Francesca LeDonne Photo

PDJF Awareness Day at Saratoga Race Course to feature jockey autograph session

by Pat McKenna / Mark Bardack

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will unite with racetracks across the country as part of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys' Fund (PDJF) Awareness Day Across America at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, July 27.

The day's events will include a special meet and greet and autograph session. Riders from the Saratoga jockey colony will sign autographs on the Jockey Silks Room Porch from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. with a suggested donation to PDJF.

Fans who donate $5 to PDJF will receive a commemorative "Riders Up!" poster, while supplies last, and will be entered to win a framed limited edition "150 Years of Racing at Saratoga" print.

The Community Outreach Booth will host PDJF in honor of the day-long celebration at Saratoga Race Course. Fans are encouraged to visit the booth, which is located on the Jockey Silks Room Porch, to learn more about the not-for-profit organization's mission to provide financial assistance to former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries.

Saturday will feature a blockbuster day of racing, highlighted by the traditional prep for the Travers: the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy, presented by NYRA Bets. Among the top 3-year-olds anticipated to enter the starting gate for the Jim Dandy are Grade 1 Preakness Stakes winner War of Will and Grade 2 Wood Memorial winner and Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets runner-up Tacitus; as well as Grade 3 Peter Pan winner Global Campaign; Oaklawn Park Invitational winner and Preakness fifth-place finisher Laughing Fox; Grade 3 Withers winner and Belmont Stakes fourth-place finisher Tax; and Centennial Farms' Mihos, who won the Mucho Macho Man in January at Gulfstream Park.

The day's card, which will also include the Grade 1, $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap and the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green, will be featured on NYRA's flagship television show Saratoga Live, which will air nationally on FS2 beginning at 1 p.m.

Fans will also enjoy this week's edition of Fashion Saturdays, a weekly event designed to showcase the tradition of style in thoroughbred racing featuring women's and men's fashion apparel from local retailers, as well as a selection of home décor and jewelry items. The event is held each Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Coca-Cola Saratoga Pavilion.

The 2019 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course will continue through Labor Day, Monday, September 2. Racing at Saratoga Race Course is held five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays. Closing week will run Wednesday, August 28 through Labor Day.

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

ABOUT THE PDJF: The Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund mission is to promote awareness of the needs of permanently disabled jockeys through public advocacy; to provide financial support to permanently disabled jockeys to help defray everyday expenses associated with living with a catastrophic injury; to provide financial support and assistance in obtaining medical coverage for permanently disabled jockeys; and to promote medical research dedicated to reducing catastrophic injuries within the horse racing industry.