Spring training to begin at historic Oklahoma Training Track on April 17

by Pat McKenna and Mark Bardack

The thoroughbreds will make their way back to the Spa City in a prelude to the annual summer meet at Saratoga Race Course when the famed Oklahoma Training Track officially opens for spring training on Monday, April 17. 

The start of spring training also welcomes the re-opening of the Whitney Viewing Stand, which overlooks the Oklahoma Training Track and offers the public the opportunity to view the morning workouts and training ritual from a unique vantage point.  

The viewing stand is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 6 to 10:30 a.m. It will open daily with the start of the 2017 Saratoga meet on Friday, July 21 through Labor Day. The public can access the stand from the East Avenue gate of the Oklahoma Training Track, where free parking is available.

The Whitney Viewing Stand first opened in 2013 in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the first organized four-day race meeting in Saratoga Springs, which took place in 1863 near the site of the Oklahoma Training Track. 

2017 weekly ticket plans to be available for purchase beginning April 19

Two days after spring training begins, the New York Racing Association, Inc. will welcome the general public to purchase weekly reserved seat ticket plans for the 2017 Saratoga meet beginning Wednesday, April 19 at 10 a.m. EDT. The plans may be purchased online through NYRA AccountManager.

A weekly ticket plan offers racing fans an opportunity to purchase seats in the Clubhouse or Grandstand before single-day reserved seating is made available to the general public. Weekly ticket plans provide a reserved seat for six consecutive days of the meet from Wednesday through Monday (Friday through Monday for Opening Weekend).  

Weekly ticket plans for the 2017 meet at Saratoga Race Course are available as follows:

• Week 1, Opening Weekend: Fri. July 21 through Mon. July 24
• Week 2, featuring the Jim Dandy: Wed. July 26 through Mon. July 31
• Week 3, featuring the Whitney: Wed. Aug. 2 through Mon. Aug. 7
• Week 4, featuring the Fourstardave: Wed. Aug. 9 through Mon. Aug. 14
• Week 5, featuring the Alabama: Wed. Aug. 16 through Mon. Aug. 21
• Week 6, featuring the Travers: Wed. Aug. 23 through Mon. Aug. 28
• Week 7, featuring the Woodward: Wed. Aug. 30 through Mon. Sept. 4

Weekly ticket plan holders may exchange any unwanted race day ticket(s) for an alternate race day of their choice (based on available inventory, restrictions apply) via NYRA AccountManager.

Single-day reserved seats in the Clubhouse and Grandstand will be available for purchase beginning Wednesday, May 3 at 10 a.m. EDT.

Single-day reserved seats will be available via Ticketmaster.com. All weekly ticket plans and single-day reserved seats include admission. 

Fans may take advantage of the Saratoga Virtual Venue seating map to digitally preview their seat location and sightlines before purchasing tickets. All tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis (according to available inventory).

Full-season ticket plans and season admission passes for the 2017 meet are currently on-sale and may be purchased online through NYRA AccountManager. Full-season ticket plans include reserved seats for all 40 days of the meet plus admission.

A season pass provides fans with admission to 40 days of world-class thoroughbred racing at Saratoga Race Course, including the Grade 1 Travers on Saturday, August 26 and the Grade 1 Whitney on Saturday, August 5. The cost for a 2017 Grandstand season pass is $40; a Clubhouse season pass is $65. Season passes do not include reserved seating and are valid for one admission.

All season ticket plan and season pass holders benefit from the Saratoga Season Perks program which includes special discounts at area retailers, restaurants, concerts, theme parks and sporting events. Season ticket plan and season pass holders will receive a 10 percent savings with an activated season pass beginning June 1, 2017 through March 31, 2018. 

Season pass activation instructions are available at NYRA.com/Saratoga. 

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