by Michael Costanzo, simulcast manager, Saratoga Gaming and Raceway

Saratoga Springs, NY — Longtime Standardbred owner Tom McTygue will offer 25 percent ownership of his 2-year-old gelding pacer Classical Art as part of the 26th annual Saratoga Hospital Summer Auction held at The Lodge in Saratoga Springs on July 30.

“I’ve wanted to do something like this for a while,” McTygue said. “But I wasn’t going to select just any horse. I wanted to make sure I had an established racehorse, and after watching Classical Art qualify earlier in the summer, I could tell that he’s going to be a pretty nice pacer.”

Dave Oxford photo

Tom McTygue (left) will offer 25 percent ownership of the 2-year-old pacer Classical Art, shown with trainer Brian Cross (right), in the 26th annual Saratoga Hospital Summer Auction on July 30.

Bred by Kevin J. Hart, and trained by Brian Cross, Classical Art is a son of the two-time Dan Patch champion Art Major, a winner of $2.7 million whose first crop made a successful debut in 2007, amassing over $5.1 million in earnings, led by the millionaire pacer and Breeders Crown juvenile pace winner Santanna Blue Chip.

Additional stakes-winning progeny of Art Major includes this year’s Hoosier Cup hero and Meadowlands Pace hopeful Art Official, last season’s New York Sire Stakes juvenile champions Riggins and Kissing Bandit, and current New York Sire Stakes 3-year-old filly pacing division leader Artimittateslife.

“You always feel good when you get a chance to support any local charitable group,” McTygue said. “And the Saratoga Hospital has been giving back to the community for many years.

“Some people have the financial capabilities to donate large sums of money, but that’s not an option for everyone,” McTygue added. “Offering partial ownership of this horse is something I knew was within my means, and it’s something I could do to give back to the community.”

Classical Art has made three lifetime starts, scoring his first career victory in 1:58.4 at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway on July 2, 2008. The gelding is the second foal out of the Dragon’s Lair mare Dragon Beyond, and is a half-brother to the mare Beyond Say, who took a lifetime mark of 1:57.4 in her 3-year-old season.

Classical Art is scheduled to make his next appearance in a New York Sire Stakes division for juvenile pacers at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway on Friday, July 18.

“He’s staked to everything throughout the summer,” McTygue added. “So maybe if he can win one or two of these New York Sire Stakes races coming up, the new owner might make his money back right there.”

In addition to the potential for monetary gains, and the prospects of owning partial interest in a promising 2-year-old pacer, McTygue views the auction of Classical Art as a chance to expose new people to the sport of harness racing.

“This is definitely a great chance to get someone new involved in this business,” McTygue concluded. “If someone is looking for a good hobby and the chance to meet some great people while having some fun, then the harness racing industry, and maybe getting involved with this horse, is the perfect option.”

The 26th annual Saratoga Hospital Summer Auction will begin at 7:15 p.m. on July 30. Online bids for live auction items are being accepted through July 23, and all proceeds from the event will go towards a $30 million redevelopment project for the Saratoga Hospital Emergency Department.

Reservations to attend the 26th annual Saratoga Hospital Summer Auction can be made by calling the Saratoga Hospital Foundation Office at (518) 583-8340. Additional information can be accessed at www.saratogacarefoundation.org.