General Information
   
  CONTACT
 
 
   

Opening Day for the 2009 Saratoga meeting is Wednesday, July 29. Closing Day is Monday, Sept. 7. For information prior to the meeting please phone (718) 641-4700 or (516) 488-6000. For information during the 2008 Saratoga meeting (July 23 to Sept. 1), please call (518) 584-6200.

The 36-day 2009 Saratoga meeting will begin Wednesday, July 29 and end on Monday, September 7.

Email Links:
Admissions
Customer Service
Group Sales
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Press Office
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Simulcasting
Technical Issues
All Other

   
   
  SARATOGA RACE COURSE
 
 
   
Saratoga Race Course is a 350-acre racetrack in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The 2009 meeting will be 36 days long from Wednesday, July 29 to Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. Saratoga is the home of the 140th Running of the Shadwell Travers Stakes on Aug. 29, 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

SARATOGA RACE COURSE MEET

36 days, July 29-September 7

Dark Tuesdays

Post times: 1 p.m. daily except:

2:30 p.m. on Friday, July 31 and Friday, September, 4

Noon on Shadwell Travers Day, Saturday, August 29


   
  SARATOGA BY THE NUMBERS
 
 
   
Main Course: 1 1/8 Mile
Turf Course: 1 Mile
Steeplechase/Inner Turf Course: 7/8 Mile
Attendance Capacity: 50,000
Trackside Dining: 2,200
Total Seating Capacity: 18,000, including picnic tables and benches.
   
  PARKING
  Trackside parking: $10. Gates open at 6:45 a.m.
(Refunds available until 10 a.m. No refunds on Travers Day, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009.)

General Parking: Free
Oklahoma Preferred Parking: $5. Gates open at 9 a.m.

Handicapped parking available at Clubhouse and Grandstand. Applicable fees apply. Parking
   
   
  ADMISSION
 
 
   
Grandstand Admission: $3
Clubhouse Admission: $5
Travers Day: Grandstand $5; Clubhouse $10
Reserved seating sold separately.

Breakfast: No admission charge for breakfast except on Travers Day, Aug. 29, 2009, when Clubhouse admission fee applies. No refunds on Travers Day.

Children under age 12 are admitted free with parent or guardian.

Gates open weekdays at 11 a.m. and weekends at 10:30 a.m.
On Travers Day, Aug. 29, 2009, the gates open at 7 a.m.

Current Day Seat Tickets
Unsold seat tickets and "Sun Seat" tickets for the current day go on sale each raceday at 8 a.m. at the Reserved Seat Booth located at Gate A (Union Avenue). (Tickets are available at 7 a.m. on Travers Day.) Limit four per person. Cash only. Ticket price does not include admission.


Traditions/Courtesies/Rules

  • Coolers are permitted in the backyard, apron and Top of the Stretch areas only. Coolers are not permitted anywhere inside the building. No glass is permitted to be brought onto the premises. Coolers may contain plastic bottles or cans and are subject to search by NYRA Security personnel.
  • Pop-Up tents and umbrellas are restricted to the backyard area only. They are prohibited on the apron, and by the Paddock. However, if a Pop-Up Tent or Umbrella in the backyard is blocking another patron’s view of a TV monitor, tote board, etc., then the obstruction must be removed.
  • It is a long-time race track tradition that you can “reserve” a bench seat with a newspaper or program. We ask that you respect this tradition, but please be aware that our Security Personnel will not intercede in any debate regarding this matter.
  • Backyard Picnic Tables – another tradition is that anyone coming to the track early (after 7:00 a.m.) can reserve a picnic table by putting their articles on that table (1 table per person). You must then exit the track when the morning breakfast patrons leave, and pay to re-enter at the time the gates open for racing.
  • The first floor Carousel area opens at the official gate-opening time. This area does not fall under the same “tradition” as the backyard picnic tables mentioned above.
  • There is NO SMOKING permitted anywhere inside the building, including the reserved seats, box area, and all dining areas.
  • Wheelchair Access Areas – there are specially marked areas for wheelchairs only behind Reserved Seat Sections J (in the Clubhouse) and M (in the Grandstand).
  • Resale of tickets – Tickets may not be resold or offered for resale at a premium in excess of the amount allowed by any Federal, State or local law or regulation; the NYS legislature prohibits any resale of tickets within 1,000 feet of our property line.
   
  TRACK SERVICES
 
 

 		  
Binocular Rentals
Located on the first floor, Clubhouse and Grandstand.

ATM Machines
For your convenience, ATM machines are at the following locations:
* First floor Grandstand at the end mutuel window, closest to the finish line;
* First floor Grandstand near First Aid;
* First floor Grandstand adjacent to Pony Tales Book Shop;
* Paddock area, outside the Customer Service Center; and
* Second floor Clubhouse behind Reserved Seat Section C.

First Aid
Located on the first floor, Grandstand, behind the Carousel Mini Theatre.

Lost and Found
Located in the Security Office, first floor, Mezzanine, west end.

Race Replay Centers
Located in the First Floor Clubhouse and the Carousel Mini Theatre.
   
   
  SARATOGA BROADCASTING
  Thoroughbred Action, the half-hour race-replay show, or Inside Racing, the weekly half-hour magazine show, are broadcast daily on MSG Plus.

Thoroughbred Action replays races and shows results and payoffs for each New York raceday.
Broadcast Schedule
   
   
  ADDRESSES
  Saratoga
Race Course
267 Union Avenue
Saratoga Springs NY 12866

NYRA
PO Box 90
Jamaica NY 11417
   
   
  DRESS CODE
 

Attention Fans: Please take note of Saratoga's new and more fan-friendly dress code.

Paddock Saddling Area & Winner's Circle
No shorts or abbreviated wear permitted.
Gentlemen – collared shirts required.

Box Seat Area
Gentlemen – suits or sports jackets required. Ties not required.
Ladies – dresses, skirts or slack outfits. No jeans, shorts or abbreviated wear permitted.

Dining Areas
Turf Terrace
Neat Casual Attire
No jeans, shorts or abbreviated wear permitted.
Gentlemen – collared shirts required.
Management reserves the right to use its discretion to determine Neat Casual Attire.

Paddock Tent, At the Rail Pavilion, The Porch, Club Terrace & Carousel Restaurant
Gentlemen – No Tank Tops
No short-shorts, cut-offs or abbreviated wear permitted.
Proper attire at management’s discretion.

Luxury Suites
No abbreviated wear permitted.
Gentlemen - No tank tops
Proper attire at management’s discretion.

Clubhouse
No short shorts, cut-offs or abbreviated wear permitted. No tank tops.
Proper attire at management’s discretion

Grandstand
Shirts and shoes required.

People 12 years and over must abide by the dress code.

   
   
  COOLERS
  Coolers are permitted on the trackside apron, the Top of the Stretch and backyard picnic area. Coolers are not permitted anywhere inside the building. ALL GLASS CONTAINERS ARE PROHIBITED. Coolers may contain plastic bottles or cans and subject to search by NYRA security.
   
   
  CASHING MUTUEL TICKETS BY MAIL
  Winning pari-mutuel tickets from all races conducted in 2008 at Aqueduct, Belmont, Saratoga or any simulcast track NYRA offers wagering on must be cashed on or before March 31, 2009. They can be cashed on any race day at Belmont through October 26, and at Aqueduct from October 29, 2008 through March 31, 2009. You cannot cash winning NYRA mutuel tickets at any OTB.

Winning NYRA mutuel tickets may also be sent by certified or registered mail to the following address and must be received by NYRA no later than March 31, 2009.

New York Racing Association
ATTN: Mutuel Dept.
PO Box 90
Jamaica NY 11417


The physical address for NYRA is the following:

Aqueduct Racetrack
110-00 Rockaway Blvd.
Jamaica NY 11420

It is advised that you keep copies for your records.

For winnings that exceed 300-1 odds - more than $600 - the Internal Revenue Service requires that a W2-G Tax Form is completed. This form requires two proofs of identity: 1, Copy of Drivers License or State issued photo ID; and 2, Copy of Social Security Card or a card that establishes your identity and includes your social security number. All winnings subject to reporting and/or withholding as described in IRS form W2G will be administered in accordance with applicable IRS code.

   
   
  NEW RULE FOR UNCASHED TICKETS
  Effective January 1, 2009, pari-mutuel tickets not cashed within 10 days of purchase that have a value of $300 or more must be redeemed at IRS-designated mutuel windows. The patron needs to provide a name, home address, date of birth and social security number. This requirement is part of a new rule that was opposed by The New York Racing Association, but still implemented by the New York State Racing & Wagering Board. Please note that unless the payout on the ticket is 300-1 or higher and in excess of $600, the patron’s information will not be reported to the IRS. The same requirements apply for tickets cashed by mail that meet these parameters.
   
   
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