Saratoga riders, horsemen to tip off for charity

Members of the Saratoga riding colony will take on a group of horsemen in a charity basketball game Wednesday at the Saratoga Recreation Center, with proceeds going to benefit the New York Racetrack Chaplaincy.

Tipoff is 7 p.m. and tickets cost $15. The recreation center is located at 15 Vanderbilt Ave.

Jockeys expected to participate include Javier Castellano, Kent Desormeaux, Ramon Dominguez, Alan Garcia, and John Velazquez. Expected to suit up for the horsemen are trainers Todd Pletcher and Richard Schosberg, New York Racing Association chairman Steven Duncker, and NYRA's vice-president/director of racing, P.J. Campo, as well as Elliott Walden and Terry Finley, who represent WinStar Farm and West Point Thoroughbreds, respectively.

Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr. will serve coach the jockeys' team, while trainer Kiaran McLaughlin will head the horsemen's club.

The racetrack chaplaincy conducts a variety of backstretch programs at the three NYRA tracks - Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga.