NYRA: 2022 Runhappy Travers Day generates record handle

The first time a Thoroughbred meet was held at Saratoga was 1863, a month after the Battle of Gettysburg. The year 2024 - 161 years later - is not too soon or too late for the track tucked off the corner of Union and Nelson avenues to experience another first: Hosting the Belmont Stakes. When the show comes to town June 6-9, the history-rich…

That means would-be Belmont-at-Saratoga fans should expect Saratoga excitement at Belmont Stakes prices. While pricing for the various ticket and seating options hasn't been released yet, it won't be cheap, relative to comparable Saratoga prices. And by following Belmont protocols, you can expect paid admission to be limited to 50000. That's the…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The rain came down, and so did betting handle at Saratoga Race Course this summer. After two straight seasons in which all-sources wagering broke the meet record by exceeding $800 million, Saratoga fell just short of that mark in 2023, at $799229288 for the 40-day meet that concluded on Monday. There's little doubt that the…

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Following the culmination of the summer meet at the Saratoga Race Course, The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced that the 40 days of thoroughbred horse racing generated almost $800 million in all-source handle as well as 1.1 million paid attendance - which is the first time since 2018 this had been…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo put on a show Saturday at Saratoga Race Course, cruising past a star-studded field to win the Grade I, $1.25 million Travers Stakes for trainer Jena Antonucci and jockey Javier Castellano. Here are 10 numbers to know coming out of the 154th running of the Travers. $9538188 The on-track wagering…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The 3-year-old division is up for grabs this weekend at Saratoga in the 154th edition of the Travers Stakes. It's rare that all three Triple Crown race winners converge in the Travers and this year the trio will be joined by last year's 2-year-old champion. The three Triple Crown winners have faced off in the Travers only three…

Saratoga Race Course is famous for a lot of reasons: it's the oldest sporting venue in the United States, it's host to some of the best horse racing in the world, and it's the summer playground for titans of industry and celebrities. But perhaps the Spa is most well-known for this: it's the racetrack where favorites lose and longshots score the…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - One hundred nineteen days. That's how long it had been for owner Mike Repole to see his prized 3-year-old Forte in the winner's circle. After enduring a photo finish and a steward's inquiry, the son of Violence claimed victory in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at historic Saratoga Race Course over a sloppy track on Saturday. Last…

It's the summer place to be and it's a 4½ hour-drive down the New York State Thruway. On Thursday afternoon, Saratoga Race Course will open the gates to its 155th racing season with plenty of action over 40 days through Labor Day. Located in the foothills of the Adirondacks, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) will produce racing five days a…

There's nothing quite like a summer in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., a small town nestled near the Adirondacks that comes alive each July as Thoroughbred racing returns to Saratoga Race Course. This year's meet kicks off July 13, attracting many of the best horses, trainers, and jockeys, as well as avid fans and bettors, from across the country. Read on…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - On a quiet morning last week, trainer Bill Mott and three reporters were standing by the outside of the rail and chatting on the first turn of the Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga Race Course when three horses jogged toward them in single file along the inside. Spotting the humans, the leader of the group angled away from the…

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.- The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced the lineup of new and returning attractions, entertainment and events for the 2023 summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course. Highlighted by the 154th edition of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on August 26 and the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 5, the…

The 2023 Belmont Stakes contenders field has been announced, along with post position and initial morning line odds. The third leg of the triple crown will take place on Saturday, June 10th, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Some of the best three-year-old Thoroughbreds will run in the 155th running of the historic race. Naturally, you can bet…

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced that its 2022 race meets conducted at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course generated all-sources handle of $2321863828. The year was highlighted by the summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course, where all-sources wagering surged to a record…

Virginia has never been considered a major player in the world of Thoroughbred horse racing, but recent developments have thrust it into the national spotlight. Famed operator Churchill Downs finalized its purchase of Colonial Downs earlier this year, and did not waste any time making good on its promise to deliver high-stakes racing to the…

On Saturday at Parx Racing, 11 talented 3-year-old Thoroughbreds will square off going 1 1/8 miles in the $1 million, Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby. The Pennsylvania Derby isn't technically part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, but there's no denying the Pennsylvania Derby ranks as a key steppingstone toward the Grade 1 Longines Breeders' Cup…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The numbers from the Summer 2022 Saratoga race meeting are in, and they're all good - for the racetrack, the leading trainer and the leading rider. All sources betting handle, the oats that make the racetrack industry run, were up 7.7 percent to over $878 million from $815 million last year for the same 40 racing days. The…

The New York Racing Association on Monday announced that all-sources wagering handle at Saratoga Race Course surged to a record $878211963 million for the 2022 summer meet, eclipsing the previous record of $815508063, established in 2021, by 7.7 percent. The record setting 40-day meet generated average daily handle of $21955299, which is also the…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Steve Asmussen fielded a question Sunday morning asking for an example of a 3-year-old he's trained who experienced aftereffects later in the season from having weathered the grueling Kentucky Derby prep season and Triple Crown series. He laughed and said, "Every single one of them that wasn't Curlin or Gun Runner." Judging from…

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Winchell Thoroughbreds' Epicenter, who came up just shy of Grade 1 glory twice this spring in the Triple Crown, secured both his first top-level victory and a place at the top of the sophomore division with an emphatic 5 1/4-length victory under Joel Rosario in the 153rd renewal of the 10-furlong Grade 1, $1.25 million…

The 153rd running of the Travers headlines the biggest day of the summer at Saratoga. Six graded stakes including five Grade 1 races highlight the 13 race card. The $1.25 million Travers drew a very competitive field of eight runners for the'Midsummer Derby', and post time for the 1 1/4 mile Travers is 5:44 p.m. ET and Race 11 on the card. The…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Epicenter, the runner-up in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness this spring, earned himself a start in Saratoga's $1.25 million, Grade I Runhappy Travers Stakes on Aug. 27 when he cruised to victory in the $600000, Grade II Jim Dandy Stakes, the track's Saturday feature. A paid crowd of 37476 saw trainer Steve Asmussen and…

Fox Sports and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) are further cementing their relationship by announcing an historic deal in which Fox Sports acquires the exclusive media rights for the Belmont Stakes, the final jewel of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown series. The eight-year agreement, which starts in 2023, is inclusive of the entire Belmont…

Fox Sports and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) further cemented their relationship Tuesday by announcing an historic deal in which Fox Sports acquires the exclusive media rights for the Belmont Stakes, the final jewel of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown series. The eight-year agreement, which starts in 2023, is inclusive of the entire…

OCEANPORT - Another Haskell Day is in the books, and it was one to remember on a number of different levels. In some respects, what happens in the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes is how the entire Monmouth Park meet will ultimately be remembered. But it was the overall racing card and atmosphere that set this one apart from some others. Not only…