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About the Saratoga Race Course Meet
Each summer, the horse-racing world descends upon Saratoga, New York, to be a part of the legendary Saratoga racetrack meet. The meet lasts 40 racing days spread out over eight weeks from July to September, with the exception of Mondays and Tuesdays. The Travers Stakes, which carries a $1,250,000 purse, is the oldest thoroughbred race in the nation, attracting three-year-old horses who have raced (and won) in Triple Crown events earlier in the season. The Whitney Stakes is open to horses age three and older, and is a "win and you're in" event, with the winner given an automatic berth in the Breeders' Cup Classic. There are three separate tracks at Saratoga, including the 1 1/8-mile main dirt track, the mile-long Mellon Turf Course and a 7-furlong inner turf track. Saratoga Race Course opened in 1863, making it the fourth-oldest racetrack in the United States.
History of the Saratoga Race Course Meet
Saratoga is commonly known as "The Spa," after the nearby springs which give the town of Saratoga Springs its name. While racing in Saratoga Springs first took place as far back as 1847, the first race on what would later be the site of the Oklahoma Training Track was held in 1863, with the main course opening across Union Avenue in 1864. Saratoga Race Course has operated almost every year since, building a reputation as one of the premier courses in all of racing.
For over 150 years, Saratoga has hosted some of the legends in thoroughbred racing, and has been the site of some of the greatest upsets of all time. In 1919, the aptly named Upset defeated Man O' War in the Sanford Memorial Stakes, in the horse's first and only loss, and in 1973, Secretariat lost to Onion in the Whitney Handicap. Saratoga achieved another form of immortality in the 1970s, when Carly Simon referenced the racecourse in her No. 1 single, "You're So Vain," and it's also been referred to in literature by the likes of Ian Fleming and Sherwood Anderson.
This was my second week visiting saratoga this year. I paid for my tickets yet most people in my section did not have seats yet they were allowed to sit in the same section What is the point of paying for tickets while others sit in the same section for free
A great time was had by everyone there. The weather was great. The venue was beautiful. We were close enough to walk to the track and into town. Good restaurants, great food great people we had a great time.
The great racing, great people and the atmosphere at Saratoga never disappoints. A day of high caliber racing and enjoyment was forgotten when people waited over one hour to get off the grounds after the Travers. The young people trying to help get traffic off the site were completely out of their league. Once off the track grounds the city streets were not much better. NYRA and the City need to learn from this this and avoid a repeat in the future. We all deserve better.
Always have a good time but don't like the idea of not getting my tickets except by scanning them on smart phone which I DO NOT HAVE and you will not just e-mail them to me it's very annoying also don't like the idea of not being able to just buy something without using a credit card would rather pay with cash and not always on my credit card
Saratoga is a beautiful track. The atmosphere is fun and relaxed. We love going and make it each year.
Loved watching the ponies run. It was a great day. The course has been updated and is family oriented. There were many food and beverage choices in the park, however pricey. Wasn't good at the betting but had fun with my family picking horses based on names and odds.
Great place to watch the horses run!! If you can do the tour of the grounds. The town is simply beautiful and full of restaurants, bars and shops! Fully recommend for all ages!
My friend, and I truly enjoy the races and our seating was good. I have a complaint however, about the parking reservations. We could not locate the reserved parking lots and no one in the area seem to know the location of the lot. We drove around several times trying to find the lots and that didn’t work out. I ended up having to pay extra for parking since we were unable to locate the location of the reserved parking spots. So, in actuality, I had to pay twice for parking for two days. That was a disappointment and very frustrating. Otherwise, the seating tickets were satisfactory
Saratoga is the best track I’ve ever been to; I make a yearly pilgrimage for one of the Saturday stakes races. This year was the Alabama, which did not disappoint. I usually get a reserved seat in the grandstand, which allows me to bring a small cooler with some beers and a sandwich (one complaint about the track is that food and beverage are wildly overpriced); it also means that I don’t have to arrive so early to nail down a good spot. I also usually pre-pay for parking, as my walking stamina is not what it once was. I’ll be visiting Del Mar in two weeks and will make the East-West comparison then. But highly recommend a day at Saratoga.
Other than pandemic we have been to Saratoga race track every year for 30 years. There is something magical about the place. Beautiful historic buildings, amazing flowers, and of course the gorgeous thoroughbreds. We just love it there!
