This past Saratoga racing season saw the return to top form of several classy turf runners.

T D VANCE looked awfully good winning a 5 1/2 furlong turf sprint, and would not be surprised to see him do some good things through the remainder of the year. Gomez said afterwards that he did it very easily, and is looking forward to whatever is next, likely a race at one mile.

SHAKESPEARE returned from a lengthy absence to nearly set a course record early in the meet. Original plans called for the Bernard Baruch to be next, yet McLaughlin opted to give him more time, won the race anyways with SHAKIS, and will now point Shakespeare to the Woodbine Mile.

And how great was it to see WAIT A WHILE back at the top of her game. Little had gone right for the Pletcher trainee this year — from the Jenny Wiley coming off the turf at Keeneland, to a paceless edition of the Just A Game, to scratching from a start at Hollywood Park with a slight temperature — yet she was a powerful victress of the Ballston Spa during Travers week, signalling the champ should not be counted out yet.