NYRA Delays Opening of Oklahoma Training Track

Due to the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Racing Association has delayed the opening of the Oklahoma Training Track and stabling area at Saratoga Race Course.

The Oklahoma facility was originally set to open April 15, when training traditionally gets underway in advance of the upstate New York racing season.

NYRA is working with the New York State Gaming Commission and public health agencies to determine an appropriate date to safely open the Oklahoma track for training and stabling, according to an April 8 news release.

Spokesperson Pat McKenna said NYRA is still planning to conduct the Saratoga meet during its scheduled July 16-Sept. 7 dates.

"While we are monitoring the current conditions and consulting with the New York State Department of Health, we are planning for Saratoga to open as scheduled and run in its entirety across the 40-day meet. We are working in earnest each and every day to prepare for the 2020 Saratoga season," he said.

The meet will be highlighted by the 151st renewal of the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) and Whitney Stakes (G1), which serve as the anchors of two of the biggest racing days in North America. Following the July 16-19 opening weekend, racing will be conducted five days per week, Wednesdays through Sundays. The final day of the season will be Labor Day.

NYRA has yet to release the Saratoga stakes schedule.

New York state has the most COVID-19 deaths reported in the United States, and New York City, which borders Belmont Park, has been hit hardest. As of April 6, 20 positive cases of COVID-19 and one death have been reported by NYRA among the backstretch population at Belmont, about 200 miles from Saratoga.