First run in 1903, the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga is one of the premier 2-year-old races in the country. Currently run over seven furlongs on dirt, the race has a storied winners list with horses such as Peter Pan, Man o' War, Regret, Native Dancer, Nashua, Needles, Hail To Reason, Secretariat and Affirmed winning it in its early years. Since 2000, names such as Afleet Alex and Practical Joke have been a few of the notable winners with 2018 winner Mind Control proving to be a top 3-year-old sprinter the following year when winning the Grade 1 H.
First run in 1903, the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga is one of the premier 2-year-old races in the country. Currently run over seven furlongs on dirt, the race has a storied winners list with horses such as Peter Pan, Man o' War, Regret, Native Dancer, Nashua, Needles, Hail To Reason, Secretariat and Affirmed winning it in its early years. Since 2000, names such as Afleet Alex and Practical Joke have been a few of the notable winners with 2018 winner Mind Control proving to be a top 3-year-old sprinter the following year when winning the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes at the same track the following year.