Racing fans asked to stay home
New measures bar public gatherings outside track’s fence
Saratoga Race Course has put privacy fencing on Nelson and Union avenues to prevent race fans from congregating, and has banned jockeys who ride at other tracks from the meet, as part of new protocols announced Tuesday by the New York Racing Association and city officials to protect the community and track personnel from coronavirus.
The moves are part of an unusual meet that will feature races without fans in attendance.
Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith won’t make the trip to the Spa this summer.
Assistant Saratoga Springs Police Chief John Catone, who spoke at the Tuesday press conference at the track and is a member of the city’s COVID-19 task force, said the situation is fluid and fan ac
cess, as well as the rule limiting jockeys, may change.
Horse owners and a limited number of fans might possibly be allowed in toward the end of the meet. But right now, Catone said, with the track’s racing season set to open Thursday, the main concern is too many fans trying to get a glimpse of the action.
“We want to make sure we do not have any issues on the Union Avenue side or the Nelson Avenue side with fans showing up with lawn chairs and coolers, creating social distancing or traffic pattern issues.” Catone said. “We are setting up like it’s a normal meet so it gives us an opportunity to enforce no parking and social distancing to deal with the pandemic.”
Pat Mckenna, spokesman for NYRA, said the safety of the estimated 700 approved personnel at the track will be protected by continuing protocols in place since March at Belmont Park, including testing, masks, and social distancing. NYRA is also closing the track to anyone not essential, which includes horse owners. Entry into all NYRA properties includes temperature checks and health questions at the gate, hand sanitizers and contact tracing. There is also frequent cleaning of common areas.
The decision limiting jockey travel was made to prevent the virus from bring brought to the track from states where cases are increasing. That means that any jockey who rides outside of Saratoga, beginning Thursday, cannot return to ride at Saratoga. Jockeys will also not be allowed on the backstretch or the training track and must meet their horse in the paddock before proceeding to the main track.
In a statement released just prior to the press conference, NYRA CEO Dave O’rourke said the outside jockey ban is “necessary as cases continue to rise in states across the country.”
Both Mckenna and Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Public Safety Robin Dalton also encouraged fans to watch the racing from home. Coverage will be on the Fox Sports and MSG networks.
“We want you to enjoy this summer’s meet,” Mckenna said. “But do so from the comfort of your home, your backyard or socially distanced and responsible watch parties…keeping your distance will bring us one step closer to our ultimate and collective goal to defeating this virus and welcoming back our loyal fans by the thousands to an opening day celebration like no other in 2021.”
Dalton said that staying home is a “critical part” of the 40-day meet, which ends on Labor Day.
“The city cannot have people come to the track and watch racing,” Dalton said. “That is for the collective safety of the community and also to make sure we can celebrate racing this year and every year to come.”
While views of the track will be blocked, the sight lines to the Oklahoma training track, as seen from East Avenue, have not been obscured. Since June 4, when that track opened, spectators have gathered at the chain-linked fence to watch the thoroughbreds get in their morning runs.
Everyone acknowledged that the track is an important economic engine for the city, which by NYRA’S estimation in a normal year is responsible for $240 million in regional economic activity and 2,600 jobs. That is why the city and NYRA see the track’s role as vital and will proceed cautiously for the 2020 meet so that it will never have to host a meet again without fans.
“We want NYRA to have a successful meet,” Catone said. “But we don’t want to put ourselves in a position where other states are; they opened too early, didn’t control the pandemic and now their numbers have risen dramatic. Thankfully, we have kept our number relatively f lat for weeks and months. We want it to continue that way. We do not want to go backwards into shutdown.”