SARATOGA SPRINGS — Live harness racing returned to the Saratoga Casino Hotel on Feb. 1, marking the sport’s 85th season in the Spa City. The 2026 schedule at the Spa Oval will consist of 150 racing programs running through mid-December.

Horsemen will compete for over $17 million in purses during the season. The track will also host eight New York Sire Stakes programs featuring New York-bred horses for an additional $1.5 million in purses.

“I expect a very strong season of racing,” said Race Secretary Peter Iovino. “The horse population has been abundant the last few years and this gives us the ability to offer a high-quality product for our fans.”

Saratoga Casino’s premier event, the Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial Invitational Pacing Series, will kick off on Saturday, July 11 with a new format. This year, competitors will vie for points in the $20,000 invitational over seven consecutive Saturdays, with the top point earners advancing to the $100,000 final on Saturday, Aug. 29. Total purses for the Gerrity Invitational series are $240,000.

Defending their 2025 titles this season are leading trainer Melissa Beckwith and top driver Jim Devaux. Beckwith trained 174 winners in 2025, while Devaux crossed the finish line first 288 times last year.

Saratoga Casino will partner with the Saratoga Harness Horsepersons Association to offer several promotions in the month of February. Highlights include a long-sleeve shirt giveaway to the first 400 customers on Saturday, Feb. 14, as well as a wheel spin drawing on Saturday, Feb. 7 and Sunday, Feb. 15, where all customers in attendance can enter for a chance to spin the prize wheel to win a $25-$100 free bet.

This season will also feature an expanded wagering menu that includes two pick 5’s with carryovers, two Pick 4’s with carryovers, $1 minimum wagers, 20-cent superfectas, and $1 triples in every race, plus a $3 minimum late daily double.

The winter, spring, and fall schedule will include matinee racing on Saturday, Sundays, Mondays, and select Tuesdays, with a 12 p.m. post time. The summer live racing schedule will be Mondays and Tuesdays at 12 p.m., along with Saturday evening programs beginning at 6:45 p.m.

For Track Announcer Mike Sardella’s race picks, racing recaps, and the full live race schedule, visit www.saratogacasino.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — With just a couple games left in their regular seasons, the Saratoga Central Catholic boys and girls basketball teams hope to end things on a high note with the postseason in view. As of Feb. 4, the boys’ record stood at 11-5, bolstered by a 7-game winning streak that stretched nearly the entire month of January. The girls’ record stood at 9-8 as the squad split about half their games following a tough 4-game losing streak.

On Feb. 2, the girl dispatched Duanesburg 50-28. In that contest, standout Sophia Ryan led the Lady Saints with 21 points, while Addison Whitbeck added 12. The victory followed a rough 77-37 loss to Greenwich on Jan. 29. Before that, the Saints cruised to a 59-29 win against Cambridge on Jan. 24. Ryan again led with 25 points, and nearly secured a triple-double with 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Whitbeck secured a convincing double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds.

On Jan. 30, the boys’ win streak was snapped with a brutal 82-51 loss to Stillwater. But prior to that, they nabbed a 57-38 victory against Stillwater on Jan. 27. In that game, Jasyn Thompson led the Saints with 15 points, while David Redgrave Jr. added 13 and Kihl Kelly reached double digits with 10. On Jan. 24, the boys mounted a comeback victory, 55-53 over Burke Catholic. In that close contest, Thompson led his squad 13 points, Kelly added 12, and Redgrave posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.

Next up for the boys: Two road games on Feb. 8 and 10 against Berne-Knox-Westerlo and Greenwich, respectively. The girls hope to add a couple more W’s to the win column when they face Stillwater at home on Feb. 5 and Hoosick Falls on the road on Feb. 9.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — New York State Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, whose district includes the Saratoga Race Course, recently sponsored bill A09636, which would limit sports wagering to “wagers on the final outcome, score, or winner of a sporting event or contest,” thus banning proposition (or “prop”) bets.

Prop bets include player, game, and team props, such as the number of touchdowns scored by a football player in a game or the first team to score a touchdown in a game. Prop bets have recently come under scrutiny, in part due to federal betting investigations involving both current and former members of the NBA. Earlier this month, the NCAA sent a letter to state gambling commissions requesting the elimination of prop bets.

Woerner’s bill states that proposition bets “present heightened risks to the integrity of sports, increase the potential for insider information misuse, increase the harassment and abuse of athletes and coaches, and exacerbate risks of problem gambling due to their rapid and repetitive nature.” Banning prop bets will “promote consumer protection, safeguard the integrity of sporting events, and align sports wagering with responsible gambling principles,” the bill argues.

Any betting operator that knowingly or negligently offers or accepts a prop bet in violation of the proposed law would be subject to civil penalties imposed by the gaming commission, including fines of up to $100,000 per violation, as well as suspension or revocation of licensure.

On Jan. 21, Woerner’s bill was referred to the racing and wagering committee. About a year ago, Woerner was appointed the chair of the committee.

Woerner isn’t the first Saratoga politician to take aim at sports betting. Congressman Paul Tonko, who represents Saratoga County, renewed his push for the SAFE Bet Act in October following a gambling scandal that rocked the NBA and allegedly involved members of the Mafia. Tonko introduced the SAFE Bet Act in 2024. Among other things, the legislation would prohibit all proposition bets featuring college and amateur athletes.

“The constant, unfettered access to sports gambling destroys public trust in the game, while having dire consequences for countless persons across our nation struggling with problem gambling,” Tonko said in a statement issued on Oct. 23, 2025.

A 2024 poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found that 67% of Americans think prop betting should not be permitted.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced on Tuesday that tickets and hospitality offerings for the final Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at the Saratoga Race Course will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. at BelmontStakes.com/tickets.

This year will mark the third and final edition of Belmont at Saratoga. Beginning in 2027, the Belmont Stakes will return to its permanent home on Long Island at the newly-constructed Belmont Park.

Highlighted by the 158th running of the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 6, the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be held from Wednesday, June 3, through Sunday, June 7.

Beginning Wednesday, Jan. 21, and continuing through Tuesday, Jan. 27, fans may enter a presale drawing at NYRA.com/belmont-stakes/presale/ for the chance to purchase reserved seating and hospitality packages in advance of the general public on-sale.

Fans selected at random will be notified beginning Thursday, Jan. 29, and in the ensuing days, with the opportunity to purchase Belmont Stakes Festival tickets based on available inventory. Entering the pre-sale drawing does not guarantee the ability to purchase tickets, nor does it prevent fans from participating in the public on-sale offering on Feb. 12.

Belmont Stakes Day General Admission tickets will be available for the same price as last year: $75 for adults and $20 for children ages 4 to 12. Admission is $30 for adults on Friday, June 5, and $10 on each of the other festival days. Admission is free for children 12 and under on each day other than Saturday, June 6. In addition, fans may purchase a five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival admission bundle for $120.

Fan-related protocols will reflect a continuation of policies that were introduced for the 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

The opening and closing days of the Festival, Wednesday, June 3, and Sunday, June 7, will feature policies that align with the traditional Saratoga summer meet, including the opportunity for fans to bring alcohol into the backyard in small personal coolers.

Outside alcohol may not be brought into the venue from Thursday, June 4, through Saturday, June 6; however, fans may carry food and non-alcoholic beverages into Saratoga Race Course during these days provided the items are stored in personal coolers.

With the new Belmont Park to re-open in September for live racing, 2026 will mark the final year of adjustments to the customary racing schedule at Saratoga. In 2027, Belmont Park will once again host the Belmont Stakes and July 4th Racing Festivals, while Saratoga will revert to its traditional 40-day summer meet.

BALLSTON SPA — Ballston Spa Junior Baseball is holding an offseason social event on Feb. 7 in support of the league.

The night will feature live music (courtesy of The Bootleggers), food, beverages, a 50/50 raffle, and up-for-grabs raffle baskets.  

Tickets are available at www.ballstonspabaseball.org.

The Ballston Spa Junior Baseball league offers a range of recreational and competitive travel baseball options for players throughout the Ballston Spa Central School District, including Malta, Milton, Ballston Spa, Rock City Falls, and surrounding areas. It offers spring, summer, and fall seasons. The program is also considered a pathway for young players to eventually join their middle and high school teams.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will give its first 25 visitors a free, commemorative, packable museum blanket with paid admission on Monday, Jan. 19, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The museum will be open on the holiday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The Museum, which is otherwise closed on Monday and Tuesday from January through May and Sept. 8 through December, will be open on the following Monday holidays in 2026: 

• Feb. 16, Presidents’ Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (featuring “The Forgotten Foundation: How Black Equestrians Helped Build American Thoroughbred Racing” lecture at 11 a.m.)

• May 26, Memorial Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

• Sept. 7, Labor Day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

• Oct. 12, Columbus Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Additional Monday giveaways and special programming on those dates will be announced soon.

MECHANICVILLE — The Saratoga Racers rang in the new year on the road, splitting a pair of contests on Jan. 3 and 11. The American Basketball Association (ABA) squad will wrap up its away series with two more games this weekend against the Hudson Valley Rivermen and Herkimer Originals, before returning home on Jan. 24.

On Jan. 3, against the Binghamton Bulldogs, Saratoga fell 127 to 109 in a game that featured 11 lead changes. It was the Racers’ second-straight loss, dropping their season record to 4-3. All three of the Racers’ losses this season have come at the hands of teams ranked in the top 20 of the ABA’s weekly power rankings.

John Ryals III collected 24 points to lead all Saratoga scorers. The Racers poured in buckets at will in the paint, shooting 38-65 from inside the arc and 9-26 (35%) from beyond the arc. Saratoga pressured the ball all game, collecting 17 steals. Tobias Holmes led his team with 3 swipes. Joey Harden led Saratoga with 7 rebounds. Holmes finished with 19 points, RJ Rosa added 13, and Isaiah Grandison and Luke Perez both netted 11.

On Jan. 11, the Racers fared better, beating the Boston Sharks 161 to 124. The victory improved Saratoga’s season record to 5-3. Donovan Williams scored 15 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out 13 assists, earning the first-ever triple-double in Racer’s history.

Holmes led all scorers with 39 points, and every other Racer who played in the contest finished with a double-digit scoring performance.

Saratoga controlled the game from the opening tip, never giving up the advantage. The lead reached a peak of 48 points at 106-58.

The Racers again scored at will in the paint. They went 48-77 from inside the arc. They controlled the glass, collecting 66 total rebounds, with Isaiah Grandison leading the team with 16 boards. Williams led his squad with 13 assists and 7 steals. Additional top scorers for Saratoga included Rosa (32 points), Wheelings (25), Cam Thomas (19), Grandison (18), Williams (15), and Perez (13).