O'Rourke: July 4 at Saratoga 'Transitory'

If you're one of those fans who can't get enough of Saratoga racing, then 2025 is your kind of year. And maybe 2026 will be as well. But don't get spoiled. As much as there will be a record 49 days of racing at Saratoga Race Course this year, and a decision on a similar schedule for 2026 could come later this summer, New York Racing Association president and CEO Dave O'Rourke says once Belmont Park reopens in the fall of 2026, the Spa will revert to its previous 40-day schedule. "There definitely can be too much of a good thing and being here on July 4 is a convenient release valve as we're building Belmont," O'Rourke said. "But once we get into the new building at Belmont, we're going back to 40 days at Saratoga. "This is all transitory. It's like a staging spot as we wait for Belmont to open." NYRA's 2025 stay at the Spa started in early June with the second edition of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. New to the New York racing schedule is the upcoming July 3-6 July 4th Racing Festival, marking the first time NYRA has spent July 4 at the Spa. Though the racing has the Saratoga brand, the dates technically are part of the Belmont at the Big A meet at Aqueduct Racetrack, since NYRA only has approval for 40 days of racing at the Spa. It's basically Belmont at the Big A at the Spa. When Belmont was closed at the end of 2023 spring/summer meet so reconstruction of the grandstand and racing surfaces could begin in earnest, the 2024 Belmont Stakes (G1) week cards were shifted to Saratoga. But not the July 4 weekend races. This year, the July 4 move to Saratoga was made to better accommodate a turf-heavy slate of races that includes two grade 1 stakes: the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes and the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes. "We ran those races at Aqueduct last year and they really didn't work," O'Rourke said. "Looking at the way Labor Day fell this year (Sept. 1), we felt adding this week made sense. It's just a better venue for the racing." While it will be interesting to see what kind of attendance and handle numbers the four days produce, they figure to easily top last year's figures at Aqueduct, if the weather cooperates. "We didn't move this up here with the expectation of sellout crowds or anything like that," O'Rourke said. "But it's July at Saratoga and it's going to be busy. Much more busy than it would have been downstate at Aqueduct. The goal was to find the best venue for these races for horsemen and the Saratoga signal is going to help the simulcast market." As for a decision on plans for next year, the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will return to the Spa for a third and final time and O'Rourke said a decision on the July 4 weekend could come before the end of the summer. "We'll look at it toward the end of the summer. We'll see how it plays out," O'Rourke said. "Labor Day falls at a different time next year and we want to see if this week works before we make a decision." Following Sunday's card, the 40-day Saratoga meet will officially open July 10.