Saturday

2:41 p.m.: Giant Surprise was lame in his right front and was vanned back to the barn. Walked onto and off of the van under his own power. Diagnostics are currently being worked on back at the barn. NYRA communications staff says that since Pletcher's private vets are the ones doing the diagnostics, NYRA won't have any further statements; any information will have to come from Pletcher or Repole.

2:11 p.m.: A very, very fit Wine Police made a terrific impression while schooling in the paddock for the second time this week. He goes in Monday's Amsterdam.

1:40 p.m.: Trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole just scored in the second race with the regally-bred juvenile Giant Surprise. Start of a good day, perhaps? They'll send out Stay Thirsty in the Jim Dandy later.

Update: Well, maybe not a great day. Giant Surprise pulled up on the clubhouse turn and was vanned off the course without coming back to the winner's circle. He did walk onto the ambulance under his own power. Will provide more as it becomes available.

12:50 p.m.: After yesterday's deluge, the sun is shining and the crowd is growing at Saratoga as we welcome you back for today's marquee card - featuring the Grade 2 Jim Dandy, the local Travers prep, and the Grade 1 Diana. The track is rated fast and the turf is good.
We took an inside look at the Jim Dandy and Mike Veitch broke down the race's history on today's Pink Sheet Insider.
Another reminder that today's two graded stakes will be nationally televised on Versus.

Friday

6:08 p.m.: Turbo Compressor led wire-to-wire to post the win in the Curlin - giving trainer Todd Pletcher two starters for the Travers, assuming Stay Thirsty emerges from tomorrow's Travers in good order.

They got the feature off before the worst of the rain came down. Pouring so hard now and so dark that, sitting in the press box, we can hardly see across the track to the backstretch.

4:59 p.m: Getting darker at Saratoga, prompting accelerated post times in hopes of beating the worst of the weather. Next race now set to go off at 5:09, as opposed to 5:15.

3:45 p.m.: Convocation, trained by Jimmy Jerkens, dueled early with Ice Box (!!!) before pulling away late to score an easy win in the third race, an allowance featuring several stakes-seasoned competitors. The Woodward could be next.

Ice Box, the 2010 Derby runner-up, was returning from a layoff of over nine months and looking for his first win since last year's Florida Derby. The colt, who was on the muscle in the paddock, showed uncharacteristic speed early, prompting loud exclamations from several onlookers at the rail. Even track announcer Tom Durkin noted that the colt has probably never seen the lead in his life, as the late closer "usually runs the first quarter in about :27." The colt faded late to finish third. Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito was pleased the colt showed some speed; the effort seems to set Ice Box up for success later this year.

3:30 p.m.: Bill Mott indeed made it a happy birthday, sending out Reach A Decision to win the second race at a big price.

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2:41 p.m.: Another note on the second race. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott turns 58 today. He's won a race on his birthday at the Spa 12 times in the last 19 years. Twice, the day day fell on this birthday. The first of Mott's three starters, Reach A Decision, goes out in the second.

2:35 p.m.: Some very interesting pedigrees to be found today, beginning in today's second race.

Imaging is out of the Danzig mare Gaze, making him a half brother to graded winner Air Support. Out of the Damascus mare Laughing Look, Gaze is a half sister to Travers winner Coronado's Quest and stakes winners Warning Glance and Military Look. The next dam, Laughter, produced Grade 1 winner and top sire Private Terms, along with a few other stakes winners. Laughter's dam, the Native Dancer mare Shenanigans, is best known for producing the great Ruffian, considered by many to be the best filly of all time. Shenanigans also produced Icecapade, sire of inaugural Breeders' Cup Classic winner Wild Again.

2:08 p.m.: Up here getting set for our first race of the day, and we're expecting rain to begin falling in earnest around 3 p.m. Some sprinkles currently.

A little bit of news on the breeding end of the game. Word is circulating that WinStar Farm has bought an interest in Pauls Mill Farm stallions Summer Bird, Bellamy Road, Artie Schiller and US Ranger and will be relocating them to WinStar. Not much of a stretch to imagine this deal - Pauls Mill operator Ben Walden is the brother of WinStar president and racing manager Elliott Walden. Summer Bird, of course, won the Belmont, Travers and Gold Cup to lock up an Eclipse in 2009. Bellamy Road is the sire of two Saratoga graded winners - Position Limit (2010 Adirondack) and Georgie's Angel (2011 Schuylerville). Really a boost for WinStar to lock up these nice young sires.

11:30 a.m.: Welcome to a super-sized edition of the Hoofbeats live blog, bringing you all the updates from July 29-31: the big weekend of Travers preps.
This evening, Saratoga cards the Curlin Stakes, a nine-furlong affair that features some interesting 3-year-olds who haven't quite cracked the big time yet. Tomorrow afternoon is the local prep, the Grade 2 Jim Dandy, featuring the Belmont second and third-place finishers, Stay Thirsty and Brilliant Speed. And Sunday, we'll update you on the Grade 1 Haskell down at Monmouth, where Preakness winner Shackleford clashes with Belmont winner Ruler on Ice.
With the race for the 3-year-old championship still wide open, this weekend will go a long way toward sorting out the Travers picture, as well as helping to determine the front-runners for the title.
In between, we've got some other great racing happening at Saratoga, with three other graded stakes from the Spa on tap: The Grade 1 Diana, Grade 1 Ruffian and Grade 2 Fourstardave.
Today, Friday, is the first of Saratoga's two twilight racing cards. First post is 2:30 p.m., and the weather has turned threatening. The forecast calls for thunderstorms this afternoon and into tomorrow, turning a wide-open weekend of racing even more in flux.
Check in in a few hours from the press box! In the meantime, don't forget to check out today's Pink Sheet Insider for more on the Curlin.