The pair finished the 1 mile on firm turf in 1:34.08.

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Also: Twenty Six Black won Sunday's $200,000 Harvey Pack Stakes at Saratoga, Two Seven O took Saturday's $175,000 Dade Park Dash for 3-year-olds at Ellis Park and Triskelion won the companion Pea Patch Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, and Gerrard's Cross won Sunday's $100,000 Monmouth County Stakes at Monmouth Park.

The lesson from Saturday's $500,000 Grade II Suburban at Saratoga was simple enough: If Phileas Fogg is left alone on the lead, he will win. And so he did, as he has repeatedly through his career and for the second straight year in the 1 1/4-miles Suburban, with only modest urging by jockey Kendrick Carmouche, by 10 lengths.

A year ago, the Astern gelding was all out to preserve victory over a late-running Antiquarian, who went to the post as the favorite Saturday, but stumbled out of the gate and never got into the mix.

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Viking led all the way to a 4 1/2-length upset victory in Saturday's $100,000 Smile Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The 5-year-old City of Light gelding, partnered by Edwin Gonzalez, ran 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:09.71.

Filly & mare sprint

Sweet Azteca had little trouble sweeping to a third straight win in the $200,000 Grade II Great Lady M Stakes Saturday at Los Alamitos. The 6-year-old Sharp Azteca mare led early in the 6 1/2-furlong feature and wasn't challenged, winning by 1 1/4 lengths while not being asked for her best.

The effort came despite a layoff of more than 10 months and a somewhat abbreviated workout schedule. Winning trainer Richard Baltas and the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint now is the target.

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It took jockey Ricardo Santano Jr. a few strides to get Booked going in a straight line from the No. 1 gate in Saturday's $200,000 Grade III Sanford at Saratoga. That done, the Yaupon colt took the lead and never looked back, drawing off easily to win by 6 lengths in 1:11.24. Vissino and Goodbye to Romance completed the trifecta.

On Sunday at Gulfstream Park, Watson battled with Gaelic Legacy through the final sixteenth of the $100,000 Proud Man Stakes and finally got the better of that rival by a neck.

Harper's Corner led almost all the way to a 5 1/4-length victory in Friday's $200,000 Schuylerville at Saratoga -- her second open-lengths score in as many starts.

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Hot Rod Honey hit overdrive in the stretch run of Friday's $100,000 Sharp Susan Stakes at Gulfstream Park, blowing by pacesetting Colombina on her way to a 4 1/4-length victory.

Around the world, around the clock

While Americans celebrated the Declaration of Independence on Saturday, the British celebrated the Constitution -- Constitution River, that is, who was so good in sweeping to victory in the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse. .

"Ryan said he doesn't think he's ever ridden a better horse," trainer Aidan O'Brien said, according to Racing Post.

The French Derby winner now has notched five straight wins. But he'll have to continue on course to prove as good as some of the ones Moore has partnered through the years. The son of the late Wootton Bassett might get a start on that in the Group 1 Juddmonte International at York next month with a full range of options thereafter.

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Calandagan rebounded from a disastrous last-race experience to win Sunday's Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud with a last-to-first effort for jockey Mickael Barzalona.

Trainer Francis Graffard was happy enough with the repeat win in the event, but said more important was the restoration of confidence in the 2025 international champion.

"I was upset with myself after Epsom," Racing Post quoted Graffard saying about of Calandagan's fourth-place finish, beaten by 41 1/4 lengths, in the June 6 Coronation Cup. Graffard said he should not have asked the gelding to run over the soft turf.

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"Today, I thought he was sweating a little bit too much and I could see he was a little bit worried, so I was worried, too. At the end of the orders, I said to Mickael, 'Forget everything we said. Just ride him for himself. It doesn't matter if he's beaten, he just needs to get his confidence back.' That's what he did."

He will need that mojo back for what promises to be his next start in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on July 25 back at Ascot.

In that, he's expected to again face Japanese star Masquerade Ball, who nearly thwarted his historic victory in the Grade 1 Japan Cup last November, as well as a roster including upwardly mobile 3-year-olds.