Spirit prevails amid change
Saratoga track draws back regulars even as it transforms its format
It may have been rainy and there were mud puddles all around, but that didn’t stop David Cole from keeping up a tradition.
The Athens man has been traveling to Saratoga Race Course every Labor Day since childhood, and Monday’s bad weather wasn’t going to stop him.
“I’ve been coming the last day, even in bad weather since the 1960s,” Cole said. “The rest of the time, I follow racing on my computer. But I used to come up with my parents since I was a kid on Labor Day.”
Cole had plenty of fellow fans this summer: The New York Racing Association said that the 2019 season was well-attended, with paid attendance at the track at 1,056,053, the fifth straight year that the race course drew more than a million fans.
The amount bet on the races also broke records, with $705,343,949 wagered. The old record was $676,709,490, set in 2017.
Leon Sikelianos of Albany said he has generously added to that handle. He and his friend, Greg Wood, also from Albany, have been driving up to Saratoga for 30 years to place their bets.
“I love horse racing,” Sikelianos said. “I’m not crazy about not making a lot of money this year. But it doesn’t really matter to me because I love the game.”
Overall, he thinks it was a fairly exciting season, notably Code of
Honor and long-timed Spa trainer Shug Mcgaughey’s winning of the Travers Stakes.
Wood is less enamored by the new schedule — 40 days of racing extended over seven weeks, with two dark days, Monday and Tuesday, weekly.
“It dilutes it,” Wood said. “It used to be the August place to be. Now it’s the July and August, it’s not the same.”
Kayla Lewis of Malta agreed, saying she misses Monday racing because it was less crowded. The season pass holder said that was always her favorite day to come, so she is happy to be there on Labor Day when the crowds are more sparse. She also didn’t mind the rain.
“It’s kind of sloppy out there,” Lewis said. “It gives a chance for horses other than the favorite to win. It’s worth coming out.”
While some fans didn’t like the schedule change, many of the jockeys and trainers liked having an extra day off.
NYRA CEO Dave O’rourke recently told the Times Union that there will be 40 days of racing next summer with a fiveday race week. However, the dark days have yet to be determined, he said. Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus, local business leaders and O’rourke plan to meet in October to discuss 2020 options.
“This has been a truly outstanding meet highlighted by the traditional recipe that sets Saratoga apart: world-class thoroughbred racing and entertainment,” O’rourke said in a statement. “We would not be in this enviable position without the dedication of the owners, the talent of the horsemen, and the unmatched enthusiasm of our fans. I want to thank the local community for their support and everyone who contributed to our success this summer.”