NYRA Caps Travers Day Attendance at 50,000
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The New York Racing Association announced Aug. 6 that attendance at Saratoga Race Course will be capped at 50,000 for the Aug. 29 blockbuster race card highlighted by the 146th Travers Stakes (gr. I).
NYRA also announced that all Travers Day reserved seating, dining, and clubhouse admission are sold out. Grandstand general admission tickets are available for $10. General admission tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, as well as in-person at the NYRA box office at Saratoga, or by phone at 1-844-NYRA-TIX. There is a purchase limit of eight general admission tickets per person.
NYRA reported attendance of 46,557 for V. E. Day's win in 2014. The Travers Day record attendance of 66,122 was set in 2003 when Ten Most Wanted won.
Also referred to as the "Midsummer Derby," the Travers could attract Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, in which case the race's purse would be boosted from its $1.25 million value to $1.6 million.
In addition to the Travers, the Aug. 29 card includes five other grade I stakes—$1 million Sword Dancer Invitational at 1 1/2 miles on turf; $750,000 1 1/8-mile Personal Ensign for fillies and mares; $700,000 Priority One Forego at seven furlongs; $500,000 Ballerina for fillies and mares; and $500,000 King's Bishop. The stakes lineup that day is rounded out by the $400,000 Ketel One Ballston Spa (gr. IIT) for turf fillies and mares.
In a release NYRA officials said implementation of the Travers Day attendance ceiling was made following consultation with security officials and facility experts. NYRA received favorable feedback for its decision to cap attendance at 90,000 for American Pharoah's sweep of the Triple Crown when he won the Belmont Stakes presented by Draftkings (gr. I).
"With the blockbuster card built for this year, we anticipate interest in attending the Midsummer Derby to be at an all-time high, and all tickets to be sold out in advance of Travers Day," said NYRA president Christopher Kay. "Similar to what we successfully implemented for the 2015 Belmont Stakes and to further ensure an enjoyable experience for our horseplayers and fans, we will cap paid attendance at 50,000 for Travers Day at Saratoga Race Course."
NYRA also said officials anticipate that all Travers Day tickets will be sold out in advance of Aug. 29. In addition to purchasing general admission tickets in advance, NYRA advised fans to allow plenty of time to arrive and depart Saratoga on Travers Day, when gates open at 7 a.m., with first post scheduled for 11:35 a.m.