Courtesy NYRA
It appears the 2020 racing season will resemble last year, with 40 days of racing starting earlier in July than years past, and marking Mondays and Tuesday as the “dark days”: with no racing.
It is proposed the season start on Thursday, July 16.
On Oct. 29, NYRA Director of Communications Pat McKenna released the following statement:
“The New York Racing Association will formally announce its racing schedule for the 2020 Saratoga meet in short order, following the required approval from the New York State Gaming Commission. Since the conclusion of the 2019 meet, NYRA has conducted a thorough analysis of the season and engaged in conversations with local and industry stakeholders, including the Saratoga Race Course Local Advisory Board, the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association.
“Based on the findings, NYRA anticipates maintaining a schedule that is consistent with the 2019 season, which generated record-breaking all-sources handle and paid attendance that surpassed one million fans for the fifth consecutive season.”
Last year, for the first time, NYRA adjusted racing dates for the Belmont Park spring/summer meet and the Saratoga summer meet to ensure the continuity of racing operations in New York in light of proposed timelines for the construction of a new arena at Belmont Park.
According to NYRA, the adjustment was based on initial timelines presented by Empire State Development (ESD) and the New York Arena Partners (NYAP) for the potential construction of an arena for the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders at Belmont Park.
The groundbreaking, however, occurred late in the Saratoga racing season and work is continuing.
NYRA said the changes to the 2019 racing calendar were designed to protect equine and human athletes, and to mitigate potential impact to horsemen and the backstretch community.
The 2020 schedule still must be approved by the state Gaming Commission, but that approval is expected.