NYRA: Saratoga Race Course’s Summer Season Will Likely Occur Without Fans
 

"NYRA is seeking to resume live racing at Belmont Park in the absence of fans and we have prepared operating plans that follow the same model for Saratoga"
Patrick McKenna
NYRA’s Director of Communications

https://saratogaliving.com/nyra-sara...-without-fans/

Could we please keep this thread free from political and COVID-19 rants? Management has already shut down several Saratoga threads here because they went sideways, and you can't blame them.

It's OK to talk politicians, as long as they are directly involved. Ok to talk virus, as long as it's about the people involved. Not about Trump or immunologists or number of dead in Sweden, there's the Off-Topic for that.

Thank You

It's pretty obvious that it is governmental officials, not NYRA's spokesperson, who will make the call here.

And hopefully, no matter what they are saying publicly, NYRA has a backup plan in place if they get told they can't open Saratoga.

Is it? lul

Thanks for weighing in...your use of the word obvious is...interesting...given what you posted, is in itself, quite obvious.

BTW, the call will be made way before August ever rolls around. That's something else...obvious.

Cuomo basically said what I've been saying all along. One of the biggest risks to racing at Saratoga is that it will bring in people from the virus hot spots to an area that is still relatively calm. That risks starting a brand new outbreak somewhere else. It makes no sense at all.

If you do it without fans and most of the horseman and backstretch workers remain on track, the risk is mitigated. But then you have to ask what is the point of shipping equipment, people, and horses to Saratoga and adding all that expense just for almost everyone to stay on track at Saratoga?

I'm not sure I buy the "brand" argument as enough to offset the incremental expense and risk as we've debated previously. IMO, the Travers, Alabama etc.. would handle just as much if run at Belmont instead. The better argument was probably that the turf course at Belmont can't handle an extended meet, but if they wind up running an abbreviated schedule at Belmont, maybe that won't even be a factor.

To me, this not an obvious call for Cuomo, government, or anyone else despite our own desires for normalcy. Not sure when they have to make a final decision, but I guess we'll see what the data looks like in 4-6 weeks. Maybe things will look much better. The data is clearly improving steadily in NYC. That's a plus.

I am looking forward to SPA 2020. Sadly due to unforeseen circumstances I did not attend the races at Saratoga in 2019. I did play from home and loved it.

The racing at Saratoga is much better than downstate where sadly I reside. Hoping NYRA a successful 2020 SPA meet and I definitely attend the races at SPA 2021!!!!!

Congrats! 4 posts in 10 years. You’re the anti-Tom

At first I thought even if they opened that attendance would be down but in retrospect I was probably wrong. That's what's actually worrying them about opening to the public. If nothing else in the sports or gathering arena is open the track will become a Mecca for people starving to go out and have fun or get action. The sports arenas are closed, SPAC already has cancelled shows, casinos closed, Lake George and 6 flags may be closed. The owner of the Valley Cats died yesterday from Corona, so local minor league baseball at "The Joe" is in jeopardy. In other words if everything else is not open, and that's not looking good now, the track will not be open either. They may run without fans is the talk around here.

If this happens I wonder how many are gonna sneak peaks. Are locals here gonna congregate at the top of the stretch on Union Ave where you can see the turn? Guys with beers and lawn chairs getting chased away by cops and security? My plan is a tree stand in the back of Yaddo with my cooler, phone and binoculars. Cause keeping people away will become a pain in the ass for authorities. I'm thinking.

Regardless if Saratoga is open to the public people will still visit the town and area taking vacations or long weekends. It won’t nearly be as much with the current pandemic but for sure the streets of Toga will see increased summer traffic. I know several people who have summer property all over that area and half plan on going at some point. I find it puzzling that the way the government talks is that if Saratoga Racetrack does not open there will be zero additional tourism coming in from all over the country. Newsflash....Saratoga is a quaint town capable of surviving without racing. In any event I plan on going for a long weekend with or without racing but hope the horses come to town.

Wait until they run you out of town....they don't want any outside COVID coming in...interlopers beware.

Yes, I’m sure there will be some people that try to congregate there. But it’s not that long of an area, maybe a hundred feet at most, they could probably have to hang a few tarps over it to close it up.

The picnic area would be a good space to open up; keeping each table so-many feet apart would be easy, I believe. Most bring their own food and beverages anyway. The hard part would be preventing people from gathering at the paddock and apron. Could the horses bypass the paddock and get to the track by taking another path? The entire apron could be closed off, I guess, and people be limited to the picnic area and watching the races on the TV screens.

Betting lines would be another area of concern. If the track were going to allow in some visitors, they would hate giving up the most lucrative part of the live crowd deal. But I don’t see a way to control the lines so I would think that people would have to bet via wifi.

I think it's a great opportunity to get people to sign up for NYRA Bets. I don't know what exactly NYRA did before to convert cash players to account players in terms of incentives and what-not, but the circumstances force the issue. No cash bets. Just have to find a way to allow people to withdraw.

Even if NYRA required wi-fi betting, I think you folks are vastly underestimating the challenges that social distancing would pose to any scheme to open a racetrack to fans. How about the lines to the restroom? The concession stands? How about the demarcation of areas of where people can sit versus where they have to walk? How will they determine who could sit together?

And above all, how about the television monitors? At every track I have ever been to in my life, Saratoga included, patrons crowd around the television monitors to watch races and replays. You basically have to in order to be able to watch the race. It would seem basically impossible to socially distance at the TV's.

The same races that are going on live right behind them.:rolleyes:

They would have to turn off the small screen TVs and use only the big screens. Saratoga has a bunch of them in the backyard. Would require limiting attendance, monitoring choke points and most importantly relying on people to follow appropriate behaviors whatever they may be. I don't think it's easy but I think it can be done at any decent-sized venue (CD, Bel, Sar, Mth, SA would all be in that category in my view).

By what criteria? You'd have a mass of unhappy ex-fans if you did that.