SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Lance Gasaway heard his phone pinging long before his 2-year-old colt Twinkle Town (Take Charge Indy) completed his six-length win in the 121st running of the $250,000 GII Saratoga Special Saturday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course.That's because a small rural town in Lincoln County in Arkansas–Star City–was going bananas.Here's why. Gasaway, one of the owners of Twinkle Town, went to school–he played Division II football at the University of Arkansas at Monticello–about 22 miles south off Star City. He was pretty good, too.He played in the mid 1980s and was a 2015 inductee into the school's athletic Hall of Fame. After his playing days ended, he settled in Star City. Along the way, he became involved with horses and was part of the ownership group of 2024 GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents), trained by Kenny McPeek.McPeek is also the trainer of Twinkle Town.When it was time to name this grey, Gasaway and fiancé Bobbi Jo Harris said, why not?“We thought it would be neat,” Gasaway said, “and here we are!”Today, the whole town of Star City is all about Twinkle Town.“Trust me, my phone has been going crazy, I can feel it,” Gasaway said in the winner's circle. “I know everybody there. A lot of small communities. They know about this horse.”Twinkle Town isn't the only one.Sunday, Gasaway has another 2-year-old trained by McPeek running in the $150,000 Curlin Stakes. His name is Blackout Time (Not This Time), a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' and the 3-1 second choice on the morning line behind 4-5 Chief Wallabee (Constitution). Jose Ortiz, who rode Twinkle Town, is signed up to ride Blackout Time.Blackout Time got his name this way:“When I played football in college, before we came out on the field, they would turn all the lights off,” Gasaway said. “Blackout time. That's what the players called it.”Bingo.The Curlin has a scheduled post time of 5:44 p.m. Sunday. Gasaway and his fiancé have a flight to catch in Albany (about 30 minutes south of Saratoga) back home to Arkansas.Tight fit.“If we win the Curlin, we might have to change our plans,” Gasaway said. “Or maybe Twinkle Town could get us there!”DeVaux's 'Other' Horse Will Have a Saratoga Presence Later OnThe focus, as it should be, has been on 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Golden Tempo (Curlin). The GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes champion has been in Saratoga a couple of weeks now, getting ready for the $1.25-million GI Travers Stakes on Aug. 29.But let's not forget about fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Englishman (Maxfield), the freakishly fast 3-year-old who is biding his time at trainer Cherie DeVaux's main camp at Keeneland. He'll return to the Spa at the end of the month and will share the spotlight with his Triple Crown stablemate.By design, DeVaux is keeping Englishman, owned by C R K Stable LLC, in Kentucky to do his training for his next assignment, the $500,000 GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial at seven furlongs on Travers Day.Englishman with Cherie DeVaux as Golden Tempo looks on from his stall | Sarah AndrewEnglishman stays in Kentucky because that has been what has been working.“He has only trained at two tracks, Keeneland and Fair Grounds,” she said. “It works. I am going to keep it that way.”Englishman made quite the impression at Saratoga on Belmont Stakes Day when he romped to a 5 3/4-length win over 'TDN Rising Star' Crude Velocity (Beau Liam) in the GI Woody Stephens. Crude Velocity was the only horse to beat Englishman, that coming in the GII Pat Day Mile on Kentucky Derby Day.Englishman, ridden by Jose Ortiz, earned an eye-popping 115 Beyer Speed figure and set a track record for seven furlongs (1:20.40). The only horse to run a higher Beyer than Englishman this year has been 'TDN Rising Star' Knightsbridge (Nyquist), who ran a 122 in the GIII Monmouth Cup on Haskell Stakes Day in New Jersey two weeks ago.“The sky is the limit for him,” DeVaux said. “He is just immensely talented. And fast. All of us were not sure how fast he was, but it was not surprising how fast he ran.”Englishman worked five furlongs in :58.00 (1/5) at Keeneland on Tuesday. He won't ship to Saratoga until the week of the race.For his career, he has won three of four starts. The Woody Stephens was his first graded stakes victory.“We just want to make all the races count for him,”DeVaux said. 'Skippy Still on Schedule for Another Trip to West VirginiaLate Sunday morning, trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. was clowning around with one of his favorites in the shedrow of his barn on the backstretch at Saratoga Race Course.Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), a 7-year-old warrior, stretched his long bay neck as far as he could out of his stall, just out of the reach of his trainer, who was dangling his fist like a carrot in front of the horse.Skippy playfully snapped, Joseph had a laugh.Things are good with the veteran runner, who is on target to make another trip to West Virginia at the end of the month for a fourth run in the $1-million GII Charles Town Classic, a 1 1/8-mile race around three turns.Skippy won the race in 2023 and 2024, came in eighth last year.Skippylongstocking | Sarah AndrewThere was a little cause for concern after his last race–a third-place finish in the GIII Monmouth Cup in New Jersey two weeks ago.He aggravated a bruise on a foot during the race.“Very fixable,” Joseph said Saturday morning. “When the doctor checked his foot, it was very reactive to the touch. He is still very much on target for the Charles Town Classic.”Joseph said Skippylongstocking, owned by Daniel Alonso, will go back to the track, probably on Sunday. After the Charles Town Classic, he will train up to the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland at the end of October.Another of his old stable stars is White Abarrio (Race Day), who is also seven. He is on target for the $1-million GI Whitney Stakes next Saturday. Hopefully. There is a chance of rain every day next week.There is nothing in the forecast that is remotely close to last week when a two-day storm dumped nearly six inches of rain in the area. But, if the track is wet on Whitney Day, you won't see White Abarrio.Joseph made that abundantly clear after White Abarrio sputtered over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs on June 27 and finished fourth in a five-horse field. Never again.“Right now, we are running in the Whitney,” Joseph said. “If we have to readjust, we readjust”If White Abarrio somehow does not get to run in the Whitney because of weather, Joseph said he will run in the $150,000 GIII Philip H. Iselin Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Monmouth Park the following week.The post Saratoga Notebook, presented by NYRA Bets: Star City (Arkansas) the Place to be After Twinkle Town’s Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.