Chelsea Durand Photo

SARATOGA HIGHLIGHTS: WEEK 3

by Pat McKenna and Mark Bardack

WEDNESDAY, JULY 26
 
Honorable Miss Handicap:
Eclipse-award winning filly Echo Zulu will headline Wednesday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares.
 
Saratoga Live:
Saratoga Live presents daily coverage and analysis of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course 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 Tour will be offered on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays throughout this year’s meet. Fans will enjoy a buffet breakfast during morning training at Saratoga Race Course before boarding a CDTA trolley to Song Hill Thoroughbreds on Wednesdays or Old Tavern Farm on Thursdays and Fridays, where they will participate in a 60- to 90-minute guided walking tour. Admission to the races in the afternoon is included in the package. Tickets, which are $85 for adults and $35 for children 12 and under, must be reserved in advance at NYRA.com. Inventory is limited.
 
Community Outreach Booth:
NYRA will host Ávila Independent Retirement Community, one of the Capital Region’s leading independent retirement communities for seniors seeking an active lifestyle. Ávila will be raising awareness and funds for the upcoming 2023 Walk to End Alzheimer's in Albany. The Community Outreach Booth is located adjacent to the Jockey Silks Room, inside Gate B.
 
Purdy’s Summer Concert Stage:
The Purdy’s Summer Concert Stage will host live musical performances each afternoon of the season from popular local and regional bands. On Wednesday, fans can enjoy live music from Bluebillies.
 
THURSDAY, JULY 27
 
Birdstone:
Thursday’s feature is the $200,000 Birdstone, a 1 ¾-mile marathon on the main track for older horses.
 
First Responders Day:
All first responders will receive free admission with proper ID. NYRA will host special same-day performances by the FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums and the New York State Troopers Pipes and Drums. Other first responders recognized will include members of the Saratoga Springs Police Department and Saratoga Springs Fire Department, which will showcase one of their fire engines in the backyard and offer fire safety information and kids activities. Festivities will include a trackside demonstration by a New York State Police K-9 unit, in addition to a recruiting event hosted by the State Police between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Jockey Silks Room Porch.
 
Taste NY Pavilion:
The Taste NY Pavilion, located inside Gate A at the Top of the Stretch, features New York-made food and beverages, available for sample and purchase. Fans can visit the pavilion Thursdays through Sundays, from noon to 5 p.m., to enjoy New York craft beer, hard cider, wine, spirits, cheese, chocolate and gelato from Long Island to the Adirondacks and the Capital Region to Western New York (must be 21 and over to sample and purchase alcoholic beverages).
 
Saratoga Low Roller Contest:
Horseplayers can enjoy the Saratoga Low Roller Contest held exclusively on-track every Thursday and Sunday at Saratoga Race Course. Fans can pre-register on contest days outside the Miller Time Fourstardave Sports Bar. There is a $40 buy-in, of which $30 will go to the player’s bankroll and $10 to the prize pool. The winner will receive a Saratoga Low Roller championship T-shirt in addition to the cash prize.
 
Community Outreach Booth:
NYRA will host the Saratoga Springs Fire Department on First Responders Day. The Saratoga Springs Fire Department is dedicated to delivering the highest quality fire suppression and prevention and advanced emergency medical services for the protection of those in our community.
 
Purdy’s Summer Concert Stage:
The Purdy’s Summer Concert Stage will host live music from Fenimore Blues.
 
FRIDAY, JULY 28

Amsterdam:
Drew’s Gold will headline a field of sophomores sprinting six-and-a-half furlongs in Friday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam.
 
Truly Yours:
Fans 21 and older can enjoy complimentary samples of Truly Flavored Vodka from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Boston Beer gazebo across from the Purdy’s Summer Music Stage. Available while supplies last to guests with valid ID.
 
Community Outreach Booth:
The Community Booth will host North Country Wild Care, which 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 Dealt The Blues.
 
SATURDAY, JULY 29
 
Jim Dandy and Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap:
Belmont Stakes runner-up Forte will lead a field that is expected to include Hit Show and Angel of Empire in Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy presented by DK Horse, the traditional Spa prep for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers. Reigning Champion Male Sprinter Elite Power and Gunite are expected to square off in the Grade 1, $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap, a six-furlong sprint for sophomores and older horses.
 
FOX SARATOGA SATURDAY:
The Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy presented by DK Horse will air nationwide on FOX with live coverage and analysis beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern. The broadcast will mark the second in a series of six consecutive Saturdays of unprecedented live coverage from Saratoga Race Course on FOX.
 
Permanently Disabled Jockeys’ Fund Awareness Day:
Uniting with racetracks across the country to support the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) Day, riders at Saratoga Race Course will participate in a host of activities to raise awareness and funding for the PDJF. Highlighting the day’s events will be a special autograph session with members of the Saratoga jockey colony at the Jockey Silks Room Porch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with suggested donations to benefit the PDJF.
 
Saratoga Jockey Trading Cards:
NYRA will pay tribute to the jockey colony at Saratoga Race Course while raising funds for the PDJF with the launch of jockey trading cards. Fans will be given the opportunity to purchase a pack of five jockey trading cards for $5, with a limit of three packs per person. Similar in design to baseball trading cards, the limited-edition cards will feature 20 of Saratoga’s active and most popular jockeys. There are 4,500 total packs available for purchase with all proceeds to be donated to the PDJF. Jockey cards are randomly sorted in each pack and feature the jockey’s picture and home country flag on the front and personal details and racing statistics on the back. Representatives from PDJF will be on site collecting donations and selling the jockey trading card sets inside Gate A near the Taste NY Pavilion beginning at 11 a.m. while supplies last.
 
Mount Gay Rum:
Fans 21 and older can enjoy complimentary samples of the Eclipse & Tonic cocktail featuring Mount Gay Eclipse Rum from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., just outside The Porch. Available while supplies last to guests with valid ID.
 
Community Outreach Booth:
NYRA will host the PDJF at the Community Outreach Booth. The PDJF provides assistance to former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries. Since its founding in 2006, the fund has disbursed approximately $13 million to permanently disabled jockeys, most of whom have sustained paralysis or brain injuries.
 
Purdy’s Summer Concert Stage:
The Purdy’s Summer Concert Stage will host live music from ILL Funk.
 
SUNDAY, JULY 30
 
Bowling Green:
Closing out the third week of racing at the Spa is the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green, a 1 3/8-mile turf handicap for older horses.
 
Handicapping Seminar and Meet-and-Greet:
Spend a Sunday at the races learning betting strategies and tips from expert handicappers in the Spa’s newest hospitality venue, the climate-controlled Paddock Suite. Guests will also be treated to a meet-and-greet with track announcer Frank Mirahmadi, along with a rotating cast of on-track talent, personalities and VIPs. Tickets can be purchased through Fevo.
 
Sunday Brunch at The Rail at the 1863 Club:
Fans are invited to enjoy a brunch buffet while experiencing The Rail at the 1863 Club, the first-floor banquet space at the 1863 Club. Tickets start at $100 and include admission, a table seat for the day, brunch buffet, soft drinks, two mimosa or Bloody Mary drink tickets per person, 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.
 
Berkshire Bank Family Sundays:
The popular family-friendly weekly event features a wide variety of free activities, games, attractions and educational experiences from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Berkshire Bank Family Zone, located inside Gate A near the Saratoga Race Course Box Office. This week’s theme is Saratoga’s Got Talent, and will feature a DIY craft station, giant mural, break dancers, games and relays.
 
Community Outreach Booth:
Christie’s Heartoberfest is dedicated to the memory of Christie Tolosky by
raising funds and awareness for Long QT Syndrome, a rare and potentially fatal condition that causes quick, erratic heartbeats.
 
Purdy’s Summer Concert Stage:
The Purdy’s Summer Concert Stage will host live music from Wyld Blu.
 
All events and activities are subject to change at the discretion of NYRA.