It's a sure sign of spring when cars are backed up on Union Avenue for horse crossing. The Oklahoma Track opened last week for spring training - the prerequisite to the annual meet at the Saratoga Race Course.
By next week, more than 100 horses will be stabled at the Oklahoma
Track for training with some of the biggest names in horse racing
cracking the whip such as Gary Contessa, the 2008 New York Thoroughbred
Trainer of the Year. At the season's peak, more than 700 horses will
temporarily call Saratoga Springs their home.
It's not just the Thoroughbreds that are preparing for the upcoming meet. Facilities and maintenance crews have been working diligently to ready the racecourse for the 141st season of racing which runs from July 29 through Labor Day on Sept. 7.
According to Operations Manager Kevin Gremillion, New York Racing Association plans to spend $3.5 million in capital improvements to the property including an irrigation and drainage system in the infield pond, 60 new horse wash bays and repair of normal wear and tear that occurs over the winter. They are also installing new wood floors in the clubhouse, adding energy-efficient lights and replacing worn awnings.
"We've been doing a lot of normal repairs and maintenance on the properties, but we are really working hard on the irrigation system in the infield," Gremillion said. "We have to maintain the look and integrity of this historic racetrack."
He added that while the racetrack is only open for six weeks during the meet, maintenance is a year-long project.
One thing everyone is keeping their fingers crossed for is cooperation of the weather. With last summer's three week deluge that just about washed out the track on occasion, NYRA spokesman Fran LaBelle said everyone is hoping for a sunny season this year.
"We have the fan base and a lot of great horses running this year - some great days for racing fans. If the weather is right, the sky is the limit," he said.
The schedule for the 2009 meet is as follows:
36 days, July 29 to September 7
Dark Tuesdays
Post times: 1 p.m. daily except:
2:30 p.m. on Friday, July 31 and
Friday, September, 4
12 p.m. on Shadwell Travers Day,
Saturday, August 29
There will be at least one Grade 1 race every Saturday at Saratoga this year, and the biggest day -- with five graded stakes offerings -- will be Shadwell Travers Day, Saturday, August 29. That day will also feature the $300,000 NetJets King's Bishop for three-year-olds at seven furlongs and the $300,000 Ballerina for fillies and mares at seven furlongs, both Grade 1 races. The card will also include the Grade 2, $200,000 Ballston Spa for fillies and mares at a mile and a sixteenth, as well as the Grade 3, $100,000-added Victory Ride for three-year-old fillies at six furlongs.
The Grade 1, $300,000 Forego at seven furlongs will now be a weight-for-age event on Saturday, September 5, and shares the card with the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward for three-year-olds and up at nine furlongs.The Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer Invitational at a mile and a half on the turf returns to its traditional spot in the middle of the Saratoga season and will be run on Saturday,
August 15.
Receiving an upgrade to Grade 3 status is the $100,000 With Anticipation for two-year-olds at a mile on the turf on Friday, September 4.
A new race, the $80,000-added Riskaverse for three-year-old fillies at a mile on the turf, will be run on Thursday, September 3.
To meet its demand for help at Saratoga, the New York Racing Association will conduct a series of Open Houses to interview candidates for different positions. These include turf work, general labor, greenhouse work/planting, betting clerks, security, ushers and parking.
The Saratoga Open House job fairs will be held Saturday and Sunday, April 25-26; Saturday, May 9; Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28 and Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Candidates will enter from the East Avenue Gate, and interviews will be conducted in the Racing Office.
Applicants must be 16 years of age or older with working papers, and must bring a photo identification (driver's license, state ID, passport, birth certificate, right-to-work visa).
Mutuel clerk applicants can also take advantage of the opportunity of working downstate at Belmont Park on Saturday, June 6 for Belmont Stakes Day and earning $450 for the day.
For more information, call (718) 659-3550.
It's not just the Thoroughbreds that are preparing for the upcoming meet. Facilities and maintenance crews have been working diligently to ready the racecourse for the 141st season of racing which runs from July 29 through Labor Day on Sept. 7.
According to Operations Manager Kevin Gremillion, New York Racing Association plans to spend $3.5 million in capital improvements to the property including an irrigation and drainage system in the infield pond, 60 new horse wash bays and repair of normal wear and tear that occurs over the winter. They are also installing new wood floors in the clubhouse, adding energy-efficient lights and replacing worn awnings.
"We've been doing a lot of normal repairs and maintenance on the properties, but we are really working hard on the irrigation system in the infield," Gremillion said. "We have to maintain the look and integrity of this historic racetrack."
He added that while the racetrack is only open for six weeks during the meet, maintenance is a year-long project.
One thing everyone is keeping their fingers crossed for is cooperation of the weather. With last summer's three week deluge that just about washed out the track on occasion, NYRA spokesman Fran LaBelle said everyone is hoping for a sunny season this year.
"We have the fan base and a lot of great horses running this year - some great days for racing fans. If the weather is right, the sky is the limit," he said.
The schedule for the 2009 meet is as follows:
36 days, July 29 to September 7
Dark Tuesdays
Post times: 1 p.m. daily except:
2:30 p.m. on Friday, July 31 and
Friday, September, 4
12 p.m. on Shadwell Travers Day,
Saturday, August 29
There will be at least one Grade 1 race every Saturday at Saratoga this year, and the biggest day -- with five graded stakes offerings -- will be Shadwell Travers Day, Saturday, August 29. That day will also feature the $300,000 NetJets King's Bishop for three-year-olds at seven furlongs and the $300,000 Ballerina for fillies and mares at seven furlongs, both Grade 1 races. The card will also include the Grade 2, $200,000 Ballston Spa for fillies and mares at a mile and a sixteenth, as well as the Grade 3, $100,000-added Victory Ride for three-year-old fillies at six furlongs.
The Grade 1, $300,000 Forego at seven furlongs will now be a weight-for-age event on Saturday, September 5, and shares the card with the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward for three-year-olds and up at nine furlongs.The Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer Invitational at a mile and a half on the turf returns to its traditional spot in the middle of the Saratoga season and will be run on Saturday,
August 15.
Receiving an upgrade to Grade 3 status is the $100,000 With Anticipation for two-year-olds at a mile on the turf on Friday, September 4.
A new race, the $80,000-added Riskaverse for three-year-old fillies at a mile on the turf, will be run on Thursday, September 3.
To meet its demand for help at Saratoga, the New York Racing Association will conduct a series of Open Houses to interview candidates for different positions. These include turf work, general labor, greenhouse work/planting, betting clerks, security, ushers and parking.
The Saratoga Open House job fairs will be held Saturday and Sunday, April 25-26; Saturday, May 9; Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28 and Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Candidates will enter from the East Avenue Gate, and interviews will be conducted in the Racing Office.
Applicants must be 16 years of age or older with working papers, and must bring a photo identification (driver's license, state ID, passport, birth certificate, right-to-work visa).
Mutuel clerk applicants can also take advantage of the opportunity of working downstate at Belmont Park on Saturday, June 6 for Belmont Stakes Day and earning $450 for the day.
For more information, call (718) 659-3550.
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