Well, after 40 days and a record number of races run; 417, the 2013 150th celebration of Saratoga Race Track has come to an end! A meet that seemed to start in the heart of summer and end on a soggy note in early September, went quite quickly in my estimation. There was a lot of expectation with this years meet. The sesquicentennial of racing at the Spa was one of the major highlights leading up to the 40 day meet and beyond. The weather started out very hot early on, but by August things leveled off and handle with attendance was about even or slightly ahead. On track, the level of racing was not too bad even though the amount of races carded each day was at an all time high. During the 40 day meets there were only two days with 9 races or less. Thursday racing included two steeplechase races and 11 races overall. Handicapping the 40 days was quite a challenge, not only with the record amount of races carded, but with the number of "cheaper" types races featured.
The years past, when racing was scheduled for 24 or 30 days, the lowest claimer level was 25k. With the advent condition racing the last ten years or so, the were many more optional claiming or beaten claiming races. In fact, there were only a few traditional "straight" claiming races. While the purse structure has increased with added VLT monies, the quality of thoroughbreds in these races are cheaper than years where the meet was shorter with less races. The bottom line in my opinion is, if the Saratoga racing continues with 400+ races or extends longer than 40 days, what Saratoga showcased "on track" in years gone by, will certainly be a thing of the past and the Spa will have a Aqueduct / Belmont flavor.
The numbers presented by NYRA after closing day were mixed results in many ways. Both attendance and on-track handle dropped slightly. We have to remember that attendance increased greatly in the late 90's into the early 2000 era. At one point, the weekday attendance was between 20 and 25 thousand. With the economy as it is and number of daily races and race dates, we knew it would level off or even drop a little. Believe me, NYRA has no problem with 10 to 15 thousand in attendance during the week, when downstate at Belmont they are lucky to get five thousand people.
The handle figures are a little different. Once again, with the advent of on-line wagering, the on-track handle would see a decline. The overall handle from the Spa meet from all sources is even or a bit higher. The racing at Saratoga is the best daily run in the country, hands down! Even with the "cheaper" type race carded, the wagering handle will always be the strongest during any meet during the year. My problem with today's Saratoga meet is the thinking that more races carded and longer racing season will increase the revenue that NYRA is looking for. But, the exact opposite is going to happening.
Racing fans and tourist will ALWAYS flock to Saratoga Springs for all it has and especially it's racing. But, really does a increase in racing dates over 40 and increase of daily races carded going to increase handle totals to record levels? Doubt that will happen because with more race dates available, the "aura" of going to the track will be lessen with more chances to go. Handle will always be dictated by the wagering money available by the public. Since Saratoga is the best racing meet on earth, though the totals drop, they will always be more than the downstate tracks.
In closing, the current form of racing at Saratoga should NOT be extended beyond 40 racing dates. I think that the model followed by the downstate racetracks (Belmont & Aqueduct) of a five day race meet should be applied by Saratoga . Racing from Wednesday through Friday should be nine races only! Weekend races should be carded with 10 oraces only (with the exception Alabama , Travers and closing weekend dates) Take the steeplechase races and spread them out on weekends during the meet as added races. More races and longer meet will NOT increase handle in the long run. But, it will take away the historic flavor of Saratoga Race Course. Some say it has already!
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