Sunday, August 4th closes out Whitney week where Bill Mott’s Arthur’s Ride took them all the way around in a major class step up. Meanwhile, Maryland bred runner Post Time did what he always does; close into the money. In twelve career starts, Post Time has never finished worse than third, adjusting well to the added distance after getting a quick pace to run at. Today, Midlantic bred racing continues at the Spa, with a long shot entry looking to get back to winning ways.

The feature races on Sunday’s card are the Grade III Adirondack Stakes for two year old fillies and the Birdstone Stakes for four year olds and upwards. The Birdstone kicks off the day as the second race on the card, run at the unique distance of a mile and three-quarters on the dirt. A small field of five is headlined by the 1/9 morning line favorite Next in this race, who won here last year and has ripped off five straight. While the other four runners are facing a major challenge against this long distance specialist, Nimitz Class takes his first shot past nine furlongs in his career after a few strong stretches over the past two years. With twenty-five career starts as a five year old, the dark brown horse by Munnings – Five Diamonds, by Flatter has amassed $764,280 in eleven wins, four places, and one show. A winner of five races last year including four stakes, Nimitz Class has struggled to find his stride in 2024, although a step up in competition has certainly made things more difficult. Trainer George Weaver hopes that the added ground will be an easy adjustment for this Pennsylvania bred and get him back on track.

Typically running with a stalking style, dropping into the back pairing may be necessary to conserve energy for Nimitz Class. As the only runner who hasn’t come close to attempting this route distance, early race strategy will be everything for new jockey Eric Cancel. The good news is that Nimitz Class has seemingly adjusted well to the Saratoga track, with his last two five furlong bullet works coming over the main track. Most recently breezing in five furlongs at 1:011 on July 29th, this runner bred by Arrowwood Farm is turning around quickly from his tune-ups with four already in July, all at the Spa. Clearly, Weaver has his entry sitting on a huge effort here as he has been warming up for the last two months. If Nimitz Class can take to the the new course and distance, this could turn out to be a turning point in his five year old campaign. Nimitz Class will break from the three hole starting at the long morning line odds of 15/1 and is owned by Qatar Racing, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, LLC, Steve Adkisson, and Scott C. Rice. 


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