Francesca Le Donne Photo

Fact Sheet: Opening Weekend at Saratoga Race Course: Friday, July 20 – Monday, July 23, 2018

by Pat Mckenna; Mark Bardack

GENERAL INFORMATION AND ADMISSION/RESERVED SEATS

• Opening Day of the 2018 season is Friday, July 20. Gates open at 11 a.m. Post-time for the first race is 1 p.m. 

• The 2018 season will run from Friday, July 20 through Labor Day, Monday, September 3. After opening weekend, racing will be conducted six days a week, Wednesdays through Mondays. 

• Single-day Grandstand admission is $5 and Clubhouse admission is $8 for guests who purchase their tickets prior to the day of the event. Single-day Grandstand admission is $7 and Clubhouse admission is $10 when purchased at the gate.

• Grandstand and Clubhouse admission may be purchased in advance online at Ticketmaster.com or in-person at the NYRA Box Office at Saratoga Race Course.

• Limited reserved seating is available for Opening Weekend and for each Saturday of the season (except Travers Day). With increased demand and limited inventory, fans are strongly encouraged to purchase reserved seats in advance through Ticketmaster.com or through the NYRA Box Office at Saratoga Race Course.

• Coolers are not permitted inside the building or clubhouse at any time. Coolers no larger than 12" x 18" are permitted on the trackside apron and Top of the Stretch and must be kept off seats and out of aisles. Coolers are subject to search by NYRA security at any time. Guests are reminded that these policies will be strictly enforced.

• For more information about Saratoga Race Course, visit NYRA.com.

SEASON PASSES

• Season admission passes are available for purchase at NYRA.com and in-person at the NYRA Box Office at Saratoga Race Course, as well as at more than 150 Stewart's Shops locations throughout the Capital Region. 

• The cost of a 2018 Grandstand season pass is $40; a Clubhouse season pass is $65. A season pass covers admission all 40 days of the meet, including Travers Day. Reserved seating is not included.

RACING

• The 2018 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course includes 69 stakes worth $18.8 million in purses, highlighted by the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on Saturday, August 25 and the Grade 1, $1.2 million Whitney on Saturday, August 4. 

• Opening Weekend will include five graded stakes, led by the Grade 1 Diana on Saturday, July 21 and the Grade 1 Coaching Club Oaks on Sunday, July 22. 

• Opening Day features its traditional pair of graded stakes: the Schuylerville and the Lake George.

THE STRETCH

• The 2018 season will be marked by the debut of Saratoga’s newest hospitality area: The Stretch, located in the Grandstand at the Top of the Stretch. 

• The Stretch will offer fans an all-new private hospitality area featuring modern and upscale amenities in a casual environment with breathtaking views of thoroughbreds rounding the final turn as they enter the dramatic stretch run.

• The Stretch features a total of 32 new modern boxes, each offering unique configurations accommodating parties ranging from four to 12 guests; as well as a two-tiered dining area which will feature four, six and eight-person tables. 

• The front section of The Stretch contains approximately 200 premium reserved seats, available for daily reservation, which are each flanked by a table. 

• Ticket holders to The Stretch will enjoy exclusive access to a full-service bar, kitchen and concessions, high-definition televisions and video screens, special events, and private restrooms. 

• Guests will also enjoy a relaxed dress code at The Stretch.

• A limited number of Standing Room Only tickets are available for Opening Day and Saturday, July 21. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 844-NYRA-TIX or at the check-in desk at The Stretch (while supplies last).

• Fans who want to enjoy a premium reserved seat at The Stretch during Opening Weekend may do so for Sunday, July 22 and Monday, July 23 through Ticketmaster.com or the NYRA Box Office.

COPPER ROOF

• Guests in attendance on Opening Day will see the culmination of efforts that began in 2015 to restore copper that historically bordered the slate-covered roof on buildings throughout the property. 

• In the mid-1970s, the copper was replaced by red-and-white awnings and striped canopies, which do not protect the facility from inclement weather, nor do they align with the historic architecture of Saratoga.

• These preservation efforts and infrastructure upgrades will be seen most prominently along the exterior of the Clubhouse from the Easy Goer to the Club Terrace, which will feature the addition of copper along the roofline for the 2018 season. 

• Copper is also visible at the paddock mutuel building, to which copper accents were added in 2017, and at the archway over the Clubhouse escalator, which was installed in 2016.

WAGERS

• The 2018 season will include the return of the NYRA Bets Lake Pick 5. The multi-race wager, which quickly became one of the most popular bets in the nation last summer, covers the last five races of every card of live racing at Saratoga. It features a minimum single-ticket payout of $150,000 daily and $300,000 on Saturdays to NYRA Bets customers nationwide online and on-track in New York. The offer is only available to NYRA Bets customers. 

• On Saturday, July 21, NYRA will partner with Saratoga Casino Hotel to offer a special day/night, cross-breed Daily Double wager comprised of the Grade 1, $500,000 Diana and the 10th annual $260,000 Joe Gerrity Memorial Pace, the premier race for standardbreds at Saratoga Harness track. The “Toga Toga” Daily Double, hosted by NYRA, includes a $1 minimum wager and will be available on-track at both Saratoga Race Course and Saratoga Harness track as well as through NYRA Bets, ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. 

SARATOGA LIVE

• Opening Day will also welcome the return of NYRA’s flagship television show Saratoga Live, presented by Claiborne Farm. 

• Launched to critical acclaim in 2016, Saratoga Live will reach a national and regional audience of 75 million homes every live race day from Saratoga on FS2 and through regional sports networks including MSG+, FOX Sports Prime Ticket, Fox Sports San Diego and Altitude Sports. 

• Saratoga Live’s 2018 broadcast team includes host Greg Wolf, handicapper Andy Serling, analysts Gabby Gaudet and Paul Lo Duca, paddock analyst Maggie Wolfendale, and trainer Tom Amoss. 

• To access the full 2018 schedule, visit www.NYRA.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule. 

SPECIAL EVENTS

Coca-Cola will serve as the official partner of the Coca-Cola Saratoga Pavilion, the on-track venue where NYRA hosts 40 days of special events, activities and entertainment.

Opening Weekend activities and special events are as follows:  

• The inaugural Friday edition of Taste NY: Craft Beer, which offers guests a selection of New York craft beers available for sampling on Opening Day and each consecutive Friday of the meet. Fans will be able to sample five craft beers for $5 at the Coca-Cola Saratoga Pavilion from noon to 5 p.m.

• The debut of Fashion Saturdays, a weekly event offering a boutique-style shopping experience featuring women's and men's fashion apparel and accessories from local retailers, as well as a selection of home décor, jewelry, spa and beauty items. The event will be held each Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Coca-Cola Saratoga Pavilion. 

• On Sunday, fans will enjoy the first giveaway of the season - a black Saratoga baseball cap featuring the traditional Saratoga logo emblazoned in red, presented by Saratoga Casino Hotel. All giveaways are free with paid admission, while supplies last. Guests who purchase a season pass or season ticket plan are guaranteed to receive the Saratoga baseball cap and each additional premium Saratoga giveaway item based on the following guidelines: Season pass or season ticket holders must be present at Saratoga Race Course on the day of the giveaway; enter through the designated season ticket holder lines; and redeem the giveaway by no later than 3 p.m. Redemptions will begin on Sunday when gates open to the general public at 10:30 a.m.

• The 27th annual Hat Contest, presented by Hat Sationa! by DEI, on Sunday. Participants are invited to compete in three distinct categories: Uniquely Saratoga; Fashionably Saratoga; and Kreative Kids. Registration for the Hat Contest will begin at noon under the grandstand. The competition will take place after the second, third and fourth races on the track apron for the chance to win a variety of prizes provided by Hat Sationa! by DEI.

• Berkshire Bank Family Mondays, held each Monday of the meet at the Coca-Cola Saratoga Pavilion from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. All kid-friendly games and activities, including the opportunity to pet a retired thoroughbred, are free of charge, with the exception of one designated activity which carries a suggested donation to benefit a local school or PTA. The beneficiary of the first Monday of the season is Lisha Kill Middle School.

BREAKFAST AT SARATOGA

• Guests this season can enjoy Breakfast at Saratoga, presented by the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA). Breakfast at Saratoga is available daily (except Travers Day) during which fans are invited to enjoy breakfast on The Porch of the Clubhouse while the thoroughbreds train on the main track. 

• Breakfast is available on a first-come, first-served basis from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. 

• The morning buffet is $18.50 for adults and $10.25 for kids ages 12 and under. 

• Mornings at Saratoga also welcome fans to go behind the scenes with a free, guided backstretch tram tour, courtesy of CDTA. Tram tours begin at 7:30 a.m. and depart from the Clubhouse entrance approximately every 15 minutes through 9 a.m. Tours are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are 45 minutes in length.