34,783 Attend Opening Day at Saratoga
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A paid crowd of 34,783 attended opening day of Saratoga Race Course's 2015 summer meet July 24, which featured a total all-sources handle of $17,706,202.
Opening day was highlighted by the grand opening of several new attractions and enhancements for the upcoming season, including the all-new Saratoga Walk of Fame and the Tom Durkin Replay Center.
Friday also included the Saratoga debut of Larry Collmus, the New York Racing Association's race caller and the voice of NBC's Triple Crown series. Collmus announced the daily changes from the Saratoga paddock before joining the crowd in Durkin's traditional call of "And they're off at Saratoga..." to officially usher in the start of the meet.
At the NYRA Community Outreach Booth, NYRA hosted the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, a Saratoga Springs non-profit organization which cares for Thoroughbreds no longer able to compete on the racetrack. TRF currently supports 900 retired horses, and is the oldest and largest equine sanctuary of its kind in the world.
"Friday was a very special day for Saratoga and the entire Capital Region. We are honored to be considered the area's major league sporting franchise, and express our thanks and sincere appreciation to all the horseplayers and racing fans who joined us for opening day," said NYRA CEO and president Chris Kay. "If today is any indication, we are on track to have another truly outstanding season at the Spa."