2024 Saratoga Highlights: Week 5
SARATOGA HIGHLIGHTS: WEEK #5
Week #5 at Saratoga Race
Course,Wednesday, August 7 –
Sunday, August 11
Johnstone Mile
and Jonathan Kiser Novice Stakes:
New York-bred
fillies and mares will compete in Wednesday’s $125,000 Johnstone Mile Handicap
starting from the Wilson Chute. The Johnstone Mile Handicap honors NYRA’s late
Racing Operations Manager Bruce Johnstone, who held that position for 13 years.
The card will also
feature the rescheduled $75,000 Jonathan Kiser, part of the Saratoga
steeplechase schedule.
Saratoga Live:
Saratoga Live will present live coverage
and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX
Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and
additional programming information, visit NYRA.com/SaratogaLive.
Saratoga
Breakfast and Breeding Farm Tour presented by CDTA:
NYRA’s Saratoga
Breakfast and Breeding Farm Tours are offered every Wednesday through Saturday
(excluding Aug. 24). Fans will enjoy a buffet breakfast during morning training
at Saratoga Race Course before boarding a CDTA trolley to Song Hill Thoroughbreds
on Wednesdays and Thursdays; Old Tavern Farm on Fridays; and Sugar Plum Farm on
Saturdays. General admission to the races in the afternoon is included in the
package. Tickets must be reserved in advance at NYRA.com.
Saratoga Happy
Hour:
Fans age 21 and
older can enjoy Happy Hour every racing day at the Miller Time Fourstardave
Sports Bar from 4:30 p.m. to end of racing. Specials include two-for-one
12-ounce beers and half off select cocktails and glasses of wine.
Community
Outreach Booth:
NYRA will host The
Salvation Army of Saratoga Springs at the Community Booth on Wednesday. The
Salvation Army is an international movement and an organization dedicated to
“doing the most good” in the communities they serve.
Purdy’s Summer
Concert Stage:
The Purdy’s Summer
Concert Stage will host live music from Doc Scanlon to kick off the second half
of the summer meet at Saratoga.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 8
John Morrissey
Handicap:
Thursday’s card is
headlined by the $125,000 John Morrissey, a six-furlong handicap on the main
track for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up.
Taste NY
Pavilion:
New York-made food
and beverages will be available for sample and purchase at the Taste NY
Pavilion, located inside Gate A at the Top of the Stretch, where fans can enjoy
New York craft beers, wines, spirits, cheese and chocolate (must be 21 and over
to sample and purchase alcoholic beverages).
Community
Outreach Booth:
NYRA will host
Saratoga Bridges which empowers individuals with intellectual disabilities and
their families by helping them to identify and pursue their life goals through
knowledge, collaboration and experience.
Purdy’s Summer
Concert Stage:
The Purdy’s Summer
Concert Stage will host live music from Captain Squeeze and the Zydeco Moshers.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9
Evan Shipman and
Union Avenue Handicaps:
A pair of $125,000
handicaps for New York-breds highlight Friday’s card with the Evan Shipman at
one-mile for 3-year-olds and up and the six-furlong Union Avenue for fillies
and mares 3-years-old and up.
Betting Basics
with Matthew DeSantis:
NYRA Bets Content
Producer and Handicapper Matthew DeSantis will teach betting basics during
Breakfast at Saratoga to give fans of all ages their best shot at walking away
a winner. Classes will be held every Friday morning from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at
The Porch.
Tequila Tasting:
Fans 21 and older
can enjoy complimentary tastings of the Casa Cosmo at the Casa Noble Clubhouse
Bar, located on the second level of the Clubhouse. White Claw Hard Seltzer will
also be available for sampling at the White Claw gazebo, located adjacent to the
mutuels bay in the backyard. Samples are available from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., while
supplies last.
Berkshire Bank
Horse Sense:
Fans of all ages
can pet a retired thoroughbred every Friday through Sunday from noon to 2 p.m.
at Berkshire Bank Horse Sense. The family-friendly attraction is located inside
Gate A and is presented by Berkshire Bank.
Community
Outreach Booth:
NYRA will host
Caffe Lena School of Music, which teaches and encourages students to play in
small, friendly groups and master a repertoire of enduring folk songs, all
geared toward making music a “go-to” social pastime.
Purdy’s Summer
Concert Stage:
The Purdy’s Summer
Concert Stage will host live music from The Swingin’ Palms.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10
FIRST POST: 12:35 P.M.
Four Graded
Stakes featuring the FanDuel Fourstardave and Saratoga Derby Invitational:
The Grade 1,
$500,000 FanDuel Fourstardave, a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Grade 1
Breeders’ Cup Mile, headlines a blockbuster day at Saratoga Race Course that
will now include the rescheduled Grade 1, $600,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational
at 1 3/16-miles on turf for sophomores; Grade 2, $300,000 Troy for older turf
sprinters; Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special for 2-year-olds on the main track
and the $150,000 Galway for turf filly sophomore sprinters.
The Saratoga Derby
Invitational will serve as an international qualifier for the Group 1, AUD$5
million Ladbrokes Cox Plate.
FOX Saratoga
Saturday:
Live broadcast
coverage from Saratoga Race Course returns to FOX from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. FOX
Saratoga Saturday will air for consecutive weeks through Saturday, Aug. 24.
Tasting Exacta:
Fourstardave Day
will feature a pair of complimentary samplings outside the Cutwater Stretch and
at the Hendrick’s Gin Bar on the second level of the Clubhouse. Cutwater canned
cocktails and the Hendrick’s Gin Daisy will be available for fans 21 and older
to enjoy from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., while supplies last.
Community
Outreach Booth:
Gurtler Brothers
VFW Post 420 preserves and strengthens comradeship by assisting worthy members,
perpetuating the memory and history of our dead and assisting their widows and
orphans.
Purdy’s Summer
Concert Stage:
The Purdy’s Summer
Concert Stage will host live music from IMI.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 11
Mahony:
Sunday’s feature is
the $150,000 Mahony, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for sophomores. The race is
named in honor of Patrick Mahony, the longtime senior vice president of mutuels
at NYRA who spent more than 50 years in the racing industry before retiring in
2016.
Special Sunday
Savings:
Fans can take
advantage of special Sunday ticket offers available for purchase at NYRA.com/Deals including the following:
$20 Sunday Saver
Pass, valid for general admission for each of the four remaining Sundays.
Standard daily admission is $10 on race day for a savings of up to 50 percent.
$99 Sunday Saver
Family 4-Pack, which includes four grandstand reserved seats, four admissions,
four Post Parade programs and $40 in loaded value that may be redeemed at
select on-track concessions.
$44 Surfside Sunday
4-Pack, which includes four general admission tickets and four Surfside canned
cocktails; or the $84 Surfside Sunday 4-Pack, which includes four grandstand
reserved seats and four Surfside canned cocktails. Surfside ready-to-drink cocktails
are available at the Surfside Gazebo, Jim Dandy Bar, Surfside portable bar on
the second level of the Grandstand and at other select bars and concessions.
This package is available to fans 21 years of age and older.
Sunday Brunch at
The Rail at the 1863 Club:
Fans are invited to
enjoy a brunch buffet in The Rail at the 1863 Club, the first-floor banquet
space. Tickets start at $105 and include admission, a table seat for the day,
brunch buffet, soft drinks, Post Parade program book, tax and gratuity.
Reservations are available by calling the NYRA Box Office at 844-NYRA-TIX or
online at Ticketmaster.com.
Sunday
Introduction to Handicapping and Meet-and-Greet:
Enjoy a Sunday in
the Paddock Suite, learning betting strategies and tips from expert
handicappers. Tickets start at $75 and include admission, Post Parade program
book, light fare platters, and a table seat for the day within the
climate-controlled, shared suite overlooking the historic saddling area. Fans
will also be treated to a meet-and-greet with Saratoga Race Course’s track
announcer Frank Mirahmadi. Tickets can be purchased online through Fevo.
Family Sundays
at the Family Fun Zone:
The popular
family-friendly weekly event includes a wide variety of free activities, games,
attractions and educational experiences from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Family
Zone, located inside Gate A near the Saratoga Race Course Box Office. This
week’s theme is Summer Olympics.
Community
Outreach Booth:
North Country Wild
Care will close out week five at the Community Outreach Booth. The nonprofit
assists Wildlife Rehabilitators in Albany, Essex, Fulton, Montgomery,
Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington counties.
Purdy’s Summer
Concert Stage:
The Purdy’s Summer
Concert Stage will host live music from Twangbusters.
All events and
activities are subject to change at the discretion of NYRA.