Horse racing and the Saratoga business community: A Q & A with Todd Shimkus

Live racing on the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit will return this week with a special July 4th Racing Festival to be held at Saratoga Race Course from Thursday, July 3, through Sunday, July 6.

Typically held at Belmont Park, the July 4th Racing Festival at Saratoga will serve as a prelude to the traditional 40-day Saratoga summer meet and conclude the 37-day Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet.

NYRA reached out to Todd Shimkus, president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, to learn more about how the July 4th Racing Festival and racing in Saratoga impacts the region.

Q. This year, NYRA expanded the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival to five days from June 4 – June 8. What were some of the successes of the Festival for local businesses? 

TS: “The businesses downtown that stayed open the night of the Belmont on Broadway did very well. Moving the start time of the concert to 7 p.m. provided shops and restaurants with an extra hour for locals and visitors to shop and dine out. Holding the concert on a race day meant that the crowd included both locals and visitors, which drove up attendance. Our hotels also reported higher occupancy this year versus last year starting Tuesday and running through the weekend. While I know the rain kept some away from the track, bad weather often times is good for shops, stores, and restaurants with indoor dining options, and it certainly seemed like this happened.”

Q. The July 4th Racing Festival, which will feature 10 stakes for combined purse money of $2.825 million, will attract some of the top horses in the country with a pair of key Grade 1 turf events in the Belmont Derby Invitational and Belmont Oaks Invitational. What do you expect in terms of tourist traffic to the region?

TS: “For years, the Chamber has organized Saratoga’s All-American Celebration to give locals a chance to celebrate Independence Day in the City and to drive up visitation. No doubt that this year with racing over that weekend, our chances of attracting more people than usual to the city have climbed considerably. Our hope is that on July 4th that people will run in the Firecracker4 road race in the morning, go to the track during the day, and come back downtown that night to listen to some music and to watch the fireworks from the top of the City Center parking lot. That sounds like a perfect package to entice locals and visitors to again gather together.”

Q. The July 4th Racing Festival will add to an already lively Independence Day weekend that will see SPAC host The Lumineers [July 3], the Brown’s Beach Fireworks Display [July 3] in Stillwater, and the annual Firecracker4 Road Race [July 4]. Tell us about the buzz in the region and some of the “can’t miss” events.

TS: “For families, there is no better fireworks show than the one in downtown Saratoga Springs which begins around 9 p.m. From the Lumineers at SPAC to local artists performing live downtown, our music scene will be showcased over the entire weekend at venues throughout the city and in surrounding towns and villages. Besides seeing the best horse racing in the world at Saratoga Race Course, people might take a stroll, run, or cycle through the Saratoga Spa State Park or the Saratoga National Battlefield Park or visit Brown’s Beach on Saratoga Lake. Of course, we have so many unique locally owned shops, restaurants, breweries, wineries, and coffee shops that you can find food, clothes, and gifts you won’t get anywhere else. Don’t forget, we are also a dog-friendly community with lots of options for outdoor walks and adventures.”

Q. The official slogan of Saratoga Springs is “Health, History and Horses.” Racing fans are already familiar with the ‘horses’ portion, but what about the other two ‘H’s’ – where should racing fans visit to engage with health and history?

TS: “For health, you must taste the waters that made Saratoga Springs such a popular destination hundreds of years ago and still today. There are maps at the Visitor Center so you can enjoy a self-guided tour. Just bring a cup with you to taste them all until you find your favorite. With respect to history, it starts with the Saratoga National Battlefield Park which is the site of the Turning Point of the American Revolution or Grant Cottage or just take a leisurely stroll downtown, on Union Avenue, and North Broadway to see how we have made historic preservation a priority in Saratoga.”

Q. In addition to tourism, racing also provides a wide array of jobs for the region. How important is that to the local economy and where do you see the summer racing program best helping local employment?

TS: “Saratoga Race Course and the horse racing industry has a $370 million economic impact on our region every year during the 40-day summer meet. This year with nine more racing days, that economic impact is likely to increase about $9 million a day. As the Belmont Stakes Festival at Saratoga has shown, Saratoga really is at the center of the universe when it comes to the best horse racing in the world. This is our professional sports franchise with more than 1 million in paid attendance annually which is more than the Knicks, Nets, Sabres, Islanders, and Rangers who all play 41 home games in New York State.”

Q. If fans can’t make it to Saratoga for the July 4th Racing Festival, when is the next best time to visit the Spa City?

TS: “Saratoga is home to the most popular summer racing meet in the world as well as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York City Ballet, Live Nation concerts at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and the Saratoga Casino. Besides watching the races, I always suggest people go to the track for the morning workouts, breakfast, and the chance to take a backstretch tour. The Fasig-Tipton Horse Sales are a spectacular celebration of horse racing’s future and a great night out. There are farm tours, the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame, the Saratoga Auto Museum, the Saratoga Children’s Museum, and the New York State Military Museum which means you can come for a few days or stay for a couple weeks and you will always find something to do.”

*

Daily admission for the July 4th Racing Festival will be available for $7 when purchased in advance or $10 day-of. For additional information on hospitality and tickets, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/.

For the complete stakes schedule for the July 4th Racing Festival, please visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/stakes-schedule/.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the July 4th Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the July 4th Racing Festival. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.