Saratoga Springs

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (NMRHOF) will celebrate its 50th annual Museum Ball on Friday, Aug. 7, according to a press release from the repository on Wednesday. The esteemed black-tie gala has been held continuously since 1977 and remains the Museum's largest fundraising event and one of the most prestigious social affairs of the Saratoga racing season. Click here for ticket information.

A barn fire that broke out early Tuesday morning has claimed the lives of 17 horses at Saratoga Casino Hotel, which sits off Nelson Avenue in Saratoga Springs and is directly across the street from the Thoroughbred track. The barn housed a total of 18 horses and was completely destroyed. One horse escaped the barn and sustained minor injuries. No people were hurt, according to the casino hotel and fire department. The horses belonged to two trainers who stabled their horses in the barn. Trainer Robyn Mangiardi lost 11 horses,...

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will play host to a Royal Ascot Tea Party on Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event is presented by Brown Road Racing. In celebration of the Royal Ascot race meeting in England, guests are invited to gather in hats and race-day attire for an affair steeped in the traditions of British racing society. An authentic set of racing silks belonging to Queen Elizabeth II from the Museum Collection will be on display throughout the event. Purchase...

In celebration of the final Belmont Stakes to be contested at Saratoga Racecourse, the Embrace the Belmont III will be held in at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs on Tuesday, June 2. The event will feature cocktails, light bites in addition to handicappers Seth Merrow, Capitol OTB, Sara Elbadwi, NYRA on-air handicapper and Matthew Desantis, Handicapper and content producer for NYRA Bets. This year, Embrace the Belmont III supports both Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga and Saratoga Hospital Foundation. Fashion partners include Frivolous, Mark Thomas Apparel, Miss Scarlett and Gilded....

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's Win, Place, Show: The Annual Student Art Exhibition, presented by the New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund, will open to the public in the Museum's von Stade Gallery on Feb. 14. The exhibition, which will feature more than 60 works of art from Capital Region students in grades 3-7, will run through Mar. 15. A second exhibition for grades 8-12 will open on Mar. 28 and runs through Apr. 26. Submissions for the grades 8-12 show will be accepted through...

Coinciding with the United States of America's national celebration of the 250 th anniversary of the nation's founding, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will mark the occasion with a special exhibition, Racing at the Dawn of the United States. The presenting sponsor is Adirondack Trust Co. The exhibition will be open through December. The exhibition opens Saturday, Jan. 10 in the Museum's Link Gallery. Racing at the Dawn of the United States explores the foundation of thoroughbred racing in America from the colonial period to the...

One of the most significant collections of American Thoroughbred racing trophies in the sport's history--the Whitney family collection--has been bequeathed to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame by the late John Hendrickson, the institution's former chairman who unexpectedly passed away in August 2024, according to a press release from the repository on Wednesday. The collection is comprised of more than 400 trophies-- including eight Triple Crown race trophies won by Whitney family-owned runners--as well as numerous prizes commemorating important victories by Hall of Fame inductees Equipoise, Regret,...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - There was far more than a simple change of address for trainer Cherie DeVaux when she was assigned Barn 83--for decades the Saratoga base for legendary D. Wayne Lukas--for this summer's racing season. In addition to dealing with the daily demands of managing her large stable, DeVaux, a rising star in the sport, has embraced her new roles: historian and preservationist of an important corner of the barn area on the sprawling Saratoga Race Course grounds. Within a day or two of DeVaux moving her stable...

The 2026 running of the GI Belmont Stakes will be run at Saratoga Race Course for a third and final time, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and officials at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) said in a release Friday morning. "New York is home to world-class sports and entertainment and this final chapter of the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course honors our rich racing heritage while paving the way for a bold, new future at Belmont Park," Governor Hochul said. "Bringing the race back to Saratoga next year...

Seven new members have been elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, headed by Smarty Jones, a finalist for the first time and featured on these pages this week. Additionally, Kentucky-breds Decathlon and Hermis and trainer George H. Conway have been chosen by the 1900-1959 Historic Review Committee; and Edward L. Bowen, Arthur B. Hancock III, and Richard Ten Broeck have been elected by the Pillars of the Turf Committee. In the contemporary category, Pennsylvania-bred Smarty Jones was the lone candidate to appear on the majority...

The two-week Backstretch Employee Service Team (BEST) Supply Drive will to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2025, according to a museum release Tuesday. The organization will again be accepting donations for three months this spring, beginning Apr. 16 and going through July 15. Donations are accepted in person at the museum during regular business hours. Anyone who donates an item will receive a pass for free Museum admission plus a guest. All donations go directly to the backstretch workers. Items needed include new or slightly...

Due to the overwhelming demand in 2024, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) has adjusted the 2025 pre-sale for Belmont Stakes Day tickets to ensure the most equitable opportunity for fans to purchase reserved seating and hospitality, the organization announced Monday via press release. Beginning Jan. 28 and running through Jan. 31, fans will enter a drawing on the Belmont Stakes homepage to secure access to various pre-sale opportunities. The selections will be at random, and winners will be directed to select ticket preferences based on available inventory. Entering the...