'New-Look' Saratoga Meet Sets All-Sources Handle Record

Anyone who believes in omens had to feel some bad vibes when the curtain went up on Saratoga Race Course's longer, revamped season and the July 11 opening day featured a crowd of just 22,591 and heavy rain reduced the final race of the day to a three-horse affair.

Yet if there's one certainty in the ever-changing world of horse racing, it's the charm and popularity of Saratoga and Sept. 2, when the 156th meet at the Spa came to an end, the roughly 38 1/3 days of racing over an extended eight-weekend period at the Spa again reached new heights.  

Saratoga's 2019 all-sources handle topped $700 million for the first time, checking in at $705,343,949, an increase of 4.28% over the previous high water mark of $679,798,119 during a 40-day meet in 2017.

The handle rose by 7% over the 2018 figure of $659,343,949.

Attendance also topped the 1 million mark for a fifth straight year at 1,056,053, giving the New York Racing Association numbers that take on an even brighter glow when considering the soggy opening day, the loss of seven races July 25 due to a freak rain storm, and the cancellation of the entire Saturday, July 20 card.

All told, 20 races were cancelled and remarkably NYRA still posted record handle.

"I think it went well, especially with the numbers," said NYRA's Dave O'Rourke, who logged his first Saratoga meet as the company's CEO and president. "The weather helped in the second half of the meet. It was a little rough the first half, losing that day-and-a-half, but we still broke the handle record and got close to $700 million. We're over a million in attendance again, which is good, and the big days performed really well, with Whitney and Travers days setting handle records.

"We're tired, we're ready to go home, but we had a lot of fun while we were here."

Field size was up for the meet, rising to roughly 7.9 horses per race compared with 7.65 in 2018. Improved weather played a key role in the upswing as only 38 races were moved off the turf course, while last year 50 were switched to the main track.

O'Rourke believes NYRA's television deal with FOX Sports also played a key role in the meet's success. About 190 hours of Saratoga racing was aired on FOX Sports 2 (FS2) and other FOX channels, giving the meet the potential for exposure in more than 50 million households nationwide through mainstream networks.

"The 190 hours on FOX broadens our reach and the growth of the brand outside the region brings in more people," O'Rourke said. "It helps build our brand but it's also important for horse racing to be on a mainstream sports network with sports betting coming. It puts us in line with the other mainstream sports and helps us bring in more casual fans."

Roughly 500 hours of live NYRA racing will air on FS2 in 2019—an unprecedented figure for horse racing—and O'Rourke said he would not be surprised if the total approached 700 hours in 2020.

There were four racetrack fatalities during the meet. O'Rourke cited the work of senior vice president for racing operations Martin Panza and Glen Kozak, senior vice president for operations and capital projects, in establishing a safety-first environment during the meet.

"I think Glen and Martin and their teams continue to set the standards," said O'Rourke, who was named interim CEO in January and was installed as president and CEO in March. "There was consistency. We have our protocols and we apply them in a consistent manner. Any modifications are well thought out and worked though the professionals, including Dr. Scott Palmer of the Gaming Commission and our own veterinarians."

The four racetrack fatalities occurred during a meet with 403 races and 3,154 starters, meaning there was one fatality for every 788 starters. The three training fatalities during the meet were part of 7,044 timed workouts at the meet for 1-to-2,348 ratio.

One other horse, Divine Miss Grey, suffered an injury during a race and died following complications from surgery.

"Safety at all levels is our highest priority. NYRA has a broad-based safety program and employs industry-best equine safety practices at all of our racetracks. These include measures such as the daily inspection and scientific analysis of all racing and training surfaces;  examinations of equine athletes who must be cleared by NYRA veterinarians to race and a variety of capital improvements designed to enhance safety," said Pat McKenna, NYRA's director of communications. "This commitment has led to demonstrably safer racing at the three tracks in New York that are operated by the New York Racing Association—Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park, and Aqueduct Racetrack—where the fatality rate remains well below the industry average." 

The meet also featured the debut of the 1863 Club, a climate-controlled permanent, three-story structure on the clubhouse turn for individual or group dining with one floor devoted to luxury suites, which proved to be a popular modern-day addition to the revered facility.

"Things worked out well with the 1863 Club. It opened on time, which was great, and by the second week, we had the operations down. It's a new venue so I give a lot of credit to our food and beverage team. They did a great job and it was very well received," O'Rourke said. "It's hard to provide a high level of amenities with temporary facilities, so this allows us to bring the experience to a different level."

The switch to a five-day racing week from the previous six-day week was well-received, with Mondays and Tuesdays serving as the dark days. Though switching to Tuesday and Wednesday dark days in 2020 is a possibility, given the record handle, there surely are viable reasons for sticking with this year's format.

"I think everyone enjoyed it and there was a good response to this year's longer meet, but we'll talk with the business community here in October about the dark day format. I'm a big fan of A/B testing, but there's something to be said for consistency. So, we're open to discuss it. We want to look at our hard data and downtown's data to give us a clear indication if we test it the other way or not. Judging by the response to our last giveaway day (a paid crowd of 46,494 Sept. 1, which includes people buying multiple admission tickets to get an additional Saratoga zip-up hoodie), maybe we'll do all of our giveaways on Sunday to help things on the weekend."

O'Rourke also said there are no plans to add additional days to the meet.

"We haven't even discussed that," he said.

Looking ahead to next year, O'Rourke said customers at the 2020 meet are likely to find the paddock tent lounge removed and improvements to the Post Bar near the clubhouse entrance and paddock.

"You look at the paddock tent with the other venues, like the 1863 Club and other things we have done in the building, and it draws away from it," O'Rourke said. "This gives us an opportunity to open that area up for the public, and as for the Post Bar, each year that I've been here it gets more popular and it's a good time to look at investing in that area."

Reflecting on everything that was rolled into meet, O'Rourke was quick to offer thanks.

"This has been a truly outstanding meet highlighted by the traditional recipe that sets Saratoga apart: world-class Thoroughbred racing and entertainment. We would not be in this enviable position without the dedication of the owners, the talent of the horsemen, and the unmatched enthusiasm of our fans. I want to thank the local community for their support and everyone who contributed to our success this summer. This summer also marked the loss of one of Saratoga's most ardent benefactors, Mrs. Marylou Whitney. Saratoga and NYRA will forever be grateful for her contributions to racing," he said.

With the end of the Saratoga meet, racing returns to Belmont Park Sept. 6, and fans and horsemen will find a complex in the early stages of redevelopment. Work is underway on the construction of an arena for the National Hockey League's New York Islanders and there will be changes in how to access facility and parking areas, while about half of the backyard will be fenced off to prepare for construction. 

Racing will begin at 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, when construction ends, and at 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. In addition, the Belmont meet will end Oct. 6 after 23 days, with Aqueduct Racetrack absorbing the remaining racing dates in 2019.

In time, NYRA will launch its own renovation of the 50-year-old Belmont grandstand and clubhouse facilities.

"Belmont is a property in transition and there will be some logistical challenges. We're going to get out of the way earlier this fall to let them make as much progress as they can (on the arena)," O'Rourke said. "We're also planning what we are going to do and it will lead to a brighter future for the property."

While life at the Belmont Park meet will venture into new territory this fall, given the success of the changes at Saratoga and the potential for a rejuvenated complex in a few years, there's hope that the inconveniences will be minor and the future rewards great.

"It will be an inconvenience in some degrees for everyone," trainer Todd Pletcher said, "but you have to look at the big picture, and hopefully it's beneficial."