SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Rowing Association is gearing up to host some regattas this spring. The races will take place on Fish Creek at the head of Saratoga Lake.
April 11: Cornell and Boston University – Men’s Race
April 18: New York State Collegiate Championships
April 25–26: Saratoga Invitational
May 1: Liberty League Collegiate Championships
May 9–10: New York State High School Scholastic Championships
Also scheduled for later this year is the annual Head of the Fish regatta on Oct. 24 and 25.
Volunteer signups are currently open for those interested in assisting with the regattas. Visit the new Saratoga Regattas Instagram account for additional info: www.instagram.com/sraregattas.
Melissa Myers and Ramon Hernandez Jr. pose with their Senegal hardware. Photo provided.
DAKAR, SENEGAL — Melissa Myers (30) and Ramon Hernandez Jr. (25), both from the Jason Morris Judo Center in Glenville, recently won medals at the Senegal Open, earning valuable points on the world ranking list.
Hernandez won a silver medal, making it all the way to the finals of 81kg, losing a thriller in overtime. Hernandez jumped 10 slots in the rankings, up to a career-high #85.
Myers won a bronze medal at 70kg to move up 5 spots in the rankings to a career-high #55.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Got a buckin’ bronco that you’re itching to ride? Grab the reins and mosey that boy on over to the Saratoga Springs School District’s annual Bike Rodeo on Thursday, May 7 (4:30-6:30 p.m.) at the East Side Recreation Field’s track and in-field off of Caroline Street—the rowdiest, rootinest, tootinest street of them all.
Kids with bicycles can get everything checked out before Bike-to-School Day on May 15. Mechanics will be on site for minor maintenance. The rodeo will include a helmet-fitting station, bike safety stations, games, a bike obstacle course, and a relay race contest. All kids participating in the event can fill out a raffle ticket for a chance to win a new kids’ bike from Trek Saratoga Bicycles (up to $350 value).
Registration tables will be at the Caroline Street side of the park entrance. Parents should plan to accompany their kids for the duration of the event. Participating cowboys and cowgirls should wear their helmets (a limited supply of helmets will also be donated when in need). Parking may be limited, so plan to bike over, or check for excess parking at the Caroline Street School and St. Clement’s School.
Those interested in volunteering to help out at the rodeo can do so at the link below.
“The more volunteers we get, the smoother the event runs, and we’re hoping to make this year’s rodeo the best ever,” said Lake Avenue Physical Education Teacher Jake Zanetti.
2026 Belmont Stakes logo via the New York Racing Association (NYRA).
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The New York Racing Association (NYRA) and the Chester Racecourse in England recently announced a new partnership connecting the Boodles May Festival at Chester with the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.
Chester Racecourse, established in 1539 during the reign of King Henry VIII, is the oldest operational racing venue in the world. Home to the Boodles May Festival along with the Ladbrokes Chester Cup, Boodles Chester Vase and Weatherbys Cheshire Oaks, Chester Racecourse welcomes more than 330,000 racegoers annually across 15 days of live racing.
Saratoga Race Course, named one of the world’s great sporting venues by Sports Illustrated, held its first summer meet in 1863 just one month after the Battle of Gettysburg. Since that first four-day gathering, the annual summer meet has grown to become the most prestigious and important race meet in North America.
To allow for the uninterrupted construction of a new and re-imagined Belmont Park, Saratoga will host the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival for the third and final time from Wednesday, June 3, through Sunday, June 7.
“This is an exciting partnership connecting two of the sport’s most revered and historic venues, which can only expand interest in these important races,” said Andrew Offerman, NYRA SVP of Racing & Operations. “We thank our friends at Chester Racecourse and look forward to a fantastic summer at Saratoga.”
The agreement provides the winner of the 13-furlong [2,692 meters] Group 3, £140,000 Ormonde on Thursday, 7 May at Chester Racecourse with an automatic berth, including entry and starting fees, into the 2-mile [3,219 meters] Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup on June 4 at Saratoga.
The Belmont Gold Cup, which has been won by European shippers in six of the last eight runnings, has served as a ‘Golden Ticket’ qualifier for the Group 1, AUD$8.4 million Lexus Melbourne Cup in each of the last two years.
In addition, the about 10-furlong [2,076 meters] Group 2, £130,000 Huxley on Friday, May 8 at Chester Racecourse will provide a fees-paid automatic berth into the Grade 1, $1 million Resorts World Casino Manhattan at 1 3/16-miles [1,911 meters] on Belmont Stakes Day June 6 at Saratoga.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with the New York Racing Association on this exciting new initiative,” said Patrick Chesters, racing director for Chester Racecourse. “Bringing together two of the most historic venues in racing creates a fantastic opportunity to strengthen international connections within racing and showcase the quality of our racing programme at Chester.”
“The Ladbrokes Ormonde Stakes and the Huxley Stakes have long been important middle-distance contests in the early part of the season, and this partnership enhances their international significance,” Chesters continued. “To offer guaranteed entry into races of the calibre of the Belmont Gold Cup and the Manhattan Stakes, with the added incentive of travel support, gives owners and trainers a very real and attractive opportunity to campaign horses on the global stage. The potential pathway from the Ormonde through to Belmont is particularly exciting. We will certainly be hoping to tempt some great horses to the Roodee that might have a future trip to America on their radars.”
Connections abound between horses that have raced at both Chester and on the NYRA circuit.
Champion trainer Aidan O’Brien has won the Ormonde a record seven times, including the last two editions with Point Lonsdale [2024] and Illinois [2025]. O’Brien is also a four-time winner of the Huxley, taking the 2017 edition with Deauville, who captured the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational the previous year at Belmont Park.
Last year’s Huxley victor was the Andrew Balding-conditioned The Foxes, who closed to finish second in the 2023 Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational.
The three-day Boodles May Festival at Chester will start with Trials Day, on Wednesday, May 6, followed by the glitz and glamour of Ladies Day on Thursday, May 7, and Ladbrokes Chester Cup Day on Friday, May 8.
The five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga, which spans Wednesday, June 3 through Sunday, June 7, will offer 25 stakes races worth $11.075 million in purses and is headlined by the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 6.
The Boodles May Festival takes place at Chester 6–8 May, attracting leading owners, trainers and jockeys. The meeting regularly serves as a springboard for horses targeting major domestic and international summer targets. Tickets and hospitality are available to purchase from the Chester Racecourse website, and its three days can be viewed live on ITV.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The New York Racing Association (NYRA) recently announced the return of a special Belmont Stakes Racing Festival three-day admission pass, now available at approximately 175 Stewart’s Shops throughout the greater Capital Region.
The $99 pass includes general admission for three days of the final Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at historic Saratoga Race Course: Thursday, June 4; Friday, June 5; and Belmont Stakes Day on Saturday, June 6.
Available exclusively at Stewart’s Shops, the pass provides access to most areas of the track, including the hundreds of free picnic tables located in the backyard.
Fans who purchase the 2026 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival General Admission Pass at Stewart’s Shops can also take advantage of a special add-on opportunity to include admission to the July 4th Racing Festival for just $15 when redeeming their voucher online.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Now in its fourth year, the Yaddo Golf Invitational offers a day of sport, networking, and celebration on June 2 in support of Yaddo’s artist residency programs. This year’s event will take place at a new venue, The Country Club of Troy.
The invitational includes 18 holes of golf, a putting contest, and several on-the-course challenges, ending with an awards reception.
For sponsorship opportunities and additional info, visit yaddo.org/event/yaddo-golf-invitational/.
Wesley Community CEO J. Brian Nealon participated in the ceremonial puck drop prior to the start of the Adirondack Thunder’s March 18 matchup against Maine at Harding Mazzotti Arena. Nearly 150 residents and staff from the senior living community in Saratoga Springs were in attendance to see the Thunder prevail by a score of 2-1. Photo provided by the Adirondack Thunder.
The Saratoga Central Catholic baseball team celebrates after winning their first-ever state title åin 2025. Photo by Holden Goodridge, 8th grade student photographer at SCC.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Spa Catholic is one of two Saratoga high school baseball teams to have won a state title last season, and just like the crosstown Saratoga Springs Blue Streaks, the Saints have retained much of their championship-winning talent.
The squad lost five players from their 2025 roster: Four seniors who graduated and one player who transferred to Shenendehowa. Among the notable departures: Hunter Fales, 2025’s New York State Class C Player of the Year, is now a starter at St. John Fisher University; Ronan Rowe is at Oswego State; Ryan Gillis is at SUNY Adirondack, where early in the season he earned an impressive slash line of .289/.386/.579; and Tyler Weygand is pitching at Barton College.
Joining the defending champion Saints are a few fresh faces: Sophomore Joey Lindner was called up from the JV team and will start at second base; junior Sandy McDonald is another call-up who plays shortstop; sophomore Kingston David will pitch and back up the outfield; junior Mark Mahay will play first base off the bench; and freshman Cole Cefalu, who was called up from the modified team, will play the hot corner.
Recently, the team joined the Blue Streaks at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida for spring training at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Baseball Complex.
“It’s fun,” said senior Carson Moser about the trip to Florida. “It’s just a good time for all the guys to go out there. It’s good team bonding. Everyone hangs out together 24/7. We’re all at the pool. We’re all at the field together. I think it’s good to see reps from different schools, higher quality arms, higher quality bats, and it’s good for our overall development.”
Head Coach Alphonse Lambert, per usual, likes his team to take things one day at a time. Nonetheless, he told Saratoga TODAY that the Saints want to “get back to meaningful games.”
“I think we have a really good team dynamic,” said senior Jason Pescetti, who recently committed to Alfred State University. “Everybody wants to work hard for each other. Everybody wants to have fun. We all want the same goal in the end. We want to bring back another championship to this town, to our school.”
Pescetti, despite batting towards the bottom of the Saints’ lineup last year, finished with a batting average above .400 and racked up 38 hits and dozens of RBI. At a recent signing day celebration, Lambert said that Pescetti would move up in the order this season. “His production last year was key to our success,” he said.
In 2025, Spa Catholic won the Class C State Championship after defeating Deposit-Hancock 4-0 at the SUNY Binghamton Stadium. It was the first baseball title in the school’s history, and only the second state championship for any sport in the school’s history.
In that state title game, Pierce Byrne (who has committed to Siena University) had a stellar performance on the mound, racking up 11 strikeouts and allowing only one hit in 7 innings of work. Byrne told Saratoga TODAY that the biggest thing in the 2026 season will be “building a relationship with everybody and taking it game by game.”
The Saints will begin their regular season with a game on Monday, April 6 against Shaker at Veterans Memorial Park.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Skidmore College men’s lacrosse team is ranked 18th in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Men’s Coaches Division III Poll – Week 7.
The unbeaten Thoroughbreds are off to a 7-0 start with ranked wins over Cortland and Rensselaer.
Despite routinely appearing in the “also receiving votes” section, this is the first time that Skidmore has been ranked since it was 20th in March 2024. The Thoroughbreds are off to their best start since that 2024 season, when they won their first eight in a row.
Those interested in catching the undefeated team in action can do so on Saturday, March 28, when the Thoroughbreds take on RIT at Wachenheim Field in Saratoga Springs.
A trolley transports members of the state champion Saratoga Springs baseball team from Congress Park to City Hall during a downtown parade in 2025. Photo by Aidan Cahill.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — In the majors, the New York Yankees have faced criticism for essentially running back their 2025 team, which fell in the American League Division Series to the Toronto Blue Jays. But for the Saratoga Springs Blue Streaks, who capped off last season with their first-ever Class AAA state title, running it back is a blessing.
15 of the 22 members of last year’s championship Saratoga squad will return in 2026.
On March 26, the Blue Streaks headed to the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida for spring training at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Baseball Complex. Regular season play begins on April 4 at Baldwinsville.
Before opening day, two starting roles will be decided: left field and first base. But the rest of the starters will return, and their morale, said Head Coach Andy Cuthbertson, is high.
“The team chemistry is kind of where it was when it left off last year,” Cuthbertson told Saratoga TODAY. “In terms of the cohesiveness of the team, what they went through last year, a lot of guys are bringing that same energy into the preseason right now. And the new guys that are joining the squad, although they might have been on JV last year, I think they understand what a monumental season that we had last year, and they understand what the culture is that’s already in place. They’ve jumped right in, and it feels natural.”
Last year’s historic season was notable not just for how it ended, but also for how it took shape. The Blue Streaks lost 6 of their first 12 games before then winning 15 straight. To reach the state championship, Saratoga battled Niagara Falls in an extra-innings contest decided by just one run. In the title game, they defeated Ketcham, a team appearing in its third-straight state championship.
The road to a state title is long, arduous, and unpredictable. In 2026, the Blue Streaks will take it one game at a time.
“We’re not coming right out and saying, ‘Hey, let’s be state champions again,’” Cuthbertson said. “There’s a mentality of one inning at a time, one game at a time. You’ve got to fall in love with the process, and the outcome will fall in place if that happens.”
