Displaying items by tag: Saratoga Race Course

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the 2018 meet at Saratoga, NYRA executives gathered with construction project contractors and architects at the racecourse for a ceremonial groundbreaking for the 1863 Club - a permanent, new building to be developed at the site of the current At the Rail Pavilion.

The new will replace the seasonal tent and trailers at the end of the Clubhouse with a 36,000-square foot, three-story, climate-controlled building featuring a variety of hospitality options. The building will also be equipped with a full-service kitchen.

A banquet area will be featured on the first floor, a dining club and bar on the second level. The third floor will feature “true luxury boxes with a great view of the entire track," said NYRA President and CEO Chris Kay said, during Tuesday’s event. Kay specifically noted the second-floor rooms will well suit large groups such as college alumni and horse-centered organizations. 

Developers and contractors are tasked with completing the job in nine months. Jim Dawsey, president of MLB Construction Services, said the project was on his mind while attending local services at the Church of St. Peter during the weekend.  “I said: Lord grant me two things in my life: a dry fall, and a snow-less winter.” 

The 1863 Club is named in honor of the year of the first organized thoroughbred race meeting in Saratoga, which took place over the course of four days in August 1863 at a trotting track that was located across the street of the current racecourse site, on Union Avenue.

A two-minute video depicting a rendering of the new building may be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cLxEvgUOHY&feature=youtu.be.  

Published in News

SARATOGA SPRINGS – For a quarter-century, you could set your watch by his actions. Many of the world’s great equine athletes did: the easy saunter across the race course accompanied by a clanging bell; the casual stroll into the Winner’s Circle; the fussing with his horn’s mouthpiece, the adjustment of the microphone stand and then finally, the swift hoisting of the bugle to his mouth and sounding for all to hear his call to the post.    

It is a routine Sam “the Bugler” Grossman performed many times a day and several times a week over the period of 25 years. With the conclusion of the 2018 season at Saratoga on Sept. 3, Sam the Bugler sounded his horn one last time.  

“I love the beautiful vibrant people here and the people at Belmont as well,” Grossman mused while standing in the winner’s circle and surveying the crowd on the final weekend before his retirement. “I’ll miss the people, but you know what? Every gig has a certain life, no matter what it is. And when you’re a musician you wake up one day and you know when the gig is over.”

The New York Racing Association, for whom he worked, celebrated Grossman's long tenure by naming Labor Day’s fifth race in his honor and presenting him with a commemorative bugle and plaque. 

The Long Island native began playing the trumpet at the age of six. He studied music at the University of Miami, where he earned both his bachelor's degree and a master's degree in music education. Grossman began his career with NYRA at Aqueduct Racetrack in the spring of 1993. “I had never gone to a horse race in my whole life, but somehow, I knew I would get the job,” he explained.

He says some of his fondest memories were watching Rachel Alexandra win the Woodward in 2009 at Saratoga and witnessing Jerry Bailey on Cigar - the thoroughbred nicknamed “America’s Horse” and whose popularity earned him a police escort down Seventh Avenue en route to his retirement party at Madison Square Garden in 1996.

“You know, it’s kind of a weird thing being a trumpet play from Long Island, but when one of your friends wins the Derby – like when ‘Chop-Chop’ won the Derby (jockey Jorge Chavez, 2001), I had just been playing ping-pong with him the day before. He said: I’m going to win the Derby tomorrow. And he did, on Monarchos. So, that’s just a really weird element of my life.”  

With his red jacket, black hat and clutching his omnipresent horn, Grossman could often be found In between races among the crowds. “I walk all around the facility and entertain anyone who wants some entertainment: play a song, take a photo, tell a story. I usually make the stories up,” he says with a laugh.

Following his retirement from full-time duties with NYRA, Grossman will relocate to Florida, where he will reside with his wife, Laura.

In 2005, his image was immortalized in the form of a 7-inches tall bobblehead doll, which was distributed to racecourse patrons. “Unreal,” he recalled, standing in the winner’s circle and gazing up at the throng awaiting his bugle call. “How would you feel if you looked up to see people holding up 30,000 dolls with your head on them?”

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Published in Sports
Friday, 03 August 2018 11:12

Commentator’s “It” Factor

CERTAIN RACES have nostalgia baked into their conditions.

For instance, Saturday’s Grade 1 Whitney Invitational, a nine-furlong scamper, wire-to-wire, has a long history and like the Travers, reliving races of this magnitude roots you in time, for better or worse.

Ten years ago, the great New York-bred Commentator vied for his second career Whitney. He won his first in 2005, rebuffing the monstrous future Horse of the Year Saint Liam. In 2008, Commentator went straight to the front. 

“Well, I would say that was unbelievable,” Zito said. “He won in 2005. We beat the Horse of the Year. That was special. That was great. In 2008, three years later to win the Whitney, that’s a really special horse.”

There’s no denying Commentator had a certain “it” factor. All the great ones have it and for someone like Zito, a Hall of Famer and life-long horseman, to say it, you know it goes beyond mere impressionism and into something more concrete.

“We love every horse in the barn,” he said. “We love all horses, but you can tell it’s different when someone walks down the street. ‘That’s so and so. That’s this one and that’s that one.’ The presence of someone. That’s where he stood out. You could see he had a different presence to him. Obviously you can’t come back from setbacks and perform on a high level [like he did]. Nine out of 10 horses—90 out of 100 horses— don’t do that.”

The playbook for horses of this nature is alarmingly simple: go to the lead, not too fast, see what happens.

In 2008, when 24 and change went up and Commentator relaxed, you knew he had what it took to dictate the terms of the race. Turning for home, he opened up like it was nothing.

Zito, coming off an upset win in the Belmont Stakes with Da’Tara two months earlier, paraded down from box, pointed at the ABC camera, and stormed down the stairs to the winner’s circle.

It was a magical performance as Commentator thwarted popular horses like Grasshopper, the same colt who gave Street Sense all he could handle in the 2007 Travers, and Student Council. Commentator schooled them all.

When Zito speaks of Commentator, it’s always with reverence, almost like he couldn’t believe what the Distorted Humor gelding was capable of. It’s one thing to ration speed in the three or four path and let the pace setters do the heavy lifting. It’s another to take the herd to the woodshed on the lead, to be rabbit and tortoise all in one package.

Slow and steady wins the race? Say what now?

“I just think, again, his demeanor, his performances were unbelievable,” Zito said. “I remember [jockey] Johnny [Velazquez] telling me, who won the Whitney in 2008, he told me when went up to New England for the Mass Cap, [Commentator] could’ve beat anybody that day. Even though running in New England the company is not a Saratoga class or Commentator class. That day he could beat anybody. Johnny is one of the great jockeys ever. I believe him.”

In 2009, by then an eight-year-old, Commentator saddled up for the Whitney yet again. Zito figured it would be the horse’s final race, win or lose. He always noted how wonderful and patient the owners Tracy and Carol Farmer were with the horse. They trusted Zito and his team to bring the horse along. Exercise rider Maxine Correia, groom Gustavo Sanchez, the hot walkers, everyone. 

 A horse doesn’t get to the starting gate on its own. It doesn’t even get there on the skill and attention of a trainer alone. 

If Commentator had an easy lead in the 2008 Whitney, he would get no such easy pass in 2009. Pressed from the start Commentator turned for home in the lead, but Bulls Bay, a titanic long shot came flying off the turn and blew past Commentator. Macho Again, another late closer, breezed past Commentator. 

But Commentator, tired, lots of wear and tear in those old bones, settled for third.

Zito said in 2009, “Father Time catches up to everybody.”

I remember following Zito after the race as I was doing the reporting for what would become Six Weeks in Saratoga. I kept my distance by about 20 yards. Zito walked with his head low, hands in his pockets. 

Sorry to cite my own book, but here’s what I wrote:

“Zito’s chin dropped to his chest while he walked under the roof of the grandstand, weaved his way through tables, and glued his feet to the floor in front of a television. On the television streamed the replay of the Whitney. Zito stood like a sentinel, his arms folded, neck craned up at an angle. He made no sound. In this replay, Commentator still ran, still fought. There was the head-on shot, the pan shot, illustrating the many views of defeat. It was on this screen that Commentator still raced. At last Zito tore his eyes away from that screen with his head low, scuffing his feet across a worn path back to his barn.”

I remember then Zito telling me that had Commentator won that Whitney he was going to retire him that day.

And on the phone just a few days ago, reliving memories of the old war horse, he added, “Then he would’ve marched across the street right into the Hall of Fame.”

Brendan O’Meara is a freelance writer and author of Six Weeks in Saratoga. He also hosts The Creative Nonfiction Podcast.

Published in Winner's Circle
Thursday, 19 July 2018 12:02

All Reserved Seats Sold Out for Travers Week

Photos provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced that all reserved seats in the Clubhouse, Grandstand and at The Stretch are sold out for Travers Week, August 22 through 27, including on Travers Day, Saturday, August 25 for the 149th running of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers at Saratoga Race Course.

General admission tickets for Travers Day are currently available. Fans who purchase Travers Day grandstand and clubhouse admission in advance will save $5. Advance grandstand admission tickets are $10. Pending availability, grandstand admission on Travers Day will be $15. A limited number of clubhouse admission tickets are available for $25. Clubhouse upgrades will not be available on Travers Day. Paid attendance for the 2018 Travers will be capped at 50,000, as has become standard procedure, to provide the best experience possible for guests. Limited numbers of reserved seats in the Clubhouse and Grandstand, as well as premium reserved seats in The Stretch, are currently available for other big race days, including the Grade 1 Diana on Saturday, July 21; the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on Sunday, July 22; the Jim Dandy on Saturday, July 28; the Grade 1 Whitney on Saturday, August 4; the Grade 1 Fourstardave on Saturday, August 11; the Grade 1 Alabama on Saturday, August 18; and the Grade 1 Woodward on Saturday, September 1. Single-day reserved seats may be purchased at www. ticketmaster.com.

“Reserved seats for the 2018 meet are selling extremely quickly, especially for our big Saturday race cards. Fans who are interested in securing a seat for any of the major stakes this season should do so without delay,” said NYRA Senior Vice President and Chief Experience Officer Lynn LaRocca.

“With limited inventory and increased demand, we strongly encourage fans to purchase their seats in advance,” LaRocca continued.

Fans who are interested in securing admission without reserved seating for all major stakes races this season, including the Travers, can do so with the purchase of a Saratoga season pass, which provides admission to 40 days of world-class thoroughbred racing. The cost for a 2018 Grandstand season pass is $40; a Clubhouse season pass is $65. Season passes are valid for one admission. Season admission passes are currently available for purchase online at NYRA. com/Saratoga or in-person at more than 150 Stewart’s Shops locations throughout the greater Capital Region.

The 2018 meet at historic Saratoga Race Course will be highlighted by the Grade 1, $1.2 million Whitney and the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers, the centerpieces of two of the biggest days in North American racing. The 40-day meet, which includes 69 stakes worth $18.8 million in purses, will run from Friday, July 20, through Labor Day, Monday, September 3. After opening weekend, racing will be conducted six days a week, Wednesdays through Mondays. For more information about Saratoga Race Course, visit www. NYRA.com/Saratoga.

Published in Winner's Circle

SARATOGA SPRINGS – David Cassidy famously traveled the globe yet maintained Saratoga as his favorite place in the world. Plans are underway to honor the popular singer and actor this summer with a special memorial race at Saratoga Race Course, according to former Cassidy girlfriend Maura Rossi.

Plans call for the memorial race to be held Saturday Aug. 18 – a day that will also feature the Alabama Stakes race and which was among Cassidy’s favorite days to attend during the summer meet, Rossi said.  

Cassidy - best known for his portrayal of Keith Partridge in the early 1970s television sit-com “The Partridge Family,” as well as for a series of chart-making hits during the same era, passed away last November at the age of 67. His passion for equines frequently brought him to Saratoga, where he bought his first yearling and where in 2001 he purchased a home.

The specific Cassidy memorial non-stakes race will be determined in the days leading up to the Aug. 18 date.

Rossi, who reached out to the New York Racing Association to name the race, said she is also coordinating a schedule for the winner of the race to be given a trophy in Cassidy’s honor, as well as for fans and friends of the singer to be able to have their picture taken in the Winner’s Circle. A Facebook page related to the event has been posted at: https://www.facebook.com/davidcassidymemorialrace/.

Cassidy has an ardent fan base. Samantha Cox, one of Cassidy’s fans, coordinated from her home in Indiana a successful social media effort shortly after the singer’s death that raised in excess of $2,500 to have placed a memorial bench in Cassidy’s honor at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Cox also initiated a “Celebration of David Cassidy’s Life,” event that was staged in Saratoga Springs on May 20 and drew fans to the local community from across the world. Cox has since said she plans to stage an annual event celebrating Cassidy’s legacy every May 20 in the Spa City.

Meanwhile, a David Cassidy Tribute Concert – featuring members of Cassidy’s band – will take place 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14 at the Horseshoe Inn, located at 9 Gridley Ave., in Saratoga Springs, and will benefit the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. Tickets to the concert are available via the TRF website at: https://www.trfinc.org/event/david-cassidy-band-special-guests/

Published in Entertainment

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) this week received approval from the New York State Franchise Oversight Board to proceed with construction of a permanent building at the site of the current At the Rail tent at Saratoga Race Course.

The project will replace the seasonal tent and trailers located immediately adjacent to the end of the Clubhouse with a 36,000-square foot, three-story, climate-controlled building featuring differentiated hospitality options and modern amenities. In addition to the three floors of usable space for guests, a basement level will provide space for a fully appointed kitchen to service the building.

NYRA currently plans to break ground on the project at the conclusion of the 2018 summer season and anticipates the new building will welcome guests on opening day of the 2019 meet.

“The new building will address the modern-day needs of Saratoga Race Course while honoring its history,” said NYRA CEO and President Chris Kay, in a statement. “We have taken great care to ensure that the building is historically consistent with the fabled architecture of our grandstand and clubhouse. We look forward to beginning the next steps of this much-anticipated project."

SOSH Architects will continue to oversee design, bid and construction administration services for the building. Matt Hurff, partner at Saratoga Springs-based Frost Hurff Architects, will continue to serve as project consultant to ensure all historic preservation standards are met.

The project has received the endorsement of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, which specifically noted the importance of the new building to the future of Saratoga Race Course.

In recent years, NYRA has placed significant resources behind historic preservation efforts at Saratoga Race Course. In 2015, NYRA began to restore the copper roofing that historically bordered the slate-covered roof on buildings throughout the property. This is visible in a number of locations, including the archway over the Clubhouse escalator, which was installed in 2016; the paddock mutuel building roof, to which copper accents were added in 2017; and the Clubhouse from the Easy Goer to the Club Terrace, which will feature the addition of copper along the roofline for the 2018 season.

In 2017, NYRA unveiled several upgrades to the historic paddock mutuel building, including a new slate roof and rafters. The improvements are intended to ensure the continued preservation of the historically-significant building, which was constructed in 1902 and originally used as a saddling shed during inclement weather.

The Saratoga Race Course Local Advisory Board also expressed support for the new building.

The new building is the latest in a series of capital improvements at Saratoga Race Course. Since 2013, NYRA has invested more than $30 million at Saratoga in efforts to enhance the guest experience and provide amenities that are consistent with those available at first-class stadiums and arenas.  

 

Racetrack view rendering.jpg

These efforts are most recently demonstrated through the creation of The Stretch, Saratoga's newest hospitality area located in the grandstand at the Top of the Stretch, which will debut on opening day of the 2018 meet.

The Stretch will feature modern and upscale amenities in a casual environment with breathtaking views of thoroughbreds rounding the final turn as they enter the dramatic stretch drive. Highlights of the area include three types of boxes available in multiple configurations, a dining tier, reserved bar seats, and approximately 200 premium reserved seats.

Additionally, guests now enjoy more than 1,000 new high-definition televisions throughout Saratoga Race Course; 950 picnic tables available for free on a first-come, first-serve basis in the backyard; new high-definition video boards in the backyard and infield; enhanced Wi-Fi and sound systems; a renovated and redesigned Saratoga Family Zone; and new attractions and hospitality areas such as the Saratoga Walk of Fame, Fourstardave Sports Bar and Easy Goer.

The 40-day meet, which includes 69 stakes worth $18.8 million in purses, will run from Friday, July 20, through Labor Day, Monday, Sept.3.

Published in Business
Thursday, 26 April 2018 14:24

Trash to Treasure

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Garage sales. Flea markets. Estate sales. Tony Izzo has rummaged through the past on a scavenger hunt to uncover history for as long as he can remember.

“I go to several of them a week and collecting things since I was a kid,” says the city resident, who works by day as a local attorney. “I especially enjoy collecting audio, and there is a lot of audio history out there - things that sat in someone’s attic or garage - but the problem is when people find this sort of stuff they can’t find anything to play it on, so they throw them out without knowing what they are.”

At one local sale he came upon a slew of boxes filled with audio tapes with no idea what they contained. “Nobody was paying much attention to them. I ended up buying five or six boxes and only paid a few dollars a box,” he recalls. “There were hundreds of tapes - 90 percent of them were re-recordings of commercial albums, but I learned there were also tapes from the estate of a man who was a local radio broadcaster and his collection had things he had accumulated throughout his career.”

The broadcaster was Herb Sabin of the radio station WKAJ AM 900, which was located on West Avenue in Saratoga Springs. Several hours’ worth of tapes revealed a local historical goldmine.

In the mid-1970s Saratoga Race Course hosted a series of 10-day events during consecutive summers in advance of the racing meet. The festival, called the Saratoga Fair, featured art exhibits and parades, firework shows, live animals, a children’s petting zoo, and nightly performances by some of the biggest entertainers of the day.

“The Saratoga Fair was a significant event in the 1970s for NYRA and for this city,” Izzo says. “I went to a number of them with my folks. For a few bucks you had access to the fair grounds and a major headline entertainer each night.”

A bandstand erected on the dirt track staged appearances by Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, and The Smothers Brothers; Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and O.J. Simpson came from the sports world to sign autographs. Each of the festivals drew more than a quarter of a million people over the 10-day gathering.

Sabin’s tapes feature the broadcaster’s rough-cut interviews with dozens of fair-goers, celebrities and local officials. George Bolster talks about his collection of historic Saratoga photographs, Tom McTygue speaks of the festival as being “a real boost for Saratoga,” Edward Villella, introduced by Sabin as “one of the most in-demand dancers in ballet,” is interviewed about the New York City Ballet’s summer season. Bob Hope talks about sustaining patriotism in the era of Watergate, cracks a few jokes about his stay at the Gideon Putnam hotel, and reminisces about his early days of struggle in Chicago during the 1920s.

“To me this is a very comprehensive and thorough audio history of this event that has not been very well documented. Just to hear the sounds of that event. I’m very pleased it’s preserved, instead of it just being thrown away in the trash,” Izzo says.

There are also interviews with singer Donna Fargo – who then had recently had a hit with the song "The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA," “Tonight” show bandleader Skitch Henderson, and excerpts from Red Skelton’s live stage show.

Bandleader Mercer Ellington charmingly talks about performing the songbook of his father, Duke Ellington: “mostly the standards, like ‘A Train,’ things that are easily identifiable – we’re not going to get far out and play any modern jazz or anything of that sort. We’re going to play the favorites for the people and the things they know him best for.”

The 1974 and 1975 festivals drew 254,000 and 293,000 people, respectively, and were co-sponsored by NYRA and Harry M. Stevens Inc. – who collectively invested about $1 million in the project each of the years. Joe Dalton, executive vice president of the Greater Saratoga Chamber of Commerce estimated the annual fair brought in to the local community about $3 million. But NYRA and the Stevens company bowed out after two years, citing a loss of $1.3 million. The 1976 fair was sponsored by a non-profit organization comprised of local residents and business owners. That season, too, resulted in a financial loss and in January 1977, the group announced the fair would be no more. Whether it was ultimately financial concerns, the trampled grounds of the race course in advance of the summer meet, or complaints from other area venues that ultimately doomed the fair isn’t clear, but after a three-year run it ceased after the Bicentennial Summer of 1976.

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Other Voices, Other Rooms

Through his foraging, Izzo has uncovered a plethora of additional raw goodies on reel-to-reel and cassette tape. Whether they were publicly broadcast, or played once and disposed of, is not known. Among his collection are backstage interviews with Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey dating to 1956, and Johnny Mathis and Tony Bennett in 1960; Aaron Copland and Helen Hayes in conversation at Skidmore College; talks with Lloyd Bridges - accompanied by his pre-teen son Jeff Bridges, writers Joseph Heller and Frank Sullivan in Saratoga Springs, musician Count Basie in Glens Falls, and actress Jayne Mansfield who talks about her role in a production of “Nature’s Way” in the 1960s as well as how she is required to film two versions of her movies – one for open-minded European audiences, and one for the more conservative American market.

There is also a reel-to-reel tape Izzo possesses of a high-quality live Arlo Guthrie appearance in October 1975 at the Great Saratoga Music Hall, which stood at 106 Spring St. and has long since been converted to condominium apartments. The tape depicts stage announcements by Lena Spencer – the co-founder of Caffe Lena - introducing Guthrie and announcing upcoming concerts at the hall by Tom Paxton and Don McLean.

Guthrie meanwhile is heard joyfully interacting with the audience throughout his show and performing Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright,” Woody Guthrie’s “Talking Dust Bowl Blues,” “Do Re Mi,” and “This Land Is Your Land,” and a series of tunes carved from the great American songbook -“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Oh Mary Don't You Weep,” and “Goodnight Irene,” among them.

“Here’s what I learned,” Izzo says, “the lesson is if you come across something and don’t have the means to play it – think twice before throwing it away. It may be something significant. You just never know what you’re going to find.”

A partial list of entertainers performing at the Saratoga Fair.

1974 – Johnny Cash, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Glen Campbell, Tony Orlando & Dawn, The Smothers Brothers, Mac Davis, Anne Murray, Willie Mays, O.J. Simpson. Admission: $2 adults, $1 kids. Parking: $1.

1975 – Olivia Newton John, Lynn Anderson, Mac Davis, B.J. Thomas, Red Skelton, Tanya Tucker, Roger Miller, the Mills Brothers, Bob Hope, Hudson Bros. Sports clinic, Q&A session with Mickey Mantle, Dave DeBusschere, Craig Morton, Ralph Kiner, Emerson Boozer. Admission: $3 adults, $1.50 kids. Parking: $1.

1976 – Johnny Cash, Fifth Dimension, Tanya Tucker, Donna Fargo, Anson Williams of Happy Days, Charlie Rich, Pat Boone Family. Tickets: $3.50 adults, $1.50 kids. Parking: $1.  

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Published in Neighborhood Buzz
Thursday, 08 March 2018 13:11

The Stretch at Saratoga Race Course

[Photos provided]

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced a major capital improvement project at Saratoga Race Course designed to create an enhanced hospitality area for racing fans and revitalize the section of the grandstand near the Top of the Stretch. The Stretch, located in the grandstand at the Top of the Stretch, will debut on opening day of the 2018 Saratoga summer meet and marks the first significant enhancement to the structure since the mid-1960s. Guests will have an opportunity to make their move to The Stretch, an all-new private hospitality area featuring modern and upscale amenities in a casual environment with breathtaking views of thoroughbreds rounding the final turn as they enter the dramatic stretch run. Highlights of the area include three types of boxes available in multiple configurations, a high-end raised circular bar, touchscreen tablets, and new premium reserved seating. Additionally, The Stretch will offer guests exclusive access to a fullservice kitchen and concessions, high-definition televisions and video screens, special events, table service, and private restrooms. Guests will also enjoy a relaxed dress code at The Stretch. Reserved seating options for The Stretch are now available for paid reservation on a seasonal basis. Inventory is limited and expected to sell quickly for what is anticipated to be one of the most popular hospitality options at Saratoga Race Course this summer.

Reservations can be made exclusively through the NYRA Box Office by phone at (844) NYRA-TIX, via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at www.nyra.com/saratoga. The Stretch is the latest in a series of capital improvements at Saratoga Race Course. Since 2013, NYRA has invested more than $30 million at the historic venue in efforts continuously designed to enhance the guest experience and provide amenities that are consistent with those available at first-class stadiums and arenas.  

Guests now enjoy more than 1,000 new high-definition televisions throughout the property; 950 picnic tables available for free on a firstcome, first-serve basis in the backyard; new high-definition video boards; enhanced Wi-Fi and sound systems; a renovated and redesigned Saratoga Family Zone; and the renovation of the upper and lower Carousel, amongst other items.

“Over the past five years, we have placed a tremendous emphasis on enhancing the guest experience at this much beloved sporting venue. We first made a commitment to expand the number of free picnic tables in the backyard with improved sound, video and Wi-Fi, and then to make a day at Saratoga more affordable than ever for fans with our season pass and Season Perks programs,” said New York Racing Association CEO and President Chris Kay.

“We have also dedicated significant resources to showcase the history of this grand place, from the Whitney Viewing Stand to the Saratoga Walk of Fame, to the restoration of the Paddock Mutuel Building. Now, for the first time in many decades, we are creating new boxes for people of all ages to enjoy a day at historic Saratoga Race Course,” he continued.

In 2018, the grandstand will also be outfitted with a new copper roof which will offer protection from the elements and improve the experience for guests. “The new copper roof will protect the grandstand from weather damage and provide an aesthetic experience in keeping with the building’s historic character,” said Matt Hurff, partner at the Saratoga Springsbased Frost Hurff Architects who serves as a consultant to NYRA.

“The Stretch will offer guests the best of both worlds - modern, comfortable and technologicallyadvanced amenities, seamlessly integrated into the charm of America’s oldest continuously operating race course,” Hurff explained.

The Stretch will offer a total of 32 new modern boxes, each offering unique configurations accommodating parties ranging from four to 12 guests, in comparison to traditional clubhouse boxes which each seat five guests. The options include tiered boxes, which each feature a halfmoon table and total of eight seats split evenly on two levels. The lounge boxes offer comfortable couch-style seating and accommodate four to twelve guests. Lastly, the flex boxes contain three tables which each seat up to four people, and can be configured to host four, eight, or 12 guests, depending on availability and the size of the party. Guests will also enjoy an upscale circular bar, featuring a full range of beverage options, which is raised to offer uninterrupted views of the unique sightline from the Top of the Stretch. The bar will be bordered by a drink rail facing the main track with a total of 20 raised seats. Additionally, a two-tiered dining area alongside the bar will feature four, six and eight-person tables. The front section of The Stretch will contain approximately 200 premium reserved seats, which are each flanked by a table. The boxes, reserved bar seats, and dining tables will feature touchscreen tablets offering access to livestreaming, mobile wagering via NYRA Bets, and mobile food and beverage ordering. All hospitality at The Stretch will first be available to the general public on a seasonal basis. Remaining inventory will be available for partial ticket plans beginning in April (based on availability).

The 2018 meet at historic Saratoga Race Course will again be highlighted by the Grade 1, $1.2 million Whitney and the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers, the centerpieces of two of the biggest days in North American racing. The 40-day meet, which includes 69 stakes worth $18.8 million in purses, will run from Friday, July 20, through Labor Day, Monday, September 3. After opening weekend, racing will be conducted six days a week, Wednesdays through Mondays. For more information about Saratoga Race Course, visit www. NYRA.com/Saratoga

Published in Sports
Tuesday, 21 November 2017 09:25

NYRA Announces 2018 Race Dates

[Graphic provided]

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has announced their 2018 racing schedule, which will be 229 days of live thoroughbred racing at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course.

Saratoga Race Course will have a 40-day summer meet. The meet will feature the 91st running of the Grade 1 Whitney and the 149th edition of the Grade 1 Travers. The Saratoga season begins on Friday, July 20 and will have its last day on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3. Races will take place six days a week, with Tuesday being the dark day. The race course will offer plenty of other non-race activities throughout the week. Some family friendly, some brewery and winery tastings, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival takes place on Thursday, June 7, featuring the 150th Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 9. After the Saratoga season, racing returns to Belmont for a 36-day Fall Championship meet that begins on Friday, Sept. 7 and concludes Sunday, Oct. 28.

Racing at Aqueduct continues through April 22, 2018 and is held four days a week during January and February and three days a week in March.

NYRA has announced that the popular, promotional 2018 Racing Calendar will be offered through a special three-day sale Dec. 30, 2017 through Jan. 1, 2018 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The full 2018 racing schedule can be found at www.nyra.com.

Published in Sports

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The prevailing practice of kids selling water for a buck-a-bottle to patrons outside the entry gates of the Saratoga Race Course will no longer be permitted, announced city Public Safety Commissioner Chris Mathiesen, who said he has fielded numerous complaints connected with the issue. 

“This is something that was (started) with the best of intentions, but it’s turned into something that has been quite a drain and everybody in our department is fed up with what’s been happening,” Mathiesen said.

The act was never legal to begin with, with no sales tax charted, and no licensing involved. Vendors are typically required to obtain a license to sell their wares in Saratoga Springs. A 1934 ordinance exempts from the city’s licensing ordinance the sale of milk, periodicals and newspapers – the latter of which is a common practice outside the racecourse, and which will be allowed continue.  

“A number of years ago, one of our code enforcement officers, Dan Cogan, was trying to be a really good guy and make it possible for kids to be able to sell bottled water at the track as a way for them to make some money,” Mathiesen explained. The suggested guidelines stipulated the seller be 14 years of age or younger and allotted a one cooler maximum, filled with water bottles. “It’s turned into something that has gotten way out of control,” Mathiesen said. “Unless the City Council acts otherwise, this illegal activity is not going to take place in 2018.”

Current Code Enforcement officer Jack Donnelly supplied a letter that cited numerous complaints involving kids obstructing traffic, older folks – not just kids – selling and refilling multiple coolers of water, and families arguing with one another about their “spot,” to the point where the police had to intervene.

“This past season was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Code Enforcement. My department was constantly badgered and disrespected by a few of the water bottle salespersons this season,” reads Donnelly’s report, which adds that the safety of the unattended children could not be guaranteed given the large crowds of people going in and out of the racecourse. “I feel Code Enforcement should not be burdened with having to babysit an illegal endeavor.”

City Police Chief Greg Veitch released a statement which reinforced safety concerns and noted some coolers have been chained to race course fences overnight in an attempt to hold that vendor’s “spot,” and police have witnessed several unattended children selling water for hours at a time from multiple coolers re-stocked multiple times by parents throughout the day.

“While the police have no interest in closing down the lemonade stands of small children looking to make a few dollars – unfortunately, like many things in life, the actions of a few have led to a decision to ban all unlicensed water sales from the area around the racetrack beginning in the 2018 racing season,” Veitch said.

Public Works Commissioner Anthony “Skip” Scirocco suggested the city explore the possibility of a lottery-type system which would allow some kids, under regulated guidelines, to continue to sell water and subsequently learn some entrepreneurial lessons.

“If you regulate it, you have to accept responsibility for it, collect sales tax and declare income on a regular basis,” Mathiesen said. “There are a lot of hurdles there.” According to Assistant City Attorney Tony Izzo, a similar lottery practice was instituted during the 1990s, but resulted in an unfair flooding by some “entrepreneurs” of the lottery box.

“Even the people inside the track like to come out and buy the water because it’s only a dollar compared to like five dollars inside,” Finance Commissioner Michele Madigan said. “I’m not going to sit here and argue about something that’s essentially illegal – but if there’s a way to do it legally, where it’s enforced and safe and kids can be supervised, I think the next Council should probably take a look at it.”  

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