Hats to play feature role during opening weekend at Saratoga Race Course
by Pat Mckenna; Mark Bardack
The New York Racing Association, Inc. will honor the tradition of hats in thoroughbred racing with two events on Sunday, July 23, part of a series of festivities during Opening Weekend of the 2017 season at Saratoga Race Course.
Hundreds of contestants will don creative and fashionable head toppers on Sunday to compete in what has become a staple of Opening Weekend at Saratoga Race Course: the 26th annual Hat Contest. Registration begins at noon under the grandstand for three categories. Hats will be judged after the second, third and fourth races on the track apron.
Kreative Kids marks the first category of the afternoon and is reserved for those 18 and under. Participants will vie for the first, second and third place prizes of fascinators from Hat Sationa! By DEI.
The Fashionably Saratoga category invites contestants to wear elegant and stylish hats after the third race. Following the fourth race, the most original artisans will compete in the Uniquely Saratoga category.
The first place winner in both the Fashionably and Uniquely Saratoga category will each receive a $100 gift certificate to Hat Sationa! by DEI. Second and third place winners will receive $50 and $25 gift certificates from Hat Sationa! by DEI, respectively. All gift certificates to Hat Sationa! by DEI are valid at both of the hat retailer's locations in Saratoga Springs: 322 Broadway and 510 Broadway.
The opening Sunday of the Saratoga season will also include the first giveaway - a Saratoga baseball cap, presented by Saratoga Casino Hotel, free with paid admission, while supplies last.
Season pass and season ticket plan holders will be guaranteed a Saratoga baseball cap contingent on the following: Guests must be in attendance at Saratoga Race Course, enter through the designated season ticket and pass holder lines and redeem the giveaway by 3 p.m. Redemptions will begin when gates open to the general public.
Saratoga season admission passes are currently available for purchase online through NYRA Account Manager at https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/nyraand in-person at nearly 160 Stewart's Shops locations. Clubhouse admission passes are available in limited quantities.
Additionally, guests on Sunday will enjoy Taste NY: Food and Artisans, a lively on-track market where guests can sample and shop food and crafts in the Berkshire Bank Saratoga Pavilion from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The market will be held each Saturday and Sunday of the 2017 meet. 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 NYRA XP.
Sunday's feature is the second Grade 1 stakes of the season, the Coaching Club American Oaks for three-year-old fillies.
Limited reserved seating in the clubhouse and reserved tables in the Miller Lite Picnic Paddock and Fourstardave Sports Bar are currently available for Opening Weekend through www.Ticketmaster.com.
The New York Racing Association reminds guests to allot extra time for arrival due to enhanced magnetic screening at the admission gates.
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.
The 2017 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course begins on Friday, July 21 and concludes on Labor Day, Monday, September 4. For more information about Saratoga Race Course, visit www.NYRA.com/Saratoga.
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