Opening no-shows?
Whitney, Hendrickson oppose expanded meet, won’t host annual Opening Day bash
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson agree that Saratoga is the summer place to be.
They just don’t think it should be all summer.
That’s why, barring a change in plans, they won’t be hosting their annual Opening Day bash when the expanded, eight-week Saratoga Race Course meet begins Thursday, July 11, and they’re also scaling back a popular Backstretch Appreciation program to the month of August only.
“Saratoga was kind of like Royal Ascot,” said Whitney, referring to the prestigious, tradition-laden English race meet held each year in June. “Now it’s too long.”
Her Marylou Whitney Stables has produced some of the sport’s most memorable champions such as Birdstone, a 36-1 long shot that upset Smarty Jones’ bid for a Triple Crown by winning the 2004 Belmont Stakes.
Hendrickson, her husband, is president of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
“The restaurants and hotels love this, but if you ask if a child if they want more candy, they’re going to say yes. I think we’re risking our reputation,” he said, referencing the longer meet. “Horsemen liked Saratoga because they were excited for every day of racing. Now when you have two dark days and stretch it out, it’s not the same. It loses its cachet.”
“Hopefully this is temporary,” he added. “I really fear that this is going to dilute it to the point that horse owners are only going to come on weekends. They aren’t going to spend their whole summer in one spot.”
New York Racing Association says the schedule was changed to accommodate construction of a new sports arena, for the NHL’s New York Islanders, adjacent to Belmont Park. Shifting racing upstate sooner than normal will prevent potential disruption during morning train- ing and afternoon racing at Belmont, and protect equine and human athletes, NYRA said.
Saratoga will have the same number of racing days (40), but will only be open five days per week — Wednesday to Sunday — instead of six. The meet ends on Labor Day Monday.
Holiday Inn General Manager Cindy Hollowood, who also chairs Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau, said a longer meet has several positive aspects.
“It’s very difficult to get people to work six days,” she said.
In addition, a five- day schedule stretched out over eight weeks means some horses could race three times instead of twice at Saratoga, and help NYRA fill races that sometimes have only a few horses, she said.
Local business should benefit, too, Hollowood said.
“Any time racing is here it’s always great for the hotels, restaurants and retailers,” she said. “Twenty percent more people take vacations in July versus August. Getting them to Saratoga could develop new fans.
“We need new fans to keep racing alive.”
The expanded race meet will also help offset the impact of a shortened New York City Ballet residency in Saratoga, which is slated for one week instead of two, she said.
But Adirondack Trust Company Chai r man Charles Wait, Jr., a former NYRA board member, said a longer meet also presents several problems.
“The dates keep changing, making planning difficult for patrons,” he said. “A longer season also creates conflict with our nonprofits trying to schedule concerts, such as SPAC and Universal Preservation Hall, making it more difficult for them.”
At one time, the meet was four weeks long. Doubling it over time has made it seem “less special,” Wait said.
Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, a consultant to Whitney and Hendrickson, said a longer meet should be evaluated carefully before making it permanent.
“It should have a trial run, a test and make sure when you do something it’s not ruining the great sport we have and Saratoga,” he said. “I just don’t want anything to hurt that great place.
“You hope and pray it’s protected.”
NYRA expects to complete work on a new $40 million, three-story luxury dining and seating facility called the 1863 Club, adjacent to the clubhouse, in time for the 2019 meet. It’s replacing a former At the Rail pavilion where Whitney and Hendrickson have held their annual Opening Day gala, with a “Who’s Who”- type guest list of prominent racing, business and government leaders.
Things won’t be the same without them.
“We’re not coming till Aug. 1 for the race meet,” Hendrickson said. “We’re not coming on July 11. We’re in the Adirondacks then.”
For the past 10 years, a Backstretch Appreciation program they sponsor has provided daily entertainment and activities for racing’s unsung heroes, the mostly Latino workers who care for the sport’s valuable equine athletes. The program has also included a series of ethnic-themed dinners each Sunday during the meet, and outings to places such as Lake George and local rodeos.
Hendrickson said he and Whitney still plan to organize events in August, but the first few weeks will be up to someone else.
“We don’t want to punish the workers, but it’s too long,” he said. “You can’t do it every day for two months. Boutique meets, this is where backstretch programs work the best.”