UNUSUAL OPENING DAY
People flock to watch parties for start of 2020 Saratoga Race Course season
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. »
Thousands of horse racing fans did not flock to Saratoga Race Course on Opening Day of its 2020 meet, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t watching the races.
The track started its season on Thursday without spectators in attendance, per current New York state guidelines regarding COVID-19.
Around the Spa City, however, racing enthusiasts attended watch parties.
Many Saratoga Springs businesses welcomed customers who would typically be at the track on Opening Day into their establishments to catch the races live on screen.
Though the atmosphere was different than usual, lots of fans took the opportunity to watch the sport at these local events, as close as they could get to being at Saratoga Race Course for the occasion.
From Union Avenue to Caroline Street to Broadway and beyond, dozens of Spa City bars and restaurants were glad to host these watch parties and serve the racing community.
After a difficult few months of economic closure and phased reopening, owners are eagerly inviting the Saratoga Race Course clientele to patronize their businesses this track season.
Racing City Brewing Company is screening every race of the 2020 meet on a 23-by14-foot screen - one of the biggest in the area - in its production room. Set a bit off the beaten path at 250 Excelsior Ave. in Saratoga Springs, the brewery has plenty of space
for visitors to stay physically distanced, while still being able to accommodate a substantial volume of fans each racing day. Reservations are $25 per table, including one Daily Racing Form and one beer or wine drink token.
Racing City Brewing tested out this watch party system for the 2020 Belmont Stakes in June, and the event went well, co-owner Debreen Oliva said, noting that guests can order pizza from fellow local business 9 Miles East or bring their own food just like in the picnic area at the track.
For racing-lovers like Oliva, not being able to visit Saratoga Race Course on Opening Day is a disappointment, but she and her staff are doing all they can to bring the same atmosphere to Racing City Brewing Company. Though the brewery cannot compare with the track itself, she said, “It’s the next best place.”
Fans from near and far are willing to give it a shot. “We’re getting a lot of calls from people that are coming from other areas of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts,” Oliva said. “There’s people that seem to still want to come to town, and enjoy the traditions of a racing day, watching just at a slightly different location.”
In downtown Saratoga Springs, Putnam Place is providing another spot for people to stop and watch the races. Opening its doors to the track folks simply made sense, according to marketing manager Jarrett Hartstone.
“We’ve got this giant LED video wall that’s the biggest in the area, and a huge room with AC,” he said. “People will be trying to watch the races somewhere, why not give them a big screen to watch it on instead of just a little TV in a bar?”
The Putnam Place video wall is 17-by-7 feet - “It’s like having a movie theater to watch the races at,” Hartstone said, adding that and a flat-screen TV is also available outdoors for those who want to stay outside.
Both indoor and outdoor seating at Putnam Place are first come, first serve, with free admission and no minimum order requirements. The bar does, however, perform temperature checks at the door and swipe ID cards for contact tracing purposes, in addition to following all standard mask protocols.
At Pint Sized, a small craft beer bar and bottle shop on Broadway, owner August Rosa has set up a TV for those who want to watch horse racing from outside the bar.
“We are trying to have as many folks outside as possible, so figured having the races outside would assist with that,” he said.
Rosa thinks that due to the new situation, Pint Sized’s daytime hours could potentially be busier than a normal summer. “Typically during track season downtown is pretty quiet until it lets out,” he said.
But predicting the future isn’t easy in 2020. “Everything has been a curveball this year,” Rosa said.
Some racing fans such as John and Sheri Opitz of Troy decided to recreate the Saratoga Race Course in their own backyard, complete with red and white racing-themed decor, live racing on TV, and even live music performed by Tom Shields of the track’s beloved house band Reggie’s Red Hot Feetwarmers.
The Opitzes have been going to Saratoga Race Course every Opening Day for the last 48 years, but couldn’t continue the tradition this year. “So now we opened our own,” John said before the start of the day’s first race.
A group of local leaders including NYRA president and CEO Dave O’Rourke, New York State Senator Daphne Jordan, New York State Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce president Todd Shimkus and Discover Saratoga President Darryl Leggieri, Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership president and CEO Shelby Schneider and Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association president Deann Devitt gathered to celebrate Opening Day of the 2020 meet Thursday afternoon at Racing City Brewing Company.
Certainly an unusual season, “Like everyone, we’re trying to make the best of it,” said O’Rourke, who was enjoying the local watch party at the brewery.
Even though attending a watch party is not quite like hearing the horses coming down the stretch, through televising and live-streaming the races, O’Rourke said, “We’re hoping to give people a pastime.”
The 2020 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course will run through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. Following the four-day opening weekend, live racing will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays.
A detailed list of businesses offering live racing viewing is available on the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce website at www. saratoga.org/2020/07/06/ some-saratoga-summer-racing-options/.