New York Racing Association to welcome University at Albany and Siena College students, alumni to Saratoga Race Course for College & Alumni Day

by Pat McKenna and Mark Bardack

Saratoga Race Course will turn green and gold and purple and gold when crosstown rivals University at Albany and Siena College convene for College & Alumni Day on Friday, July 29.

Students and alumni from the two Capital Region schools will enjoy a variety of activities and games throughout the day near the Saratoga Pavilion, presented by Time Warner Cable News, from noon to 4 p.m.

The activities, which are designed to engage the school's students and alumni in friendly competition, will include giant pong, ping pong, gladiator joust, corn hole and tug of war. A tally of wins for each school will be displayed throughout the day.

The New York Racing Association will present a $1,000 donation to each school following the day's first and second races, which will be named for Siena College and the University at Albany, respectively.

Additional scholarships to be awarded on College & Alumni Day will include:

• The New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. will present the Gerald A. Nielsen, Sr. New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. Scholarship to Cassandra Cromer, who is enrolled at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine; and the Debby Malloy Winkler New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. Scholarship to Natasha Tarnawa, a student at Cazenovia College. 

• The New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund will award scholarships to six students enrolled in equine study programs at New York State colleges. The recipients are: Kate Joslyn and Alexis Kania from SUNY Cobleskill; Casey Warren and Jared Radley from Morrisville State College; and Emilija Zygelyte and Alison Tuchrello from Cornell University.

The 2016 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course continues through Labor Day, Monday, September 7. For more information about Saratoga Race Course, visit www.nyra.com.