NYRA to request early start to Saratoga meet

The New York Racing Association is seeking approval to extend the 2019 Saratoga meet by one week, with an official announcement coming as soon as this week, sources have confirmed to Daily Racing Form.

If approved, the Saratoga meet would run 40 days, from July 11 through Labor Day, Sept. 2, with racing dark Mondays and Tuesdays. The first week would be four days, and the last week would be six days. Had NYRA maintained its same schedule, Saratoga would have opened July 19.

According to sources, NYRA is seeking the extension of the Saratoga meet primarily due to an anticipated disruption of racing and training at Belmont Park. Barring unexpected delays, ground is expected to be broken in May or June for a new hockey arena for the New York Islanders on the grounds of Belmont.

NYRA has not released its racing schedule past the April 20 closing of Aqueduct’s spring meet. Belmont’s spring/summer meet is expected to open April 26.

The construction of the arena, which will take up a portion of the backyard, could create some changes to the Belmont spring/summer schedule as it relates to weekday post times and the number of races carded on those days, a source said. It is also expected to have an impact on Belmont’s fall meet, with perhaps some or all of that meeting being moved to Aqueduct.

“We need to be prepared for construction work that would be an issue for morning training and afternoon racing,” the source said.

It is believed the construction of the arena will take approximately 28 months, and the plan is to have it ready for the Islanders’ 2021-22 season, which would start in October 2021. The Islanders currently split their home schedule between Barclays Center in Brooklyn and the Nassau Coliseum, their previous home, in Uniondale.

NYRA is also planning renovations to the building at Belmont Park, but as of Friday, no plans have been submitted for approval. Chris Kay was the driving force behind those planned renovations, but on Jan. 23, Kay abruptly resigned as president and chief executive of NYRA due to violations of company policy.

Privately, NYRA racing officials over the years have expressed a desire to race five days a week at Saratoga. It is the only major Thoroughbred track in the country that has consistently raced six days a week.

A spokesperson for NYRA would not confirm the schedule change.

“We understand the urgency in announcing the dates for the 2019 Saratoga racing calendar,” Pat McKenna, NYRA director communications and public affairs, wrote in an e-mail. “This matter is a complex issue that transcends NYRA and involves multiple partners. We anticipate that we will be in a position to announce the 2019 Saratoga dates within the near future. We appreciate the patience of our horsemen, fans, and the community.”

To set its racing schedule, NYRA needs letters of support from the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA) and the New York Thoroughbred Breeders (NYTB) sent to the New York State Gaming Commission, which would then grant final approval.

A NYTHA source confirmed that it has received NYRA’s request for an extended Saratoga season.

NYTHA president Joe Appelbaum would only say that NYTHA “is working closely with NYRA to solidify the rest of the 2019 racing calendar. We’re hopeful NYRA is able to produce a schedule very shortly.”

Jeff Cannizzo, executive director of the NYTB, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The gaming commission did not discuss NYRA’s racing schedule at its meeting last Monday and is not expected to have another public meeting until Feb. 25. However, it does not need to meet publically before approving NYRA’s racing dates request.