Saratoga meet will be a mix of eerie silence and great racing

New York Racing Association president and CEO Dave O’Rourke sat in his office at Belmont Park last Saturday and contemplated what a Saratoga summer would be like with no fans in the stands.

After holding out hope for a good part of the spring and early summer that at some stage a limited number of fans would be permitted to attend the historic Saratoga Racecourse – which begins its 40-day meet Thursday – O’Rourke said over the last few weeks that “has become less of a reality” due to the fear of an increase in COVID-19 cases happening in New York like it has happened in many other stakes.

“It’s sad,” O’Rourke said. “Even here, Belmont Stakes Day is a cool day of racing, the one day we get to showcase Belmont. When you can sit in a box seat and literally hear the hooves as the horses cross the wire, that’s a weird feeling.”

Sad. Weird. Frustrating.

All of the above.

Neither fans nor owners were allowed on the grounds of Belmont Park, which ended its 25-day meet Sunday. As of Monday, NYRA was still awaiting word from the New York State Gaming Commission on its ability to let a limited number of owners into Saratoga, both in the morning and afternoon. A negative COVID test will be required for anybody who comes to the barn area at Saratoga, including owners. Jockeys must also produce a negative COVID test and, in the wake of several jockeys testing positive for the coronavirus in other states, new protocols are expected to be in put place this week for Saratoga.

:: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

If owners are allowed in, it would only be in designated outside areas. The box seats and the 1863 Club, which only opened last year, will be not be accessible, O’Rourke said.

The inability to allow fans has many New York horsemen questioning why they should go to Saratoga rather than continuing to race at Belmont Park. After all, the Belmont Park meet appeared to be run safely and successfully, generating $386.6 million in handle, a daily average of $15.46 million. The daily average was up 41.6 percent from $10.9 million in 2019 when 48 days of racing were conducted.

“I’ve been opposed to going up there,” Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said, echoing sentiments expressed by others. “We got through the spring here perfect, no problems. All this testing, which is fine, and it’s very expensive for us to race up there. I’m very disappointed in NYRA saying we have to go up there. If we have to stay here and cut purses then cut purses.”

Purse money is a prime reason why NYRA management wants to go to Saratoga. With the Resorts World casino at Aqueduct closed since mid-March – revenue from the casino generates 38 percent of purses paid out at NYRA tracks – purse money is fueled only by handle.

As strong as handle was at Belmont, NYRA is steadfast in its belief handle will be better at Saratoga, where last year average daily handle was $18.08 million for 39 days.

“There’s no scenario where Saratoga doesn’t outhandle Belmont,” O’Rourke said.

O’Rourke also said that the turf courses at Belmont Park would not be able to hold up through a summer and then the fall meet, meaning racing would likely have to move to Aqueduct sooner. O’Rourke said Aqueduct handles less than Belmont.

O’Rourke noted that NYRA has had to dip into a purse cushion to help fund purses at Belmont and Saratoga.

“To maintain the purse levels you do need to produce the product, and a product produced with the Saratoga brand is powerful,” O’Rourke said.

Purses are cut compared to a year ago. Open maiden and allowance races are reduced by 20 percent. New York-bred races are down 15 percent while claiming races are down 5 percent.

Martin Panza, NYRA’s senior vice president of racing operations, notes Saratoga’s purses “are still bigger than most places in the country.”

Saratoga’s robust stakes schedule will offer 71 stakes worth $14.45 million, compared to 76 stakes worth $20.85 million in 2019.

The Saratoga stakes schedule has had to undergo major renovations, most notably the moving of the meet’s signature event, the Travers Stakes, from the last weekend in August to Aug. 8. It now serves as a prep for the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5.

O’Rourke believes that Saratoga’s last week of racing figures to be negatively impacted by going up against Churchill Downs, which has basically moved its entire Kentucky Derby week schedule from the first week in May to the first week in September.

Shortly after Saratoga opens, three major sports leagues – Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League – are all expected to start or resume their seasons.

O’Rourke said that during the pandemic, when those sports were shuttered, horse racing was “able to capture a broader audience.”

“It’s going to be very interesting to see how much of it sticks,” he said. “There’ll be some dilution. There has to be, because there’s more sports betting product available.”

The Saratoga product will be available for fans to watch on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 along with other regional networks. The Travers will be broadcast on national Fox.

Chad Brown, the leading trainer at Saratoga for the last four years, believes it’s important to try and have a Saratoga meet, even without patrons.

“Outside of financial reasons, the historical importance of horse racing needs to be kept in mind when making some of these decisions, and specifically to New York it’s a huge part of the industry,” Brown said. “I think you run a risk of maybe losing some fans even if they’re not allowed in. You can’t assume that if you take a year off and when you come back everybody’s right back interested in what you’re doing.”

Many of racing’s top horses in training are expected to run at the meet, including Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law in the Travers; Tom’s d’Etat, arguably the top older male in the country, in the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 1; Midnight Bisou, the top older female horse, in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign the same day; and Vekoma, the Carter and Metropolitan Handicap winner, in the Grade 1 Forego on Aug. 29. The champion turf mare Sistercharlie is expected to make a bid for a third straight Grade 1 Diana on Aug. 24, and will prep in the Garde 2 Ballston Spa on July 25.

In addition to an empty grandstand, events like the Hall of Fame induction ceremony and the two two-day yearling auctions held at the Fasig-Tipton pavilion are canceled for 2020.

As was the case last year, racing will mostly be conducted on Wednesday through Sunday schedule save opening week and closing week, when the meet ends on Labor Day. First post on non-steeplechase days will be 1:10 p.m.

“Saratoga is an amazing place, it’s going to have amazing racing, we’re going to present it as best we can on Fox, but it’s not something I think any of us are ever going to want to do again,” O’Rourke said.