Horse Racing 2025

[upperdeck]

I wonder what the holdup is to NYRA announcing the schedule next year at Saratoga, many rumors of adding days to the front end and it was supposed to be announced early fall.

 

[Newhouser]

I wonder what the holdup is to NYRA announcing the schedule next year at Saratoga, many rumors of adding days to the front end and it was supposed to be announced early fall.

I hope they don't add more days - think the extra days now has watered down the "event" aspect of going.

 

[upperdeck]

Its all on who goes,

Adding to the front end when vacation is in full swing brings 20-30k a day and does little to the peak season. I have gone for almost 60 yrs but never after the Travers week so adding to the end didnt do much to my schedule. Starting a week or 2 earlier I might go another time the first week or 2.

I would think Saratoga area would love it.

Another week or 10 days isn't going to change all that much.

To me it means I could go earlier in July and still do something in Aug someplace else.

 

[br801]

I hope they don't add more days - think the extra days now has watered down the "event" aspect of going.

That ship sailed long ago. Too many 11 and 12 races cards with lots of maiden claimers and low level claiming races already. The product on the race track is no longer special, save for the days where they jam in a bunch of graded stakes.

 

[upperdeck]

They are basically just moving races that were in NY that no one actually went to see in person to a better location.

95% of the people who bet don't care what kind of horse is running anyway.

Its a party and fun atmosphere and the racing is gravy

 

[br801]

They are basically just moving races that were in NY that no one actually went to see in person to a better location.

95% of the people who bet don't care what kind of horse is running anyway.

Its a party and fun atmosphere and the racing is gravy

They are also moving all the people who collectively put on the show away from where most of them permanently reside.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

That ship sailed long ago. Too many 11 and 12 races cards with lots of maiden claimers and low level claiming races already. The product on the race track is no longer special, save for the days where they jam in a bunch of graded stakes.

Racing opted for a few BIG days a year a while back, those days are great cards but I agree a lof oher cards at Saratoga can be kind of weak these days. In addition, what they are paying in purses at Colonial and in KY over the summer, many people are opting to stay home with their horses. I understand that they have added additional weeks over the years and with Belmont being closed, I am sure most can only take so much of the Big A. They also went from 6 days to 5 days a week at Saratoga 6-7 years ago so some additional weeks was to be expected. I am curious to see what Saratoga looks like once Belmont reopens.

There is only three tracks left that get a solid attendance on just an average card during the week or weekends for that matter. Saratoga, Keeneland, Oaklawn. Del Mar maybe but it looks kind of dead over there on many afternoons

 

[br801]

Racing opted for a few BIG days a year a while back, those days are great cards but I agree a lof oher cards at Saratoga can be kind of weak these days. In addition, what they are paying in purses at Colonial and in KY over the summer, many people are opting to stay home with their horses. I understand that they have added additional weeks over the years and with Belmont being closed, I am sure most can only take so much of the Big A. They also went from 6 days to 5 days a week at Saratoga 6-7 years ago so some additional weeks was to be expected. I am curious to see what Saratoga looks like once Belmont reopens.

There is only three tracks left that get a solid attendance on just an average card during the week or weekends for that matter. Saratoga, Keeneland, Oaklawn. Del Mar maybe but it looks kind of dead over there on many afternoons

I get that the 'big race day' concept is here to stay, but they would do well to have something better than a listed stakes as the feature race on many Sundays. There's something to be said for tradition, and they've been tossing a lot of that in the garbage over time in an effort to monetize the racing experience, in my opinion.

It wasn't that long ago that you saw a graded stakes carded almost any day of the week they were running. And if most people can't distinguish a 12 claimer from a graded race, what are they really gaining by watering down the racing product 80% of the time?

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I get that the 'big race day' concept is here to stay, but they would do well to have something better than a listed stakes as the feature race on many Sundays. There's something to be said for tradition, and they've been tossing a lot of that in the garbage over time in an effort to monetize the racing experience, in my opinion.

It wasn't that long ago that you saw a graded stakes carded almost any day of the week they were running. And if most people can't distinguish a 12 claimer from a graded race, what are they really gaining by watering down the racing product 80% of the time?

Don’t disagree and what sucks now too is with no racing on Monday people leave Saratoga on Sunday as well now too so by 4 pm on Sunday Saratoga is pretty much a ghost town as nobody sticks around. I use to like the Saturday - Monday swing. Been a few years since I’ve made a Friday through Sunday run there

 

[br801]

Don’t disagree and what sucks now too is with no racing on Monday people leave Saratoga on Sunday as well now too so by 4 pm on Sunday Saratoga is pretty much a ghost town as nobody sticks around. I use to like the Saturday - Monday swing. Been a few years since I’ve made a Friday through Sunday run there

Yes, I used to love the Monday cards with fewer people around. Sunday nights in town were great fun then, almost like another Saturday night. I realize they will never roll things back and will probably expand the calendar again, but I do think 40 racing days (8x5) is close to ideal, and I wouldn't mind seeing them go Thursday through Monday.

 

[Newhouser]

Yes, I used to love the Monday cards with fewer people around. Sunday nights in town were great fun then, almost like another Saturday night. I realize they will never roll things back and will probably expand the calendar again, but I do think 40 racing days (8x5) is close to ideal, and I wouldn't mind seeing them go Thursday through Monday.

Thursday-Monday is the obvious and perfect schedule - why it hasn't been implemented is crazy. The Sunday night Toga scene used to be perfect...now crickets.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

That ship sailed long ago. Too many 11 and 12 races cards with lots of maiden claimers and low level claiming races already. The product on the race track is no longer special, save for the days where they jam in a bunch of graded stakes.

I agree and disagree. It's still the best meet on Earth with this highest caliber jockeys, trainers, and horses. But I'm a weirdo in that I always enjoyed a night at Saratoga Raceway over a day at the flat track.

 

[br801]

I agree and disagree. It's still the best meet on Earth with this highest caliber jockeys, trainers, and horses. But I'm a weirdo in that I always enjoyed a night at Saratoga Raceway over a day at the flat track.

It's still certainly the best meet, but they've watered it down with too much poor quality racing. I realize those crappy races are the the ones that fill, but I still think they run too many of them, and card at least one or two races more per day than necessary. I don't think they would loose much handle in the end if they ran fewer races.