Saratoga summer racing meet begins Thursday

By WNYT

Saratoga summer racing season starts Thursday

The 156th Saratoga summer horse racing season opens on Thursday. The thoroughbred meet, held at the historic track on Union Avenue, is expected draw roughly one million people again this year. The meet lasts 40 days. Racing will be held Wednesday through Sunday. The meet will conclude on Labor Day, Sept. 2. For the business community, Opening Day is a little like a repeat this year. It was just last month, when Saratoga hosted the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of racing's Triple Crown.

The 156th Saratoga summer horse racing season opens on Thursday.

The thoroughbred meet, held at the historic track on Union Avenue, is expected draw roughly one million people again this year.

The meet lasts 40 days. Racing will be held Wednesday through Sunday. The meet will conclude on Labor Day, Sept. 2.

For the business community, Opening Day is a little like a repeat this year. It was just last month, when Saratoga hosted the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of racing’s Triple Crown.

“We already sort of had the Super Bowl and now we’re going back to the regular season. But that’s OK because not everybody was able to, you know, attend the Belmont Stakes Festival,” said Todd Shimkus, president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.

“Literally hundreds of thousands more will be able to make it to Saratoga. And so the excitement I think is around welcoming all those folks back that traditionally come here, you know, with family, friends and want to gather in Saratoga and have a good time.”

NewsChannel 13 has you covered for all things Opening Day. We will be live from the track, bringing you the stories, the interviews and the people that make Saratoga racing appealing to so many.