Sanford Stakes reemerging as a Kentucky Derby influence

Jul 16, 2018 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com

Saratoga, the most popular race meeting in the country as measured by daily average handle, kicks off its 40-day stand Friday. A traditional backbone of the sport at the nation's oldest track are the dozens of maidens, allowances, and stakes for two-year-olds that will be run over the next 6 1/2 weeks, some of which might yield clues for next year's Kentucky Derby (G1) .

The first juvenile stakes of the meet, the $150,000 Sanford (G3) over six furlongs, will be held Saturday. Currently run three-to-four weeks earlier than in the days when the Saratoga meet was shorter, the Sanford's long-term impact on the Kentucky Derby has admittedly lessened in the recent past. However, it's worth recalling that the three horses that have won both the Sanford and the Kentucky Derby are considered among the all-time greats.

Regret, the first filly to win the Derby, captured the 1914 edition of the Sanford one week after making a winning debut in the Saratoga Special. Part of an entry that was sent off as the 4-5 favorite, the New Jersey-bred daughter of Broomstick was 'under restraint throughout,' according to the chart, and won in wire-to-wire fashion by 1 1/2 lengths while carrying 127 pounds.

The Sanford holds two remarkable distinctions. It's the only race the legendary Man o' War lost and the only race in his career in which Secretariat was not the betting favorite. The 3-2 second choice in a field of five in 1972, Secretariat bulled his way between rivals in mid-stretch and drew off to beat the favored Linda's Chief by three lengths. It was the colt's first stakes win in the first of two Horse of the Year campaigns.

Five years later, another future Triple Crown winner made the Sanford honor roll. With arch-rival Alydar taking a pass after winning the Sapling (G1) four days earlier, Affirmed rallied wide from off the pace to win by 2 3/4 lengths as the 13-10 favorite. The 1977 Sanford marked the first time Affirmed was ridden by Steve Cauthen, the teenage phenom who would guide the Florida-bred into history the following spring.

While it's been four decades since precocity in the Sanford translated into success on the first Saturday in May, the Saratoga feature continues to be a breeding ground for horses that make an impact on other areas of the sport. For example, Sanford winners More Than Ready (1999), City Zip (2000), and Scat Daddy (2006) all developed into significant stallions.

The late Scat Daddy, of course, sired this year's Triple Crown winner Justify. With influence like that, what happens in the Sanford bears watching.  

(Chelsea Durand/Adam Coglianese Photography)