Saratoga Race Course offered more racing than ever before in 2025 as the reconstruction of Belmont Park led to a total of 49 spring/summer dates at the Spa.
And for the New York Racing Association, there were about a billion reasons to feel good about it.
Heading into the Sept. 1 final day of racing at the Spa, the combined handle for those 49 days had already topped $1 billion in all-sources handle when the Belmont Stakes (G1) week and Fourth of July weekend cards were included. The nine Belmont Stakes and July 4 programs generated $281.4 million in all-sources handle.
"It was great," NYRA CEO and president Dave O'Rourke said. "We had a really good vibe. The numbers were in line with our expectations. It started out wet, but it dried up, and we got in plenty of turf racing. Typical of Saratoga, the last couple of weeks we had more entries than races. The crowds were great and the local community really supported us."
Attendance at the 40-day summer meet from July 10-Sept. 1 topped a million for the 10th straight year (with the exception of 2020 when the Spa was closed to the public due to the pandemic) as NYRA tested several initiatives, including some it may shift to Belmont Park when it reopens. Its NYRA Star program for young people attracted nearly 3,000 sign-ups.
"We really pushed the family-centric philosophy this year. We're testing different things," O'Rourke said. "The Fourth of July had a different vibe on purpose. We hit certain price points like $1 hot dogs. We're looking toward the accessibility, affordability, and experience at Saratoga. We're focusing on programming and things we can transition to Belmont in some form or fashion. We're going to have a backyard at Belmont like we haven't had before. So, let's learn everything we can with this wonderful experience up here."
The added dates (five for the Belmont and four for July 4th) were technically part of the Belmont at the Big A meet and will return next year as Belmont Park will not open for racing until the fall of 2026.
A return to the Spa for the 2026 Belmont Stakes is set and O'Rourke said the July 4th racing will "likely" be at the Spa as well, though with Labor Day falling on Sept. 7, it complicates bridging the gap from the July 4th weekend to the beginning of the summer meet. O'Rourke said there will only be 40 days of racing at next year's Spa summer meet, but there could be some shorter weeks so that the meet can start earlier than it typically would.
He reiterated that the added days are tied to Belmont Park being closed and that the Spa will revert to 40 days of summer racing when the Elmont, N.Y., track reopens.
"The handle for July 4th weekend was up 120% over Aqueduct, but it's all temporary. It's a release valve while we're rebuilding Belmont," O'Rourke said. "Our team did a great job pulling it off, but Saratoga is not the long-term home for those dates. I believe 40 days is the right number of dates for Saratoga. Scarcity can be a good thing, so the intention is to go back to 40 days."
Speaking of which, O'Rourke said that while racing will resume at Belmont Park in the fall of 2026 (and Aqueduct Racetrack will then be shuttered), there could be limited attendance at that time with a grand re-opening perhaps coinciding with the 2027 Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) in early April 2027.
The "Saratoga Live" programs on FOX continue to attract strong audience numbers with Saturday shows averaging about 500,000 viewers, a remarkable number for sustained coverage of one track.
"That's a metric racing has not seen before," O'Rourke said. "FOX has been an amazing partner."
Unfortunately, racing fatalities during the 40-day meet increased from one last year to five. O'Rourke said safety remains a top priority for NYRA.
"Unfortunately, in this regard, progress is never in a straight line," he said. "We have worked with the state and Cornell (University) for scanning equipment, and safety is always of primary importance to our team. When you look at trends, racing is safer than ever, and we are going to continue with that focus."
