Photo:

Jason Moran / Eclipse Sportswire

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Here is a look at five winners and an equal number of losers during the 39-day meet at Saratoga that extended from July 11 through Labor Day.

Winners

Dylan Davis. The son of former jockey Robbie Davis enjoyed a breakout summer with 36 wins, tying him with Tyler Gaffalione for third overall in a talent-laden jockey colony. The Saratoga High School graduate almost doubled his previous high of 19. Most importantly, he is receiving opportunities from the best barns now.

Chad Brown. He captured his fourth straight training title and seventh overall. And he did it in style with 45 victories. The hometown hero from nearby Mechanicville, N.Y., racked up six Grade 1s, culminating in Chancer McPatrick’s gutsy win in the Hopeful on Labor Day.

Fierceness. The knock on the 2-year-old champion had been his mind-boggling inability to string together consecutive victories. He finally put an end to that in defeating Sierra Leone by a length in the Jim Dandy (G2) and then repelling the filly Thorpedo Anna by a head in the Travers (G1) to restore his hopes for division honors.

Flavien Prat. Although Irad Ortiz Jr. successfully defended his riding title, Flavien Prat stole much of the spotlight by setting records for one Saratoga meet for graded-stakes wins (14) and overall stakes wins (18) with earnings of $6,610,757. Of his graded-stakes successes, seven came in Grade 1 contests.

Thorpedo Anna. After extending her domination of her division with a 4 1/2-length score in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1), the ultra-impressive daughter of Fast Anna was flying at the finish and came within a head of upending the boys in the Travers. Her defeat was as valiant as they come, leaving her very much in the mix for horse of the year honors.

Losers

Frankie Dettori. The international riding star did not perform his flying dismount as nearly as often as he would have liked. He rode five winners from 49 starts, a 10 percent clip not up to his lofty standards. His record included six runner-up efforts and five third-place finishes.

Dornoch. Entering the Travers with victories in the Belmont Stakes and Haskell (G1), Dornoch had every opportunity to all but wrap up the Eclipse Award as leading 3-year-old male and further assert himself as a horse of the year candidate. But he lacked punch in the mid-summer derby and came in fourth, 8 1/4 lengths in arrears of resurgent Fierceness.

Innovator. Purchased by BC Stable for $900,000 as a yearling and trained by legendary D. Wayne Lukas, this son of Authentic was viewed as one of the more promising 2-year-olds when the meet began. Even though Innovator was second best in a couple of maiden special weight races at the Spa, Lukas pressed on with him to the Hopeful. He finished a non-threatening fifth, leaving him with $53,305 in earnings through four lifetime starts.

Seize the Grey. Lukas had hoped his Preakness winner would use Saratoga to rebound from a poor seventh-place finish in the Belmont Stakes. He could not. He wound up fourth in the Jim Dandy and never made the Travers, instead taking a respite from competition.

Sierra Leone. The regally bred, $2.3 million yearling continued to fall short when it mattered most. He is on a four-race losing streak since his Blue Grass (G1) win, adding the Jim Dandy and Travers to previous setbacks in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont. He never failed to make his late run, but he never quite got there.