As the ultimate few days of the Saratoga Race Course meet rolled to an finish, the normal mix of pleasure and electrical energy had been again.
Massive crowds. Some sturdy betting races. An unforgettable Travers Stakes (G1) with Fierceness holding off the fabulous filly Thorpedo Anna . Folks smiling, laughing, and having enjoyable.
“I believed the meet went very well,” mentioned New York Racing Affiliation CEO and president Dave O’Rourke on the eve of the Sept. 2 closing day. “We wish to match final yr’s deal with with someday left and as soon as once more attendance was over one million.”
Regardless of the cancellation of someday and the postponement of turf stakes that wrecked the Aug. 3 wagering on Whitney Stakes (G1) Day, complete all-sources deal with with someday left within the 40-day meet was $776,167,363, inside vary of the 2023 determine of $799.2 million.
Attendance topped a million for the ninth straight yr since 2015, not together with 2020 when followers weren’t allowed within the facility because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the numbers that had been most vital and introduced again the festive perspective concerned security.
After a horrific spate of 14 deadly accidents in racing and coaching that solid a pall over the ultimate days of the 2023 meet, there was one catastrophic damage throughout racing (The Huge Torpedo Aug. 30) and two in coaching this yr. These 2024 incidents got here throughout 11,614 timed works and almost 400 races with greater than 3,000 starters.
“We had unbelievable enchancment over the past yr by way of the protection figures and it’ll proceed to get higher. The trade is on an actual constructive course,” O’Rourke mentioned. “I’ve to provide reward to our vet group led by Dr. Sarah Hinchliffe for all the lengthy hours they put in throughout racing and coaching. The tip consequence displays their dedication.”
Rain is an unavoidable a part of the meet, and whereas it did trigger the cancellation and a shifting till every week later of the Aug. 3 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) and the Troy Stakes (G2T), the turf course held up properly through the meet, incomes reward from horsemen resembling Chad Brown, the meet’s main coach.
“Now we have a 40-day meet that’s turf-centric and it is prudent to be extra conservative early on as a result of you already know you’re going to want that course because the meet goes on,” O’Rourke mentioned. “Every time you employ it, you put on it down and should you use it when it’s mushy you’re going to speed up that course of.”
Whereas the care of the turf course rests within the palms of NYRA senior vp of operations and capital initiatives Glen Kozak’s observe upkeep group, there was a brand new participant in deciding when to take races off the turf.
After issuing a prolonged report on fatalities and the correlation to wet intervals, New York State Gaming Fee equine medical director Dr. Scott Palmer instituted new measurements, resembling spatial variability, to measure the moisture within the racing surfaces.
“Glen and his group together with Dr. Palmer did a wonderful job of monitoring the turf and what I’m seeing is that the monitoring and the sensors are one thing that can dovetail as Dr. Palmer fleshes out his research on moisture ranges,” O’Rourke mentioned. “I believe this can be very constructive. We have all seen over the past 5 years how when there’s heavy rainfall there is a correlation with points. Dr. Palmer is on the reducing fringe of this.”
The lack of turf racing because of moist situations often raises the opportunity of an all-weather floor coming to the Spa sooner or later sooner or later, however NYRA isn’t any hurry to make it occur.
“We won’t transfer aggressively till we do an inordinate quantity of research,” O’Rourke mentioned about an all-weather observe, which will probably be a part of the brand new Belmont Park. “We have gotten preliminary research on the primary facet and now we’re having related research completed for the Oklahoma facet as a result of it could possibly be useful for coaching. It does not affect the dust program but when we’ve got to come back off the turf it will be great to have it. The problem is what do it’s a must to give as much as get there? And we’re simply in the beginning of that course of. There are tradeoffs. It might result in only one massive turf course as an alternative of the 2 we now have which might result in much less turf racing.”
Whereas there won’t be adjustments to the 40-day summer time meet on the Spa, there could possibly be extra racing at Saratoga in 2025. Among the many gadgets being thought of for subsequent yr is shifting the July 4 weekend of racing from Aqueduct Racetrack to the Spa.
These dates can be a part of the Belmont on the Huge A spring/summer time meet and would then lead into the beginning of the 40-day Saratoga summer time meet on Thursday of the following week.
“We might take a look at transferring the July 4 weekend stakes, led by the Belmont Derby (G1T),” O’Rourke mentioned. “If you’re going to research one thing, you research it from all angles. We might additionally lower the variety of Saratoga dates. Nothing drives demand like shortage. We’re taking a look at a number of issues however proper now we’re targeted on getting again to Belmont Park.”
O’Rourke mentioned any plans of preserving the Belmont Stakes (G1) on the Spa as soon as Belmont Park reopens are “not on the desk.”
NYRA, which is able to conduct the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga for a second straight yr in 2025, is hopeful of holding the 2026 Belmont Stakes on the new Belmont Park and maybe internet hosting the Breeders’ Cup World Championships there that fall. But it will not be an enormous shock if the Belmont returns to Saratoga in 2026, and 2027 turns into the goal date for bringing the ultimate leg of the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup again to Lengthy Island.
This yr marked a brand new, six-day entry schedule for Saratoga and it’ll proceed when Aqueduct re-opens Sept. 13. Beneath the brand new schedule, Saturday races are drawn on Sunday.
“Andrew (Offerman, NYRA’s senior vp of racing and operations) likes it and if Andrew likes it, I prefer it,” O’Rourke mentioned.
Whereas this yr’s additions featured a brand new, expanded space for the Jim Dandy Bar, there are not any main renovations within the works for 2025. On the finish of subsequent yr’s meet, plans name for the saddling space to be revamped and the transferring of the racing division workplaces to the paddock space adjoining to the saddling space.
NYRA’s “Saratoga Stay” reveals on FOX Sports activities networks additionally continued to point out progress, with six of the telecasts airing on the primary FOX broadcast community for elevated visibility.
“We had six broadcast reveals on FOX. Return a decade that is unbelievable. The recognition of the present is driving mainstream consideration,” O’Rourke mentioned. “DraftKings’ sponsorship of the Travers Stakes was additionally nice as a result of it broadens our viewers.”
