Saratoga

The New York State Gaming Commission announced Wednesday that licensed owners will be permitted to watch their horses train and race at New York tracks. The ban on spectators for the racing programs remains in effect. The change in policy for owners was made the day before the start of the Thoroughbred racing season at Saratoga Race Course. According to the commission's news release, once the overnight list of entries is published, licensed owners must make reservations in advance with the racing office to attend a race. No same-day requests...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Even though he is healthy and enthusiastic, 91-year-old Gus Ziamandanis will not be able to attend his 70th consecutive opening day at Saratoga Race Course on Thursday, July 16. His quest for a remarkable personal milestone was stopped by New York State's coronavirus guidelines that prohibit spectators at professional sporting events. When he understood that it was unlikely that he would get into the grounds for the 10-race opener, Ziamandanis made a reservation for a table at Capital OTB's Clubhouse Race Book in Albany, 33 miles...

Saratoga Live, the critically-acclaimed and award-winning television program will kick off its fifth season Thursday broadcasting the 40-day summer meet at iconic Saratoga Race Course. Saratoga Live will feature more than 210 hours of live programming from Saratoga, which runs from Thursday, July 16 through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. Saratoga Live will appear each racing day beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern on FOX Sports and MSG Networks and offer full-card coverage of a Saratoga meet offering 71 stakes worth $14.45 million, encompassing 39 graded stakes, 18 Grade Is and...

Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com takes on TDN's Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap Triple Crown prep races plus the big three races themselves. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets in the preps and $200 Win/Place bets in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Highest bankroll at the end wins. DeRosa - Blue Grass Result - Art Collector (+$530) wore down Swiss Skydiver for a breakout victory. Bankroll: $4210. GIII Peter Pan S. - I normally don't like horses who need 1 1/8 miles on dirt to break...

John C. Oxley homebred Beautiful Memories (Hard Spun) headlines a field of eight juvenile fillies set for Thursday's co-featured GIII Schuylerville S. at the Spa. Trained by Mark Casse, the chestnut aired by 10 lengths for 'TDN Rising Star' honors on debut at Churchill Downs May 28. She's registered a pair of bullet workouts in Louisville since, including a five-furlong spin in :59 1/5 (1/34) July 4. Beautiful Memories' third dam is champion older mare Beautiful Pleasure, who carried Oxley's gold-and-blue silks to six top-level victories, led by a win...

A field of nine sophomores, including the field's lone graded winner Modernist (Uncle Mo), will line up for Thursday's GIII Peter Pan S. on Saratoga's opening day program. Traditionally run as a prep downstate for the GI Belmont S., the Peter Pan was moved to Saratoga as a potential prep for this summer's GI Runhappy Travers S. The Peter Pan carries 85 qualifying points (50-20-10-5) toward the GI Kentucky Derby. Modernist, a 12-1 upset winner of the split-division GII Risen Star S. Feb. 15, followed a third-place finish in the...

The seventh Thoroughbred Owner Conference, scheduled for July 19-22 in Saratoga Springs, New York, will be reschedued, offiicals at OwnerView have announced. "We were greatly looking forward to bringing the Owner Conference to beautiful and historic Saratoga Springs for the first time this year, but unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to look at alternative arrangements," said Gary Falter, project manager, OwnerView. "We are exploring our options for this fall." Any questions regarding the Owner Conference may be forwarded to Falter via email at gfalter@jockeyclub.com or by  phone at (859)...

A surge in positive Coronavirus tests among jockeys was met on Tuesday with a flurry of new movement-related restrictions at Thoroughbred tracks from coast to coast in an effort to keep the pandemic from spreading further. For the industry in general, any sizable spike in COVID-19 positives among participants will almost certainly trigger another wave of racetrack shutdowns. But for jockeys specifically, the balance of maintaining safety under pandemic precautions often comes down to treading a fine line between protecting one's health versus protecting one's livelihood. Since the end of...

The New York Racing Association Inc., (NYRA) has announced updated health and safety protocols to address the rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases among jockeys around the country. Until further notice, Saratoga Race Course will be closed to out-of-town jockeys. In addition, any member of the regular NYRA jockey colony who travels to ride at any other racetrack will not be permitted to return to Saratoga Race Course. "These measures prioritize the health and safety of the jockeys competing in New York, and are designed to combat the spread of COVID-19,"...

Nick Caras, Programs Director of the NY Race Track Chaplaincy, Kim Weir, a Saratoga Volunteer Coordinator, and Mark Kehrer, Pastor of Revelation Church, have organized a small army of volunteers and sponsors from the Saratoga Springs community in recent weeks to improve housing conditions for backstretch families who have traveled to Saratoga for the duration of the meet. For years, many of the stable workers have stayed at rudimentary cabins at the Pine Grove Family Camp on Pine Road in Saratoga Springs. Caras always wanted them to have something better....

The New York Racing Association and the City of Saratoga Springs will add two local non-profit organizations to the list of beneficiaries of a joint initiative to raise funds for the community through the sale of Saratoga Race Course face masks. In addition to Franklin Community Center and Shelters of Saratoga, the list of beneficiaries will be expanded to include AIM Services, Inc. and the SNACpack Program (Saratoga Nutrition Assistance for Children). A portion of proceeds will be donated in equal allotments to support the efforts of the four Saratoga...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. will celebrate the work of non-profit organizations by taking its Community Outreach Booth program online during the 2020 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, which begins Thursday, July 16 and runs through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. The Virtual Community Outreach Booth program will highlight a total of 40 non-profits throughout the season by sharing information about their work and fundraising initiatives at NYRA.com/community. "As we look ahead to a unique racing season, it is important to NYRA that we continue to highlight the...