NYRA Making Plans to Race at Saratoga Without Fans

It's early June and racing is finally resuming at Belmont Park.

Meanwhile, the start of the Saratoga Race Course season is inching up for the New York Racing Association.

With opening day at the Spa just six weeks away, NYRA is currently working toward releasing the stakes schedule "in the next week or so," according to CEO and president Dave O'Rourke, and is putting together plans to conduct the 40-day meet in upstate New York without fans. He's also holding out some hope for allowing a limited number of fans in the facility at some point during meet.

"We are preparing to operate at Saratoga without fans, though we have to hedge because the data can change, even during the meet," O'Rourke said. "So we also have to plan for what would likely be a limited capacity of fans, but as of now we are preparing to open without fans."

O'Rourke said NYRA's plans hinge on whether the spread of the coronavirus continues to slow in New York, which has been the state hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are looking forward to seeing what the (COVID-19 data) is as we get into the end of June and early July to give us a better barometer of what will be possible," O'Rourke said. "You don't want to forecast too many weeks out here. That makes it difficult to plan, but unfortunately we've gotten used to it."

The delay in the announcement of the Saratoga stakes schedule comes at a time when racing at NYRA tracks was shut down for 80 days from March 15 until Belmont Park opened June 3. During that time, the Keeneland spring meet was canceled and then downsized to a five-day summer meet July 8-12 with 10 graded stakes transplanted from the spring meet, and Churchill Downs shifted the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) from May 2 to Sept. 5 and the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) from May 1 to Sept. 4.

The start of Churchill Downs' spring/summer meet was also delayed from April 25 until May 16.

In addition, Churchill Downs officials have indicated they would like to move their other Kentucky Derby week stakes to the first week in September, creating the possibility of conflicts with several of Saratoga's stakes.

As a result, NYRA must decide where to place the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1), which would typically be contested Aug. 29, a week before the new date for the Kentucky Derby, and the Alabama Stakes (G1) for 3-year-old fillies, which would normally be held on a date two weeks before the Kentucky Oaks will be run.

If the Travers is moved, the most likely spot on the calendar would be Aug. 8, which places it three weeks after the TVG.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park and four weeks before the Kentucky Derby.

"The stakes schedule for Saratoga should come out in the next week or so," O'Rourke said. "Stakes schedules are a little different this year because we are coordinating with everyone else who have also been up in the air. It's all starting to come together. We've been working a little bit with Churchill because they are running at (the end of the Saratoga meet)."

Saratoga is scheduled to be open for racing July 16 through Sept. 7.

A first step in preparing for the meet came June 2 when horses were allowed to enter Saratoga's Oklahoma barn area. The Oklahoma training track is slated to open June 4.