Saratoga recap

[highnote]

I managed to get to Saratoga 4 days this year. 2 days of Travers weekend and 2 days for Labor Day weekend.

The main thing that struck me was the low attendance. The attendance seemed very low on Travers day and even lower the rest of the three days I was there.

The attendance seemed way down the Sunday before Labor Day. I sat in the Carousel all 4 days and there was never any line to wait in to get a bet down at the last minute -- even on Travers day.

Maybe the meeting is too long? Maybe there are too many state bred races?

The food is definately overpriced in the Carousel compared to the quality. Although, the quality was slightly better than last year -- but the prices were also higher.

I got to the Carousel late one day and they only had "wraps" available -- cold sandwiches. So I got a turkey wrap. It cost $16.50 + $3.50 for a small glass of lemonade + plus a $3.50 seating charge + tax and tip. Nearly $30 for a meal that wasn't fit to eat. The sandwich was so bad I only ate half of a half. I should have complained and sent it back. I don't know why I didn't. Just not my style, I guess. The staff was pleasant and helpful, so I suppose that was part of the reason.

I had salmon another day that was so undercooked I may as well have been eating sushi. I had one good steak and one good chicken and rice meal.

So 50% of the meals were barely acceptable and 100% of the meals were overpriced given the quality. I don't mind paying for quality. I do mind paying premium prices for substandard products.

The general admission was $3 plus another $2 or $3 to get into the clubhouse. On top of that was the $3.50 seating charge in the Carousel restaurant.

Again, I don't mind paying admission charges if there is a good racing card. But there were too many turf sprints and state bred races for my liking.

Overall, racing at Saratoga was a disappointment this year. There were some nice Graded stakes races. And I got to see some top class maidens. But there was a lot of weak racing, too.

[samyn on the green]

Is this post supposed to be a on-line racetrack Zagats? What is the toll on this bridge from Yuppie food critic land to horseplayer alley? Did you eat any tickets? I tried to eat my pick 4 when I left off Shakis but it was horribly undercooked and needed salt and not to mention with out my prefered hint of parsley butter sauce. NYRA seves their tickets raw. Raw tickets only works in Japan or France. Gingis Khan is not invited to this lunch and Ticket Tartare is not on the menu.

Travers day was packed, did you go to the backyard? There was not a space to be had, and the grandstand was of course a sellout. Did you see the numbers? Attendance record and the handle record for the entire meet.

[highnote]

I am not saying it wasn't crowded on Travers day. I am saying that it was not as crowded as I have seen it on past Travers days.

The grandstand is almost always sold out. It's the general admission that seemed to be down.

I walked around quite a bit -- especially to the paddock. Usually you just sort of shuffle along practically shoulder to shoulder to get to the paddock from the Carousel. It was wide open this year.

In the past, you could have never walked up to the window while the horses were loading into the gate and get a bet down. I never once got shut out and almost always bet at the last moment.

I attended with a friend who flew up from Florida. He has been to many Travers days, too. He didn't want to go because he thought it would be too crowded. He was surprised how low the attendance was.

The atmosphere was very nice because the general attendance was down, but the racing was not as good as in other years. Still very good compared to the rest of the country, mind you, but not as good as it has been.

For a horseplayer it was nice on the one hand because you could get a bet down without fear of being shut out, but on the other hand, the low attendance is not a good sign for NY racing in general.

On more than one occasion over the four days that our group was there we commented on how poor the attendance was compared to recent years.

Hopefully things will turn around once the franchise is worked out.

PS

It was nice to see Jean Luc Samyn's name on a Saratoga card! I thought he would have retired.

[samyn on the green]

While I am not going to contest your culinary evaluations however your subjective attendance evaluations seem to be way off.

I was in the paddock for the Kings Bishop and Travers and the crowd was at least 10 deep ogling the horses. It was as hot as a sweatbox and as crowded as the Lexington line at 5PM. There were lines everywhere to make a bet, buy a lemonade or order a beer. I don't know where you were but I did not see any idle tellers or deserted SAM machines. The hard info and numbers for the meet are in the link below.

http://nyra.com/saratoga/stories/Spa2007Handle.shtml

Attendance and All-Sources Handle Also Post Strong Increases Over 2006 Levels

On-track handle at the 2007 Saratoga Race Course meeting was $123,018,041, smashing the on-track handle record of $117,368,204 set during the 2003 Saratoga meet.

Attendance and all-sources handle for the 36-day meet that ended today posted significant increases over 2006 figures.

Attendance was up 5.7 percent, on-track handle up 8.5 percent, and total all-sources handle up 6.0 percent over 2006 figures.

Total attendance for the 2007 meet was 958,574, up from 908,569 in 2006.

[highnote]

While I am not going to contest your culinary evaluations however your subjective attendance evaluations seem to be way off.

I was in the paddock for the Kings Bishop and Travers and the crowd was at least 10 deep ogling the horses. It was as hot as a sweatbox and as crowded as the Lexington line at 5PM. There were lines everywhere to make a bet, buy a lemonade or order a beer. I don't know where you were but I did not see any idle tellers or deserted SAM machines. The hard info and numbers for the meet are in the link below.

http://nyra.com/saratoga/stories/Spa2007Handle.shtml

I was in the paddock for those two races, too. You're right. It was 10 deep. But it's always crowded in the paddock for the biggest races. Doesn't matter whether it's the Derby or the Belmont.

It was definately hot. We were sweating like we were in a sauna.

We were in the Carousel restaurant on the second floor of the clubhouse. The betting lines were never more than one or two people deep at the SAM machines. The teller windows were always more crowded. So I avoided those.

In past years it would have been impossible to get a bet down at the last minute unless you had gotten into line a couple minutes earlier. This year I never once had trouble walking up to SAM as they were loading into the gate and getting a bet down.

As I walked around the back of the grandstand it was not as crowded as I have seen it. Handle may have been up overall and maybe attendance was up overall. But it did not appear to be a record Travers day crowd. And I was surprised how small the crowd appeared on the other 3 weekend days I was there.

I personally didn't take a census, but the crowd appeared smaller than I am accustomed to.

[Ron]

There is never a long line for the Sam machines in the clubhouse. Typically you'll find the clubhouse crowd to be unfamiliar with the Sam machines. You'll find it to be just the opposite if you step outside the clubhouse. That's no different then any other year and has nothing to do with the track quality.

[Ron]

The food is definately overpriced in the Carousel compared to the quality. Although, the quality was slightly better than last year -- but the prices were also higher.

I got to the Carousel late one day and they only had "wraps" available -- cold sandwiches. So I got a turkey wrap. It cost $16.50 + $3.50 for a small glass of lemonade + plus a $3.50 seating charge + tax and tip. Nearly $30 for a meal that wasn't fit to eat. The sandwich was so bad I only ate half of a half. I should have complained and sent it back. I don't know why I didn't. Just not my style, I guess.

I don't get it. Its not your style to complain? :lol:

[Tom]

'I remember when they did not card any state bred races or claimers under $35K. While they still have some high class races, I think Saratoga is no long the classy met it used to be. It has morphed to Belmont summer school with a party. The track itself is uncomfortable, over prives, and if it weren't for Toga, I would not consider the drive there every year. I rank it overall in the bottom of my list tracks becasue of the minor league way it is run and how lousy it is to try to watch a race there.

btw, What are the Toga dates for next year? :D

[highnote]

I don't get it. Its not your style to complain? :lol:


I'm not complaining -- just stating the facts. The food was acceptable on 2 days and unacceptable on 2 other days.

I hope they improve it.

[highnote]

There is never a long line for the Sam machines in the clubhouse. Typically you'll find the clubhouse crowd to be unfamiliar with the Sam machines. You'll find it to be just the opposite if you step outside the clubhouse. That's no different then any other year and has nothing to do with the track quality.


The quality of the overall racing product is inferior to previous years. Crist wrote the same thing in a recent article. So I'm not the only one who noticed it.

I have been in the clubhouse in previous years where the lines were much longer -- especially on Travers day.

There were fewer people walking around outside. Again, I have been there on Travers day when you had to shuffle shoulder-to-shoulder through the crowd. It was wide-open this year.

But maybe all the people congregated in a different section this year?

All I can tell you is how what I experienced this year differed from previous years.

[DanG]

Wow…

I feel like I went to a different track than your describing.

Maybe because it’s been years since I was there, but I loved every minute of it. The weather, racing, atmosphere, restaurants etc were fantastic. It did help that my X & daughter were with me and being their 1st time & horse fanatics they were star-struck.

Can’t wait to go back. :ThmbUp: :ThmbUp:

[Ron]

I'm thinking that swetyejohn was watching the races at the Oklahoma training track. :lol:

[point given]

Was up for a couple long weekends and thought there were too many state bred races as well as too many turf sprints for my taste. See Crists take on the numbers of them in his column. I love turf racing, but not turf sprints, which tend to let me bet multi race piks less, as i avoid them. anyone else think that $62K for state bred races = ny horse welfare ? Bigger fields of badder horses, what a treat ! Saratoga should scale back to a 5 day week, or make wednesday the official state bred and turf sprint day, to improve the rest of the week cards.

I also donot eat track food, for all the covered reasons given. BYO works for me well , or have a late brunch.

Track buzz. Not where i was sitting, not like years past. Seats are too expensive and lots of folks seem to toss the clubhouse seasons seats when they arenot using them. This is why they tried to add clubhouse entry charge onto every seat last year before the masses complained and nyra changed back a week after announcing it.
Travers; never went, as I heard from many, that it was a zoo, track was too crowded, and seats way too pricey
Overall, while the numbers are up, my betting was down, due to above reasons and continued youbet video problems. If i cant see it good, i keep my fingers off the keyboard

[JPinMaryland]

From the original post:

"The main thing that struck me was the low attendance. The attendance seemed very low on Travers day and even lower the rest of the three days I was there."

Next post:

"Im not saying it wasnt crowded..."

You'll forgive me if I find your writing style a bit hard to follow.

[samyn on the green]

Maybe what he was trying to say was that Saratoga is so crowded, nobody goes there anymore.

NYRA added dozens of the new SAMS throughout the plant. On top of that they have actively marketed the cash cards. Add it up and you have more people betting with cards and taking less time at the tellers. Also consider that with the cards there are less ticket jams with those 1980;s voucher that absorb beer like a sponge. Faster lines and increased handle. You could see how these factors fooled Zagats racetrack culinary review into thinking there was less patrons at the spa.
You'll forgive me if I find your writing style a bit hard to follow.

[NY BRED]

we spent the week of 8/9-8/16 at the Spa and had a great time,
and I have to agree there were relatively small lines of people betting in the clubhouse even up to the last few minutes.


Outside , lines thoroughout the years have always been long, the garden
areas are always packed with fans swarming to get their patch of grass,
and the vendors charge insane prices for mediocre food.

BTW, if looking for value, get to the track at 7am, go to the breakfast
buffet, and walk down to the rail, when you can actually talk to
many famous jockeys and trainers.

And, if you want to really enjoy another aspect of the game, go to the
Fasig tipton sales,and to the barn areas and handicap the expected pricing of
yearlings...

[highnote]

From the original post:

"The main thing that struck me was the low attendance. The attendance seemed very low on Travers day and even lower the rest of the three days I was there."

Next post:

"Im not saying it wasnt crowded..."

You'll forgive me if I find your writing style a bit hard to follow.


What I'm saying is that the crowd was decent sized, but it wasn't packed. I've been to Travers Day some years where you had to shuffle shoulder to shoulder to get from the clubhouse to the paddock.

This year there was plenty of space between people. I wasn't constantly being bumped into by other customers.

I actually prefer the lighter crowds.

[the little guy]

The incredible heat on Travers Day had more than a little to do with the slightly sub-par attendance.

[highnote]

The incredible heat on Travers Day had more than a little to do with the slightly sub-par attendance.


Good point. Man was it HOT!

Everyone was dripping with sweat!!!

[cj]

Good point. Man was it HOT!

Everyone was dripping with sweat!!!

Not you John, you were cool as a cucumber!

Side note, your friend Nick should write a book, or better have a DVD made, that details his style of physicality handicapping. For those not familiar, in addition to looking at how a horse might feel that day, the guy could just look at the build of the horses and tell you what type of runner he was (plodder, speed, etc.) and also which distances would likely suit the horse. He was deadly accurate in the race I saw him.