Saratoga gets safety approval

Saratoga Race Course, now in the middle of the most high-profile Thoroughbred race meet on the East Coast, has been fully accredited by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association s Safety and Integrity Alliance, the association announced Friday.

Saratoga, operated by the New York Racing Association, is the eighth facility to receive full accreditation from the alliance, which was formed last year to evaluate racetracks based on a track s compliance with a set of safety standards and procedures. Earlier this year, NYRA s Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., was also fully accredited.

The other tracks to receive full accreditation are Churchill Downs and Keeneland Racecourse in Kentucky; Hollywood Park in California; Monmouth Park in New Jersey; Arlington Park in Illinois, and Delaware Park. Pimlico Race Course in Maryland received provisional accreditation just before hosting the second leg of the Triple Crown.