With Thorpedo Anna opting for next week’s Travers Stakes, the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on August 17 becomes a more open contest. The race, one of the oldest in the nation, now sees a field of eight 3-year-old fillies competing for the title. This year’s edition of the Alabama Stakes is exciting for those engaged in offtrack betting and Saratoga betting strategies.

Saffie Joseph Jr., a prominent trainer in the horse racing world, has some big plans for the upcoming races this month, and it’s set to shake up the Saratoga betting scene. Joseph aims to bring back two top contenders—The Queens M G and Skippylongstocking—in their respective graded stakes races. These two horses have already made a name for themselves, and their return to the track is highly anticipated by racing enthusiasts.

The Arlington Million Stakes, a historic race known for being the first to offer a million-dollar purse in 1981, returns for its second edition at Colonial Downs.

The Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap, initially scheduled for Saturday at Saratoga, has been rescheduled to Sunday due to heavy rain from tropical storm Debby. This race, part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, offers the winner a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar on November 2. The Fourstardave Handicap, named after the legendary New York-bred gelding known as the Sultan of Saratoga, has a rich history and is a crucial event in the Saratoga betting calendar.

On Saturday, the $200,000 Grade 2 Saratoga Special will be the second major event in Saratoga’s prestigious trio of graded stakes for 2-year-old colts between the Sanford (G3) and the Hopeful (G1).