Quote:
Originally Posted by Aerocraft67
Excited about my first trip to Saratoga and looking for tips on how to navigate a big day. Grabbed a single clubhouse seat for Whitney day. It's a day trip, driving about 3.5 hours each way from the west.
I've been to the Preakness twice and Belmont once (for Justify's win), so I'm somewhat familiar with big track days, but I had my plans more sorted for those.
Parking. I don't mind paying, walking, or shuttling to avoid traffic, but hard to tell when lots open, when they fill, when they just become inaccessible. I can arrive pretty early despite my commute.
Biding time. Assuming I can park early, where's a good place to hang out and handicap until the gates open? Where's a good spot to cool down and let the crowd thin out before heading home?
Wagering. What's the outlook for cellular or WiFi to bet on Whitney day? I'm guessing WiFi craps out before cellular mid-card, just when lines get prohibitively long at the windows. I'm a vertical player and do most of my betting reasonably close to post time on my mobile. I've never used a terminal. But I do have a NYRA Bets account (it didn't help with mobility on Belmont day), and I can adjust.
Talking Horses. Shouldn't be hard to find on site, but wondering where I might take in the show to actually pay attention, take a few notes.
Those are the things I thought to ask about, but grateful for any general tips you have to enjoy a prime day at Saratoga.
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I'm not sure how much of this I can help you with, but....as far as parking, we have limited parking on the grounds depending on how early you get there. You can also park in the near vicinity in people's yards or other lots. I honestly have no idea what people charge. If you're really early, you could probably find a spot on a street relatively close for free, but once again, I don't drive up here so am not sure about this.
I feel like we open the gates at 11 but this information should be available on the website, nyra.com, to be sure. It might be a little earlier on weekends. I can't really tell you where to hang out beforehand, but if you're really early you could walk into town, which is less than a mile away. Everything is very close. Afterwards, we leave The Post, the area around Shake Shack open ( there is a big bar ), or you could go to a place like Siro's ( I think they're open this Summer ) or the Horseshoe, but they'll be pretty crowded.
I don't usually have a big problem with WiFi, even on big days, and I use it on my phone and/or iPad on the set. I feel like we put a lot into making sure it's working. Hopefully I'm not wrong about this:-)
As far as Talking Horses, I think we are starting at 11:35 as long as post is 1:05, which it is almost all days, though that is probably something I should be sure of. You can hang out by the studio tent, the flaps are open as long as it isn't raining, but I don't know how well you can hear it from there. A few people do seem to stand by the sides sometimes so maybe you can. However, you shouldn't have trouble finding a TV to watch it which probably works better. The studio is adjacent to the paddock and hard to miss.
Hopefully some of this helps. Feel free to stop by and say hi and let me know if there's anything reasonable I can help you with. That goes for anyone here.
