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Saratoga meet enjoys an encouraging start
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| Pictured are students from the Boland School of Irish Dance in Troy who will perform at Saratoga’s Mid-Summer St. Patrick’s Day celebration today at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs. (Contributed photo) |
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Attendance is up 9.9 percent, on-track handle up 2.1 percent and all-sources handle fractionally off .6 percent from 2008 totals through Sunday of Week One for the 2009 Saratoga Race Course Meet, according to a release from Ed Lewi Associates.
Attendance for the first five days of the 2009 meet was 126,336, up from 114,922 for a daily average of 25,267 compared to 22,984 in 2008. Attendance figures for Giveaway Days include patrons who pay multiple admissions to obtain more than one giveaway item either at the track entrance or at the multiple admissions area inside the track.
On-track handle at Saratoga was $16,974,664, up from $16,627,723 in 2008, for a daily average of 3,394,933 compared to $3,325,545 in 2008.
All-sources handle, which includes money bet on Saratoga races from simulcast outlets nationwide, was $76,367,536, marginally down from $76,814,015 in 2008, for a daily average of $15,273,507 compared to $15,362,803 in 2008.
The solid Week One totals were accented by Saturday’s 11-race card featuring the Grade I Diana and Grade II Jim Dandy Stakes, when $5,284,874 was wagered on-track by a throng of 33,954 — one of the largest non-Travers/non-giveaway crowds in Saratoga history.
Total betting interests increased to 441 from 394, despite an identical number of races run each year: 50, including one steeplechase. Turf races totaled 18, with eight taken off the turf, compared to seven on and 12 off during the soggy start to the 2008 meet.
“The 2009 Saratoga Meet is off to a very promising start both at the windows and on the track,” said NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward, according to the release. “Despite erratic weather which affects people’s plans, and moving the Whitney Stakes to the second Saturday of the meet, attendance jumped substantially, while on-track handle is positive and all-sources even, significantly ahead of all industry trends. Week Two, anchored by the Fasig-Tipton Festival of Racing on (Saturday and Sunday) which includes the Grade I Whitney Handicap, Grade I Test Stakes, Grade III Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap and the Grade III Honorable Miss Handicap, should continue the momentum established during the first week.”
Saratoga Week 2
Wednesday
— Mid-Summer St. Patrick’s Day: Saratoga Race Course hopes to bring fans a little extra luck with the first ever Mid-Summer St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Grandstand admission is free for patrons who wear green. Saratoga will feature traditional Irish food and drink specials including classic corned beef sandwiches, Guinness-soaked beef with soda bread, bangers and mashed potatoes, Irish cookies and even green popcorn and cotton candy. Guinness beer will be served at all bar locations and frozen Irish coffee will be available at the Grey Goose Bar in the backyard. Bagpipers with the Orange County AOH Pipes and Drums from Monroe will greet patrons at the grandstand and clubhouse entrances, while students from the Boland School of Irish Dance in Troy will perform in step with the music. The pipers will later fill the park with Celtic sounds, including a trackside parade at noon, followed by a performance in the backyard, while the dancers will delight fans on the track apron after the second race and at the bandstand at 3 p.m. Local Irish group The McKrells will perform at the bandstand from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saratoga Irish pub The Parting Glass will be on-site distributing beads and other festive trinkets.
— Stewart’s Shops Ice Cream Scoop Day: Stewart’s Shops will be offering samples of its 2009 ice cream flavor in honor of the Saratoga racing season: Coffee Chocolate Exacta, a coffee flavored ice cream with coffee truffles and chocolate espresso flakes. Samples will be available at noon by the jockey silks, while supplies last.
— Philadelphia Orchestra at SPAC: Trumpeters from the Philadelphia Orchestra will join Sam the Bugler in the winner’s circle after the third race at approximately 2:10 p.m. to celebrate the Philadelphia Orchestra’s annual summer residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
— English/SoCal Racing Tent: Racing fans can watch and wager on the best of both British and Southern California racing in the newly-expanded tent in the backyard, featuring a full bar in a pub atmosphere. Every Wednesday through Sunday during the meet, Saratoga will offer simulcast wagering from racetracks in the United Kingdom and from Southern California. The action begins most mornings from Wednesday through Saturday at approximately 9 a.m. with racing from a number of British tracks and continues most afternoons from the West Coast at 5 p.m. (6 p.m. on Fridays; So/Cal simulcasts only on Sundays). Standard general admission pricing of $3 will apply; no separate admission charge for the tent.
— Talking Horses: New this summer, presented by Daily Racing Form, will be conducted in a live audience format from the Carousel Restaurant at Saratoga Race Course from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every racing day.
Friday
— Family Fun Zone: Every Friday of the meet will feature the 99.5 The River Price Chopper Family Fun Zone, a cost-free option for kids to enjoy. This week, the fun zone will feature a Bounce Around bouncy-bounce and creative activities from the Children’s Museum of Saratoga. The Ronald McDonald House will be on-site collecting donations, though a donation is not required.
Saturday
— Fasig-Tipton Festival of Racing: The Fasig-Tipton Festival of Racing on Saturday and Sunday will celebrate the partnership between racing and yearling sales with a variety of events, a celebrity race call, best-turned-out horse (and people) contests and a free speaker series for fans. Ushering in two evenings of sales on Monday and Tuesday at the newly-remodeled Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion on East Avenue, the centerpiece of the festival is two days of racing, including two new overnight stakes, courtesy of Fasig-Tipton. On Saturday the John Hettinger Stakes will be run on the main track while on Sunday the Finney Stakes will be run on the turf. Fasig-Tipton is also sponsoring a “Best Turned-Out Horse” contest for both stakes with the winning grooms to receive a cash prize of $500.
— Fasig-Tipton Festival Jockey Trainer Charity Contest: The two-day contest will include all 21 races on Saturday and Sunday and will use a points system of five for win, three for place and one for show, with double points if the horse is a Fasig grad. NYRA will make a $5,000 donation to the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund in the name of the top three scoring jockeys, plus cash prizes to the jockeys for win, place and show. Fasig-Tipton will donate a total of $11,000 to equine charities designated by the top three scoring trainers in the contest. Standings for this series will be continually updated on NYRA TV.
— From the Horse Farm to the Finish Line: A Seminar on the Thoroughbred Industry: Fasig-Tipton and co-sponsors NYRA, ThoroFan and New York Thoroughbred Breeders (NYTB) will host this free education program from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday in the sales pavilion on East Avenue. Industry experts will discuss their roles in getting a young thoroughbred from the farm to the sales ring and onto the racetrack and fans can watch a demonstration of a consignor showing a yearling to a prospective buyer. Confirmed panelists include Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas; Case Clay of Three Chimneys Farm; consignor Meg Levy; and prominent thoroughbred owner Bobby Flay. A limited number of free tickets for this event are available through the NYTB by phoning 518-587-0777. Cutoff to reserve tickets for door hold is Friday at 4 p.m.
— Two Historic Grade 1 Stakes: The Fasig-Tipton Festival will be highlighted by the 82nd running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney Handicap and the 84th running of the Grade 1, $300,000 Test. Commentator, an 8-year-old gelding, will attempt to join Kelso and Discovery as the only horses to win the Whitney three times.
— Whitney Postal Cancellation: To commemorate the 82nd running of the Whitney, the Saratoga Race Course post office will offer a special Whitney postal cancellation.
Sunday
— Fasig-Tipton Festival of Racing Book Signing with Bobby Flay: Celebrity chef and horse owner Bobby Flay will sign copies of his newest cookbook Burgers, Fries and Shakes at the NYRA Store in front of the paddock, from noon to 2 p.m. A limited number of books will be available for purchase at the NYRA Store, or guests may bring their own copies of Flay’s other cookbooks for signature. Only one book will be signed per customer and no other items will be signed. Flay will also call the race for the Finney Stakes to be run on the turf.
— Fasig-Tipton Festival Fashion Contest: Saratoga Race Course will host a “Best Turned Out Filly” fashion contest, with the best-dressed woman to be awarded a $250 gift certificate from the Pink Paddock Boutique before the running of the Honorable Miss. Ladies can stop by the sponsor kiosk behind the clubhouse from 1 to 3 p.m. to participate; judges, including Lilly Pulitzer Print Designer Rebecca Allred, will be roaming the track from 1 to 3 p.m. looking for best-dressed candidates.
— Two Grade 2 Stakes: The Fasig-Tipton Festival will be highlighted by the 24th running of the Grade 2, $250,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap and the 18th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 Honorable Miss Handicap.
Monday
— NFL Day at Saratoga Race Course: Retired NFL stars, including Hall of Fame players Bobby Bell (Kansas City Chiefs) and Carl Eller (Minnesota Vikings) will take part in the annual autograph session at Saratoga Race Course from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. near the main gate on Union Avenue. Other players include Chris Calloway, Rodney Hampton, Leonard Marshall and Karl Nelson from the New York Giants. The cost is $20 per person with proceeds benefiting Wildwood Foundation and Northeast Parent & Child Society.
— Fasig-Tipton Festival Jockey Check presentation: A $5,000 check presentation will be made to the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund by NYRA and a jockey colony representative before the second race. The donation is being made in the name of the top three scoring jockeys from the Fasig-Tipton Festival Jockey Trainer contest held Saturday and Sunday.
— Fasig-Tipton Festival Jockey Trainer Charity Contest Presentation: The winning jockeys and trainers from the weekend’s contest series will be recognized in the winner’s circle after the third race.
— Jockey Autograph Book Mini-Giveaway: Autograph books featuring the top 10 NYRA jockeys (plus Sam the Bugler) from 2008 with photos, graphics, statistics and room for autographs will be distributed from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Auggie, the NYRA mascot, will roam the track grounds handing the books to young fans.
— Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sales: Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion on East Avenue, 6 p.m. By reservation only.
Tuesday
— Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sales: Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion on East Avenue, 6 p.m. By reservation only.
Attendance for the first five days of the 2009 meet was 126,336, up from 114,922 for a daily average of 25,267 compared to 22,984 in 2008. Attendance figures for Giveaway Days include patrons who pay multiple admissions to obtain more than one giveaway item either at the track entrance or at the multiple admissions area inside the track.
On-track handle at Saratoga was $16,974,664, up from $16,627,723 in 2008, for a daily average of 3,394,933 compared to $3,325,545 in 2008.
All-sources handle, which includes money bet on Saratoga races from simulcast outlets nationwide, was $76,367,536, marginally down from $76,814,015 in 2008, for a daily average of $15,273,507 compared to $15,362,803 in 2008.
The solid Week One totals were accented by Saturday’s 11-race card featuring the Grade I Diana and Grade II Jim Dandy Stakes, when $5,284,874 was wagered on-track by a throng of 33,954 — one of the largest non-Travers/non-giveaway crowds in Saratoga history.
Total betting interests increased to 441 from 394, despite an identical number of races run each year: 50, including one steeplechase. Turf races totaled 18, with eight taken off the turf, compared to seven on and 12 off during the soggy start to the 2008 meet.
“The 2009 Saratoga Meet is off to a very promising start both at the windows and on the track,” said NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward, according to the release. “Despite erratic weather which affects people’s plans, and moving the Whitney Stakes to the second Saturday of the meet, attendance jumped substantially, while on-track handle is positive and all-sources even, significantly ahead of all industry trends. Week Two, anchored by the Fasig-Tipton Festival of Racing on (Saturday and Sunday) which includes the Grade I Whitney Handicap, Grade I Test Stakes, Grade III Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap and the Grade III Honorable Miss Handicap, should continue the momentum established during the first week.”
Saratoga Week 2
Wednesday
— Mid-Summer St. Patrick’s Day: Saratoga Race Course hopes to bring fans a little extra luck with the first ever Mid-Summer St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Grandstand admission is free for patrons who wear green. Saratoga will feature traditional Irish food and drink specials including classic corned beef sandwiches, Guinness-soaked beef with soda bread, bangers and mashed potatoes, Irish cookies and even green popcorn and cotton candy. Guinness beer will be served at all bar locations and frozen Irish coffee will be available at the Grey Goose Bar in the backyard. Bagpipers with the Orange County AOH Pipes and Drums from Monroe will greet patrons at the grandstand and clubhouse entrances, while students from the Boland School of Irish Dance in Troy will perform in step with the music. The pipers will later fill the park with Celtic sounds, including a trackside parade at noon, followed by a performance in the backyard, while the dancers will delight fans on the track apron after the second race and at the bandstand at 3 p.m. Local Irish group The McKrells will perform at the bandstand from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saratoga Irish pub The Parting Glass will be on-site distributing beads and other festive trinkets.
— Stewart’s Shops Ice Cream Scoop Day: Stewart’s Shops will be offering samples of its 2009 ice cream flavor in honor of the Saratoga racing season: Coffee Chocolate Exacta, a coffee flavored ice cream with coffee truffles and chocolate espresso flakes. Samples will be available at noon by the jockey silks, while supplies last.
— Philadelphia Orchestra at SPAC: Trumpeters from the Philadelphia Orchestra will join Sam the Bugler in the winner’s circle after the third race at approximately 2:10 p.m. to celebrate the Philadelphia Orchestra’s annual summer residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
— English/SoCal Racing Tent: Racing fans can watch and wager on the best of both British and Southern California racing in the newly-expanded tent in the backyard, featuring a full bar in a pub atmosphere. Every Wednesday through Sunday during the meet, Saratoga will offer simulcast wagering from racetracks in the United Kingdom and from Southern California. The action begins most mornings from Wednesday through Saturday at approximately 9 a.m. with racing from a number of British tracks and continues most afternoons from the West Coast at 5 p.m. (6 p.m. on Fridays; So/Cal simulcasts only on Sundays). Standard general admission pricing of $3 will apply; no separate admission charge for the tent.
— Talking Horses: New this summer, presented by Daily Racing Form, will be conducted in a live audience format from the Carousel Restaurant at Saratoga Race Course from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every racing day.
Friday
— Family Fun Zone: Every Friday of the meet will feature the 99.5 The River Price Chopper Family Fun Zone, a cost-free option for kids to enjoy. This week, the fun zone will feature a Bounce Around bouncy-bounce and creative activities from the Children’s Museum of Saratoga. The Ronald McDonald House will be on-site collecting donations, though a donation is not required.
Saturday
— Fasig-Tipton Festival of Racing: The Fasig-Tipton Festival of Racing on Saturday and Sunday will celebrate the partnership between racing and yearling sales with a variety of events, a celebrity race call, best-turned-out horse (and people) contests and a free speaker series for fans. Ushering in two evenings of sales on Monday and Tuesday at the newly-remodeled Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion on East Avenue, the centerpiece of the festival is two days of racing, including two new overnight stakes, courtesy of Fasig-Tipton. On Saturday the John Hettinger Stakes will be run on the main track while on Sunday the Finney Stakes will be run on the turf. Fasig-Tipton is also sponsoring a “Best Turned-Out Horse” contest for both stakes with the winning grooms to receive a cash prize of $500.
— Fasig-Tipton Festival Jockey Trainer Charity Contest: The two-day contest will include all 21 races on Saturday and Sunday and will use a points system of five for win, three for place and one for show, with double points if the horse is a Fasig grad. NYRA will make a $5,000 donation to the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund in the name of the top three scoring jockeys, plus cash prizes to the jockeys for win, place and show. Fasig-Tipton will donate a total of $11,000 to equine charities designated by the top three scoring trainers in the contest. Standings for this series will be continually updated on NYRA TV.
— From the Horse Farm to the Finish Line: A Seminar on the Thoroughbred Industry: Fasig-Tipton and co-sponsors NYRA, ThoroFan and New York Thoroughbred Breeders (NYTB) will host this free education program from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday in the sales pavilion on East Avenue. Industry experts will discuss their roles in getting a young thoroughbred from the farm to the sales ring and onto the racetrack and fans can watch a demonstration of a consignor showing a yearling to a prospective buyer. Confirmed panelists include Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas; Case Clay of Three Chimneys Farm; consignor Meg Levy; and prominent thoroughbred owner Bobby Flay. A limited number of free tickets for this event are available through the NYTB by phoning 518-587-0777. Cutoff to reserve tickets for door hold is Friday at 4 p.m.
— Two Historic Grade 1 Stakes: The Fasig-Tipton Festival will be highlighted by the 82nd running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney Handicap and the 84th running of the Grade 1, $300,000 Test. Commentator, an 8-year-old gelding, will attempt to join Kelso and Discovery as the only horses to win the Whitney three times.
— Whitney Postal Cancellation: To commemorate the 82nd running of the Whitney, the Saratoga Race Course post office will offer a special Whitney postal cancellation.
Sunday
— Fasig-Tipton Festival of Racing Book Signing with Bobby Flay: Celebrity chef and horse owner Bobby Flay will sign copies of his newest cookbook Burgers, Fries and Shakes at the NYRA Store in front of the paddock, from noon to 2 p.m. A limited number of books will be available for purchase at the NYRA Store, or guests may bring their own copies of Flay’s other cookbooks for signature. Only one book will be signed per customer and no other items will be signed. Flay will also call the race for the Finney Stakes to be run on the turf.
— Fasig-Tipton Festival Fashion Contest: Saratoga Race Course will host a “Best Turned Out Filly” fashion contest, with the best-dressed woman to be awarded a $250 gift certificate from the Pink Paddock Boutique before the running of the Honorable Miss. Ladies can stop by the sponsor kiosk behind the clubhouse from 1 to 3 p.m. to participate; judges, including Lilly Pulitzer Print Designer Rebecca Allred, will be roaming the track from 1 to 3 p.m. looking for best-dressed candidates.
— Two Grade 2 Stakes: The Fasig-Tipton Festival will be highlighted by the 24th running of the Grade 2, $250,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap and the 18th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 Honorable Miss Handicap.
Monday
— NFL Day at Saratoga Race Course: Retired NFL stars, including Hall of Fame players Bobby Bell (Kansas City Chiefs) and Carl Eller (Minnesota Vikings) will take part in the annual autograph session at Saratoga Race Course from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. near the main gate on Union Avenue. Other players include Chris Calloway, Rodney Hampton, Leonard Marshall and Karl Nelson from the New York Giants. The cost is $20 per person with proceeds benefiting Wildwood Foundation and Northeast Parent & Child Society.
— Fasig-Tipton Festival Jockey Check presentation: A $5,000 check presentation will be made to the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund by NYRA and a jockey colony representative before the second race. The donation is being made in the name of the top three scoring jockeys from the Fasig-Tipton Festival Jockey Trainer contest held Saturday and Sunday.
— Fasig-Tipton Festival Jockey Trainer Charity Contest Presentation: The winning jockeys and trainers from the weekend’s contest series will be recognized in the winner’s circle after the third race.
— Jockey Autograph Book Mini-Giveaway: Autograph books featuring the top 10 NYRA jockeys (plus Sam the Bugler) from 2008 with photos, graphics, statistics and room for autographs will be distributed from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Auggie, the NYRA mascot, will roam the track grounds handing the books to young fans.
— Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sales: Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion on East Avenue, 6 p.m. By reservation only.
Tuesday
— Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sales: Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion on East Avenue, 6 p.m. By reservation only.
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