Four weeks from Wednesday, Saratoga Race Course will open the gates for the 140th meeting, and preparations are well underway.

NYRA officials conducted their annual pre-Saratoga press conference this past week, an exercise more suited to generating sound bytes than producing actual news.

That said, talk of Saratoga is always welcomed, and some of the highlights included:

* Saturday, Aug. 9 will feature no graded stakes race, but rather six $100,000 minor stakes, headlined by the Yaddo. While I have already heard grumblings from racing insiders that it is borderline heracy for the Spa to not have a graded stakes race on a Saturday, the fact is that this is the traditional spot for the Sword Dancer, which has been moved on the schedule this summer. In its place, the six minor stakes are sure to offer big fields and better wagering opportunities than a weak cast of a few older horses going a distance on turf. I say good move.

* PJ Campo told me that there will likely be another two mile race on dirt given the success of the race last year, won by Touchdown Peyton. The race drew a sizeable field, and truly created a buzz. Another good move.

* Much of the local media wanted to focus on the anticipated presence — or lack thereof — of Big Brown, to which NYRA of course could make no promises. It was clear, however, that NYRA has ZERO INTEREST in offering appearance fees or bonusus to draw big names. Not sure how I feel about this. If $50,000 gets a star to opt for the Spa over another spot, NYRA would certainly reap much more in return from hype and wagering dollars. That said, I don’t believe the added money is what lured IEAH to point Big Brown to the Haskell (rather, his running style better suits that track), so they may not even be that effective anyways.

Much more to come shortly as the clock begins to tick a bit quicker with July on the horizon.