Mark your calendars! NYRA has announced the dates for Saratoga Race Course‘s 2020 season. The schedule will follow in the footsteps of the 2019 season and feature two dark days. Read on to learn all the details that have been released so far!
The 2020 Saratoga racing season will begin on Thursday, July 16 with a four-day weekend to kick off the summer meet. Mondays and Tuesdays will once again be dark days, allowing the season to stretch longer while keeping the number of racing days at 40.
Racing will continue Wednesdays through Sundays throughout the summer until the season concludes on Labor Day, Monday, September 7.
NYRA has decided to maintain last year’s format due to a successful racing season, which drew over 1 million paying attendees for the fifth year in a row and generated a record-breaking $700+ million in all-source handles.
“The changes we made to the 2019 season received an overwhelmingly positive response from our horsemen, fans and the community,” said NYRA President and CEO Dave O’Rourke in a statement. “We asked the local and racing communities for their feedback to these changes following the conclusion of the meet. Given their support, and to maintain consistency and stability for our fans and stakeholders, we will conduct a similar racing schedule in 2020.”
The 2020 schedule has been endorsed by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. “We assembled a group representing local hotels, restaurants, retailers and entertainment and recreation destinations to meet with NYRA following the summer meet,” said Todd Shimkus, President of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, in a statement. “By the end of the discussion, everyone understood why two dark days is best going forward and agreed that keeping those two days consistent with this past summer offers the best chance to attract more visitors.”
The decision was also supported by the Saratoga Downtown Business Association, the Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau, and the Saratoga Local Advisory Board.
NYRA hasn’t announced the full stakes schedule yet, so stay tuned for Summer 2020’s complete lineup.
