Saratoga’s Grand
Summer #3
By Dick Healy
As we head into the third week of the 2007
racing season at Saratoga’s famous Race Course, track officials are elated
with the fine turnouts, daily handle and near record crowds on days when
special giveaways are handed out.
Starting with the Angel Cordero, Jr. bobble head doll on July 26 which drew
a big crowd, right up to last Sunday’s very popular Saratoga 2007 T-shirt
giveaway where an estimated 62,000 fans showed.
The giveaways will continue on Sunday, August 12 with patrons being able to
pickup a free Saratoga folding chair with the purchase of a grandstand
ticket. The again on Sunday, August 19 free Saratoga umbrellas will be
featured, followed with a Saratoga cooler bag on Sunday, September 2.
In past years the giveaways presented a traffic problem in that track goers
tying to obtain more than one giveaway went through the ticket gates several
times. That situation is pretty well settled this season. Gavin Landry, New
York Racing Association senior vice president for sales and market
development, says, “ We developed a new multiple admissions booth to get
fans through the gates as quickly and efficiently as possible so that they
may fully enjoy their day at Saratoga.”
According to NYRA each additional admission coupon will cost $3 and can be
redeemed for one premium giveaway at either of the two redemption centers,
which are located near the Big Red Spring and by the top of the stretch.
The 87th annual Fasig-Tipton horse sales are underway this week over at
Saratoga’s Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion. We will have a follow-up on how the
sales progress. The New York Bred preferred yearlings sale takes place
Friday and Saturday evenings. Though the Select sales that took place Monday
and Tuesday is considered the premier event, many buyers come to the NY Bred
sale in search of potential stakes winning horses such as 2003 Kentucky
Derby and Preakness winner, Funny Cide, who was purchased at Auction here
for under $25,000.
If you’re in the region make a side trip up Fitch Road from Saratoga Lake
and see for yourself Joe and Anne McMahon’s thoroughbred farm where Funny
Cide was folded.
