NYRA removes tent at Saratoga to provide better paddock sightlines

A large paddock-adjacent tent erected over a decade ago at Saratoga Race Course will be removed for this year’s live racing meet beginning in July, the operator of the track, the New York Racing Association, announced on Tuesday.

The Paddock Tent, which had a capacity for 100 people and was used solely for group sales, had caused some consternation among Saratoga regulars because it took away one of the areas where fans could gather on the rail of the paddock to watch horses, trainers, owners, and jockeys. In the NYRA release, the removal of the tent, which was located next to the grandstand entrance to the paddock and covered 240-square feet, was praised by representatives of two Saratoga organizations.

“The landscape of the paddock is a significant historic feature of the Saratoga Race Course,” said Samantha Bosshart, the executive director of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation. “We are very pleased that the large tent is being removed, allowing green space and important views of the paddock and original saddling shed to be restored.”

The removal of the tent comes one year after the opening of the 1863 Club, a trackside facility that can host large groups in several areas of the building. However, Pat McKenna, a spokesman for NYRA, said that the Paddock Tent had not become redundant due to the opening of the facility.

“The Paddock Tent had continued to provide a space to accommodate groups of a certain size,” McKenna said, stressing that NYRA wanted to restore space at the paddock rail to its customers.

Several years ago, the managers of the popular Paddock Bar area limited access to the area’s paddock rail to customers who paid for reservations at tables in the area. Now called The Post, the area is managed by the Danny Meyer restaurant group.