News

August 23, 2017

What’s Happening Travers Week at Saratoga Race Course

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25

  • New York Showcase Day: Travers Eve will be dedicated to New York-breds during New York Showcase Day at Saratoga Race Course. The afternoon’s card will feature six stakes races worth more than $1.1 million in purses exclusively for New York-breds, including the West Point, presented by Trustco Bank; the Albany, Fleet Indian, Funny Cide, Seeking the Ante, and the Yaddo.
  • Red Jacket Ceremony: The day will be highlighted by the induction of three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Ramon Dominguez into the Saratoga Walk of Fame during the annual Red Jacket Ceremony. The ceremony will take place adjacent to the winner’s circle following the day’s fifth race at approximately 3:30 p.m. During the event, Dominguez will receive an emblematic Saratoga red jacket and his plaque will be formally unveiled to the public. The Saratoga Walk of Fame honors and showcases the achievements of those who have made significant contributions to the sport of thoroughbred racing and to the advancement of the Saratoga Race Course.
  • Taste NY: Craft Beer: This weekly event offers guests a selection of New York craft beers available for sampling in partnership with the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets. Fans will be able to sample five craft beers for $5 at the Berkshire Bank Saratoga Pavilion from noon to 5 p.m.
  • Community Outreach Booth: The New York Racing Association will welcome the Saratoga County Economic Opportunity Council (EOC) to Saratoga Race Course to host its annual food and essential goods drive from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fans are invited to donate canned or non-perishable goods at the Community Outreach Booth, located on the Jockey Silks Room Porch and across from the Saratoga Walk of Fame. Suggested donation items include pasta, peanut butter, cereal, rice, soup, canned vegetables, as well as shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste. In return for their generosity, fans will receive a 2017 Saratoga baseball cap, while supplies last.
  • Woodford Reserve Fridays at The Post: Racing fans are invited to continue their day at Saratoga with Woodford Reserve Fridays at The Post, the lively bar and entertainment spot located adjacent to the paddock. Each Friday of the meet will feature a DJ and dancing, cocktail samplings and trivia at The Post following the day’s final race.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26 – TRAVERS DAY

Travers Day: Saratoga’s most anticipated race – the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers, presented by NYRA Bets, will return for its 148th running as the feature on a blockbuster card. The Travers is expected to include the winners from each of this year’s Triple Crown races for the first time since 1982. This year’s Travers Day will feature five other Grade 1 stakes: the $1 million Sword Dancer Invitational, $500,000 Ketel One Ballerina, $600,000 Forego, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial and $700,000 Personal Ensign. Rounding out the card is the Grade 2, $400,000 Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa.
Gates open at 7 a.m. on Travers Day, with a special first post time of 11:35 a.m. There is no breakfast on the clubhouse porch and no backstretch tram tours. There are no clubhouse upgrades on Travers Day.

All guests are subject to enhanced screening upon entering the grounds and will not be permitted to run once inside the property for their safety. This policy will be strictly enforced. There is a strict limit of one table per person that may be reserved in the backyard. Re-selling of picnic tables is not allowed and will result in expulsion from track grounds.

Fans planning to attend the Travers can review a full list of track policies at www.nyra.com/saratoga/visit/saratoga-track-policies.

• Taste NY: Food, Artisans & Craft Beer: Saturday will feature Taste NY: Food, Artisans and craft beer, a lively on-track market where guests can sample and shop New York food and crafts, and now enjoy craft beer tastings from select New York breweries (five samples for $5) in the Berkshire Bank Saratoga Pavilion from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The events will be complemented by handicapping tutorials and racing tips from the Bets Squad, as well as the opportunity to learn more about NYRA Bets and the all-new mobile app for Saratoga, NYRA XP.

• Ketel One Party at The Post: The fun will continue each Saturday of the season with the Ketel One Party at The Post. Saturday evenings at Saratoga will feature music from a DJ following the day’s final race, cocktail samplings and giveaways.

• Community Outreach Booth: The Community Outreach Booth will host the Backstretch Employee Service Team, which aids the hard-working men and women employed to take care of the horses in the barn area.Spa Mirbeau will offer chair and hand massage services on the Jockey Silks Porch from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In lieu of service fees, all guest contributions will be donated to the Backstretch Employee Service Team.