Saratoga

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA), and New York Thoroughbred Breeders (NYTB) will host the inaugural New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day at Saratoga Wednesday, July 21. The featured race will be the Rick Violette S., named for the late NYTHA President who spearheaded the creation of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program and TAKE THE LEAD Retirement Program, and was a founding member of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA). "We're proud to carry on Rick Violette's work in promoting and protecting our equine...

Harvey Pack, the engagingly witty curmudgeon who entertained and informed decades of racetrack fans in New York and beyond as a popular radio, television and handicapping seminar host, has died at 94. Pack's death was confirmed by the New York Racing Association (NYRA), which employed him from 1974 to 1998. Daily Racing Form reported the cause was complications from cancer. Pack made a lasting impression as a self-deprecating "wiseguy's wiseguy" who passionately advocated for the underdog while never running out of strange-but-true racetrack tales and anecdotes, many of which involved...

The New York Racing Association will invite racing fans to continue a summer tradition during Breakfast at Saratoga, driven by the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA), back after a 2020 hiatus forced by COVID-19. Breakfast at Saratoga welcomes guests for morning meal on The Porch of the Clubhouse at Saratoga Race Course while the Thoroughbreds train on the main track. Breakfast is held daily from 7 to 9:30 a.m. and is available on a first-come, first-served basis; reservations are not accepted. There is no breakfast on Runhappy Travers Day, Saturday,...

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) on Tuesday gave notice to a federal judge that it intends to file a formal motion to dismiss trainer Bob Baffert's civil complaint, which seeks to overturn NYRA's ban against him. On May 17, NYRA informed the Hall of Fame trainer with the highly-publicized string of recent equine drug positives that he was temporarily not welcome to stable or race at the association's three tracks, Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack. That ban, NYRA said at the time, would be re-evaluated once...

Champions Talk, a fundraiser for the NY Race Track Chaplaincy, is scheduled to be held July 19 at 3 p.m. at the Fasig-Tipton Pavilion in Saratoga Springs. The RSVP deadline has been extended to July 9. A limited number of seats are available for the round-table discussion featuring five champion jockeys--Chris McCarron, Jorge Velasquez, Richard Migliore, Laffite Pincay Jr. and Angel Cordero Jr. The event, which will be followed by a cocktail reception, will be moderated by Tom Durkin. Each attendee will receive a free limited edition autographed bobblehead of...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a week-long series of hiring events to recruit workers employees for this summer at Saratoga Race Course. The pop-up events will take place within the open-air Big Red Spring Tent. Interviews will be conducted daily from 12 to 3 p.m. beginning Wednesday, July 7 through Wednesday, July 14. Positions are available with NYRA, Integrated Staffing, Levy Restaurants, AllPro, Union Square Events and Dyehard Fan Supply. Opportunities available include: betting clerks, cashiers, cleaning, food service (back of house), hospitality, merchandise assistants, parking...

With a July 12 federal court date looming to decide whether or not Bob Baffert's history of equine drug positives will keep him from entering horses at the upcoming and financially lucrative Saratoga Race Course meet, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) on June 30 filed a memorandum of law that opposes the Hall of Fame trainer's request for an injunction to lift the association's ban against him that has been in effect for the past six weeks. NYRA told Baffert via letter May 17 that he was temporarily not...

The Jockey Club (TJC) on Wednesday told the judge in Bob Baffert's federal lawsuit against the New York Racing Association (NYRA) that in deciding whether or not to lift the trainer's banishment from Saratoga, Belmont Park and Aqueduct, it is imperative to consider the larger issue that tracks should be entitled to bar anyone "credibly responsible for the administration of medication resulting in a substance violation" in order to "protect the health and safety of the sport's participants." Using a "friend of the court" brief, which is a legal document...

Single-day general admission tickets for the 2021 Saratoga race meet will go on sale July 1 at 10 a.m. through ticketmaster.com. General admission tickets may also be purchased on the day of the event at all track admission gates. Single-day grandstand admission is $7 and Clubhouse admission is $10. General admission tickets for the  Aug. 28 GI Runhappy Travers S. are $15 when purchased in advance. Tickets may also be purchased at the gates on the day of the event for $20, pending availability. A limited number of Clubhouse admission...

The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) unanimously advanced a rule proposal Tuesday that seeks to end the resource-draining practice of jockeys appealing riding infractions during big-money race meets like at Saratoga, then withdrawing those protests once the meet is over for the sole purpose of delaying a suspension until it is more convenient for the penalized rider to serve the days. The proposed rule, which first must be published in the state lawmaking register and then be subject to a public commentary period before coming up again for a...

With one day of racing remaining at the spring meet, jockey Tyler Gaffalione secured his fourth-straight title at Churchill Downs and fifth overall. Through 37 days of racing, the 26-year-old recorded 47 wins from 215 starters. He led second-place Ricardo Santana, Jr. by 17 wins at the end of Friday's card. "We've been extremely fortunate to ride some top-class horses this meet," Gaffalione said. "It's been a wild meet overall but very successful. I'm very grateful to everyone who helped me get to this point." Following Saturday's closing day card,...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. announced SNY will serve as a new regional television home for racing from Belmont and Saratoga. SNY will present 15 weekends of live racing of America's Day at the Races and Saratoga Live throughout the summer and into the fall, beginning with June 26-25. This weekend's shows will begin at 5 p.m. on both days. "This summer should be an exciting season from New York's historic racetracks as fans return to the stands just in time for the heart of the racing season at...