Saratoga Celebrates 150 Years of Racing Action
Saratoga Race Course is celebrating its 150th anniversary this season, and there is plenty of racing action lined up for horse racing enthusiasts during the forty day meet which starts on Friday July 19….
The lineup for the season includes winners of the Preakness Stakes, Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes – Orb, Oxbow and Palace Malice – competing in the Travers Stakes on August 24. Older horses that will take to the track in the 2013 season include Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Fort Larned and 2012 Horse of the Year Wise Dan.
A new feature at the historic Saratoga Race Course is the Hoofprints Walk of Fame located at the clubhouse entrance. Unveiled on July 12, 2013, the Walk of Fame honors the most notable horses to have raced at Saratoga. Each of the initial thirty honorees is commemorated with a granite plaque featuring the horse’s year of birth and prominent victories at Saratoga, as well as the names of its sire, dam, owner, jockey and trainer. As a collaborative effort between the New York Racing Association and the Saratoga 150 Committee, additional horses will be considered annually for the Hoofprints Walk of Fame.
The season’s events will include Family Fridays, starting July 19 through to August 30, featuring face painting, bounce inflatables, arts and crafts and the Tiny Tots Tea Room. Also new this year is Boutiques at the Carousel, a range of retails stores offering clothing, jewelry and art.
This will be the first meet under new NYRA President and CEO Christopher Kay, who recently acknowledged in an interview that the NYRA has its challenges and that he wanted a full understanding of what these are. He also expressed his confidence that the track would get increased support from horse racing fans this season, as they would enjoy the kind of experience that would keep them coming back over and over.
