Paul Post photo
By Paul Post
Dust is still settling from 49 days of Saratoga racing, which attracted more than 1.2 million fans and generated over $1 billion in all-sources wagering.
But local officials already are anticipating an even better season next year when the Belmont Stakes returns to the historic track for a third and final time, complemented by major plans to celebrate America’s 250th birthday in 2026.
This year’s regular 40-day Saratoga Race Course meet was preceded by the five-day Belmont Stakes and four-day July 4 racing festivals.
“Saratoga County has enjoyed not only international and national media exposure, but the economic impact is considered significant and substantial,” said Greg Connors, Saratoga Economic Development Corporation president. “An independent analysis of the impact on Saratoga County by the world-class racing industry estimates $9 million dollars per day in economic impact realized. The easy math, of course, is that the 49 days of thoroughbred racing added close to $450 million dollars to the Saratoga County economy.”
“We will begin planning for another Belmont Racing Festival soon and as the Saratoga 250 celebration fast approaches, Saratoga County and the Capital Region will again attract both international and national attention as well as recognition for our welcoming hospitality, vibrant business districts and four-season recreational opportunities,” he said.
All-sources handle for the 40-day meet was $791,129,471, including a record $49,651,341 of wagering on Whitney Day and $54,309,929 on DraftKings Travers Day, the third highest amount ever wagered on a single day in the summer meet’s history.
Total paid attendance of 1,061,787 was up slightly from 2024, and marked the 10th consecutive year that more than one million people visited the track.
Fans had two opportunities to see leading Horse of the Year candidate, Sovereignty, who captured the Belmont and Travers, making him the first horse in 30 years to wins those races and the Kentucky Derby.
However, average daily paid attendance for the 40-day didn’t quite measure up to last year’s figure (26,544 versus 26,951).
Likewise, all-sources handle ($791,129,471 versus $803,806,964), average daily handle ($19,778,237 versus $20,610,435) and total on-track handle ($136,218,024 versus $136,295,228) were all down slightly, too.
This might be an indication that nine days of racing prior to the 40-day meet detracted from the regular season a bit.
But New York Racing Association officials say there were many important gains. For example, Saratoga Live, the critically acclaimed and award-winning show produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports, celebrated its 10th season providing daily coverage and in-depth analysis of the summer meet to a nationwide audience on the FOX Sports family of networks.
The partnership between NYRA and FOX Sports has since grown to include FOX Saratoga Saturday, which returned in 2025 for six consecutive Saturdays. The series was bookended by a special edition of FOX Saratoga Sunday, presented by Caesars Sportsbook, on the penultimate day of the summer meet for the 107th running of the Jockey Club Gold Cup, while FOX also broadcast the Belmont Derby Invitational on Independence Day during the July 4th Racing Festival.
“We thank each and every fan who visited Saratoga Race Course throughout the season, and all those who watched and wagered from home thanks to the expansive television coverage on FOX Sports,” NYRA President David O’Rourke said.
Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus said the 2025 racing calendar gave local business a huge boost.
“We know that through July, sales tax collections were up in both the city and the county from the prior year,” he said. “Hotel occupancy, average daily rate, and revenue per available room for the first seven months is also up from the prior year. Demand for lodging was up, and where people stay is where they spend their money. Clearly with NYRA having paid attendance figure above 1 million plus tens of thousands who attended the Belmont Stakes and July 4th festivals, this summer’s meet played a key role in our local economic success.”
“The word on the street anecdotally backs up these data points in that I’ve heard from numerous hotels, restaurants, bars, and other attractions that this summer was better than a year ago for sales,” Shimkus said. “With the economic uncertainty that is out there, our local economy proved to be resilient as Saratoga remains a place where people want to visit and where they see value for their money.”
Among the 40-day meet’s many highlights, Irad Ortiz, Jr. bested his brother, Jose, to repeat as leading rider and claim the Angel Cordero, Jr. title; Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher shared the H. Allen Jerkens training title; and Repole Stable secured the meet’s leading owner title.
NYRA Students of Thoroughbreds and Racing (STAR) tripled its membership with 2,579 youth participating in the popular program that launched a year earlier. Featuring behind-the-scenes access into the world of thoroughbred racing, NYRA STAR members experienced Saratoga through exclusive on-track events and educational opportunities.
The inaugural Kids Day was held in conjunction with the NYRA STAR program and included a mascot race won by Gunner, the official mascot of the Adirondack Thunder.
NYRA hosted and recognized the 2025 Class C Baseball State Champion Saratoga Central Catholic School Saints and the 2025 Class AAA Baseball State Champion Saratoga Springs High School Blue Streaks with a pair of named races in their honor. Both local programs captured state titles this past spring for the first time ever.
Saratoga’s popular Breakfast and Breeding Farm tour, a fan favorite since its launch in 2022, hosted more than 1,000 visitors at Sugar Plum Farm, Old Tavern Farm and Song Hill Thoroughbreds. The program, which features Breakfast at Saratoga and a guided tour of a local breeding farm, was offered four days each week during the meet.