What's Happening Week 5 at 2017 Saratoga Race Course

by Pat McKenna; Mark Bardack

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16 

• Bolton Landing: The day's feature race is the $100,000 Bolton Landing for 2-year-old fillies on the turf.

• Adirondack Day: The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will celebrate Adirondack Day at the Berkshire Bank Saratoga Pavilion from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The day is presented by the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council in partnership with the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau, Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism and Warren County Department of Tourism. The day will highlight the unique history, culture and tourism attractions of the Adirondack region. Guests will have the opportunity to experience Adirondack life with a variety of activities, including log stamping, weaving, and balsam bag assembly. Adirondack Wildlife Refuge and Rehabilitation Center will showcase live animals native to the Adirondacks. The event will also include a craft beverage tasting with numerous regional breweries and wineries. Samples of fresh local farm food will be available. Live entertainment will be provided by musician Jason Irwin, who plays frequently in the Adirondack region.

• Travers Tickets: Fans who purchase Travers Day grandstand admission tickets in advance will save $5 off the price of admission the day of the event. Advance grandstand admission tickets are $10. Pending availability, grandstand admission on Travers Day, Saturday, August 26, will be $15. Paid attendance will be capped at 50,000. A limited number of clubhouse admission tickets are available for $25. Clubhouse upgrades will not be available on Travers Day. Travers Day grandstand and clubhouse admission tickets may be purchased in advance online at www.Ticketmaster.com, on the NYRA XP app, or in-person at the NYRA Box Office at Saratoga Race Course. All reserved seats, dining and hospitality are sold out for the 148^thrunning of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers, presented by NYRA Bets.

• Express Pickup with NYRA XP: NYRA XP allows guests to personalize and enhance their on-track experience through their mobile device. NYRA XP users can now use the app to order food, beverage and merchandise from select on-track concessions via Express Pickup. Participating concessions include Shake Shack; Lobster Hut; Paddock Pizzeria; Sams and Clams Chowder Bar; and the Saratoga Silks store. NYRA XP users can also learn about upcoming events, purchase tickets, pin their car location, find their seat location, wager through NYRA Bets, live stream races and customize their viewing experience from various camera locations. NYRA XP is available for free download in iOS (Apple) and Android (Google Play) stores.

• NYRA Bets Late Pick 5: The NYRA Bets Late Pick 5 is available exclusively to NYRA Bets members across the country and to bettors in New York wagering on-track or through a simulcast facility. The popular multi-race wager covers the last five races of every card of live racing at Saratoga - and features the same 15 percent takeout rate and $0.50 bet minimum as the existing early pick 5. The NYRA Bets Late Pick 5 features a minimum single-ticket payout of $150,000 daily and $300,000 on Saturdays. The single-ticket payout is available only to NYRA Bets customers online and on-track betting with a NYRA Bets account. Fans who sign-up for a NYRA Bets account at NYRA Bets.com will earn a $200 sign-up bonus.

• Breakfast at Saratoga, presented by B95.5 FM Breakfast Club: Fans are invited to enjoy breakfast on The Porch of the clubhouse while the thoroughbreds train on the main track. Breakfast is held from 7 to 9:30 a.m. and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The morning buffet is $18.50 for adults and $10.25 for kids. Mornings at Saratoga also welcome fans to go behind the scenes with a free, guided backstretch tram tour. Tram tours begin at 7:30 a.m. and depart from the clubhouse entrance approximately every 15 minutes through 9 a.m. Tours are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are 45 minutes in length. Breakfast and tours are available daily, except Travers Day, Saturday, August 26.

• Community Outreach Booth: The Community Outreach Booth will host Capital District New York Synchronized Skating, which represents athlete skaters from across the Capital Region, including members from the Albany Figure Skating Club and the Saratoga Springs Figure Skating Club.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 17

• Union Avenue (NYB): The day's feature is for 3-year-old and up New York-bred fillies and mares for a purse of $100,000.

• Taste NY: Cider, Wine & Spirits: Taste NY: Cider, Wine & Spirits offers guests a selection of cider, wine and spirits available for sampling each Thursday of the meet in partnership with the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets. Fans will be able to select five samples for $5 at the Berkshire Bank Saratoga Pavilion from noon to 5 p.m.

• Community Outreach Booth: The Community Outreach Booth will host the Saratoga Foundation for Innovative Learning, a non-profit organization comprised of community members who share a common goal of fostering forward-thinking and creative opportunities in the Saratoga Springs City School District.

• Tequila & Taco Thursdays: Each Thursday of the season, guests will enjoy specials on margaritas and tacos at The Post, as well as live flamenco guitar performances following the day's final race.  

• "At the Post Live: Serling on Saratoga": NYRA TV broadcast analyst and nationally recognized thoroughbred racing personality Andy Serling hosts this live broadcast on ESPN Radio 104.5 "The Team" at The Parting Glass in downtown Saratoga Springs from 8 to 9 p.m.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18

• Skidmore: The day's feature race is the $100,000 Skidmore for 2-year-olds on the turf.

• Taste NY: Craft Beer: This weekly event offers guests a selection of New York craft beers available for sampling in partnership with the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets. Fans will be able to sample five craft beers for $5 at the Berkshire Bank Saratoga Pavilion from noon to 5 p.m.

• Community Outreach Booth: The Community Outreach Booth will host the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, which aims to preserve the history and foster understanding of thoroughbred racing in America. The museum provides public access to equine art, artifacts, memorabilia, film, video, books, and historical archives.

• Woodford Reserve Fridays at The Post: Racing fans are invited to continue their day at Saratoga with Woodford Reserve Fridays at The Post, the lively bar and entertainment spot located adjacent to the paddock. Each Friday of the meet will feature a DJ and dancing, cocktail samplings and trivia at The Post following the day's final race.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19

• Alabama: The day's feature race is for the nation's top 3-year-old fillies - the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama at the classic distance of a mile and a quarter. The day's card also features the Grade 2, $300,000 Lake Placid, also for 3-year-old fillies, on the turf.

• Lustgarten Foundation Day: Saratoga will honor the legacy of trainer Dominic Galluscio with a day to benefit The Lustgarten Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance scientific and medical research related to pancreatic cancer. The day will feature an autograph session with various Saratoga trainers from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. near the paddock mutuel bay. Autographs will be available for a suggested $10 donation, which will benefit The Lustgarten Foundation. 

• Taste NY: Food, Artisans & Craft Beer: Saturday will feature Taste NY: Food, Artisans and craft beer, a lively on-track market where guests can sample and shop New York food and crafts, and now enjoy craft beer tastings from select New York breweries (five samples for $5) in the Berkshire Bank Saratoga Pavilion from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The events will be complemented by handicapping tutorials and racing tips from the Bets Squad, as well as the opportunity to learn more about NYRA Bets and the all-new mobile app for Saratoga, NYRA XP.

• Ketel One Party at The Post: The fun will continue each Saturday of the season with the Ketel One Party at The Post. Saturday evenings at Saratoga will feature music from a DJ following the day's final race, cocktail samplings and giveaways.

• Community Outreach Booth: The Community Outreach Booth will host The Lustgarten Foundation, which aims to advance the scientific and medical research of the diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention of pancreatic cancer by increasing funding and support of research, enhancing the dialogue among members of the medical and scientific communities, and increasing public awareness of pancreatic cancer.  

SUNDAY, AUGUST 20

• Summer Colony: The day's feature race is the $100,000 Summer Colony for fillies and mares.

• Taste NY: Food and Artisans: The Sunday edition of the market will welcome guests to sample and shop New York food and crafts the Berkshire Bank Saratoga Pavilion from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Low Roller Challenge: Sunday will include the Low Roller Challenge which allows aspiring handicappers the opportunity to experience the thrill of tournament play for $40, with $30 going towards live bankroll and $10 to the prize pool. Registration begins at 11 a.m. near the Fourstardave Sports Bar.

• Community Outreach Booth: The Community Outreach Booth will host Girls Inc. of the Greater Capital Region, which provides a variety of programs specifically-designed for young women, and serves over 200 girls through afterschool programs in Albany and Schenectady.    

MONDAY, AUGUST 21

• Evan Shipman (NYB): The day's feature is for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up for a purse of $100,000.

• Saratoga Cooler Bag Giveaway: Racing fans will take home the third giveaway of the 2017 meet, a red and black Saratoga cooler bag. All giveaways are free with paid admission, while supplies last. Season pass and season ticket plan holders are guaranteed a Saratoga premium giveaway item on the day of the giveaway contingent on the following: Season pass or season ticket plan holders must be in attendance at Saratoga Race Course, enter through the designated season ticket and pass holder lines and redeem the giveaway by 3 p.m. Redemptions will begin when gates open to the general public.

• Berkshire Bank Family Mondays: Monday will be highlighted by Berkshire Bank Family Mondays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Berkshire Bank Saratoga Pavilion. All kid-friendly games and activities, including the opportunity to pet a retired thoroughbred, are free of charge, with the exception of one designated activity which carries a suggested donation to benefit a local school or PTA. The beneficiary of the fifth Monday of the season is Chango Elementary School of Ballston Lake. 

• Low Roller Challenge: Monday will include the continuation of the Low Roller Challenge which allows aspiring handicappers the opportunity to experience the thrill of tournament play for $40, with $30 going towards live bankroll and $10 to the prize pool. Registration begins at 11 a.m. near the Fourstardave Sports Bar.

• Community Outreach Booth: The Community Outreach Booth will host the Wilton Bicentennial Committee, which is planning a series of special events designed to commemorate the 200^th anniversary of the Town of Wilton throughout 2018. 

 All events and activities are subject to change at the discretion of the New York Racing Association.