Saratoga Race Course | Horse Racing Free Tips

Facelift in Store for Saratoga, New Synthetic Track for Belmont Park

The main takeaway from Wednesday's meeting of the New York State Franchise Oversight Board is that the Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park of today will look quite different by the end of 2024, with the bulk of the meeting spent outlining a series of proposed and ongoing capital improvement projects, which the board approved.

Arguably the news of most significance is planned installation of a new one-mile synthetic track to the inside of Belmont Park's inner turf course. This synthetic surface–the specific material of which is currently unknown–will serve as a fourth racing surface at the facility.

At the end of last year, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) finished installation of the Tapeta Footings synthetic surface at the facility's pony track.

Glen Kozak, NYRA executive vice president of operations and capital projects, explained that the initial positive feedback to this surface from the horsemen helped cement the decision to install the second synthetic surface at Belmont Park.

“The feedback from the horsemen has been excellent,” said Kozak, who explained how even in very inclement weather, training delays have been minimized.

On one day last week, “we got an inch and a half of wet snow that finished up as sleet, and we delayed training,” said Kozak. After removing the wet snow and working the track, “in a matter of 45 minutes, we had it available for training.”

With work recently completed on a vehicular tunnel accessing the Belmont infield, this opens the door to simultaneous renovation of the inner turf course when the facility's 2023 spring-summer meet concludes in July.

Work on both the inner turf track and the new synthetic surface are expected to be completed by spring of 2024.

According to the NYRA representatives, the new synthetic track's primary race-day purpose is to provide a viable option during the harsh winter months. However, it will also be used as a substitute during the summer months when racing is taken off the turf.

Other construction projects outlined for Belmont include a new backstretch dormitory near the existing two such buildings.

“What we're proposing is a single-story dorm, double-sided,” said Kozak, who added NYRA doesn't have the final specifications for the building yet, but that it would be “consistent” with dorm number two. “We'd like to get to 100 beds,” he added. “Three occupants per room.”

The plan, said Kozak, is to ultimately decommission some of the older existing living quarters.

Separately, NYRA plans to make upgrades and refurbishments to certain barns, including the quarantine barn. The barn area fire alarm system will be modernized. Another plan, said Kozak, is to connect the entire backstretch with Wi-Fi.

These projects form part of NYRA's multi-year, $40-million renovation and modernization initiative at both Belmont and Saratoga.

Over at Saratoga, NYRA will construct a new residential building adjacent to the lowlands on the Oklahoma training track side of the facility. This follows approval of the designs from the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation.

In addition, NYRA will continue renovations to existing housing on both the Oklahoma and main track sides of the facility.

Other projects include planned restoration of the “Resident Manager's House,” refurbishment of the grandstand and clubhouse, additional spa verandas near the existing ones, and construction of a new hospitality area near the Wilson Chute.

Interestingly, NYRA is looking to replace the temporary tent where horses are saddled with a permanent building due to the “safety issues” inherent with the current structure. “It's basically a tent built over wooden stalls,” said Kozak.

The saddling stalls are “probably the most visible spot on the track,” said Kozak. While plans are fluid, the intent is to use rubberized paver on the floor, enlarge the area at the front, and design a barrier to muffle traffic noise from behind.

“We've already engaged Saratoga Preservation to go over and get feedback from them,” Kozak said.

Earlier in the meeting, David O'Rourke, NYRA president and chief executive officer, announced plans for a single admission price at Saratoga of $10 a day, or $7 when purchased in advance.

The thinking behind the idea, O'Rourke said, was to give fans access to the entire property rather than just the clubhouse or grandstand.

In Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)-related news, the Franchise Oversight Board remarked how NYRA already conducts an out-of-competition (OOC) program alongside the state's drug testing program.

When asked if NYRA will continue that OOC testing program when HISA goes into effect later this month, O'Rourke said that NYRA “will continue it in collaboration” with the new federal authority.

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New Single Admission Policy for Saratoga

For the first time, the 2023 Saratoga Race Course meet will have one admission price for all fans, with the daily admission rate–$7 when purchased 24 hours in advance and $10 day of–providing fans with access to both the track's Clubhouse and Grandstand. Since 2019, daily Clubhouse admission has stood at $10 and Grandstand admission at $7.

The 2023 Saratoga meet opens July 13, with live racing Wednesday through Sunday through Sept. 5. Season admission passes will go on sale in April and daily admissions go on sale June 1 at NYRA.com/Saratoga.

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Denied Commission Stay, Trainer Noda Fights NYSGC Penalty in Court

In an effort to fight a 90-day suspension and $5,000 fine for “striking a horse excessively” during a 2021 workout at Saratoga Race Course, trainer Orlando Noda has commenced proceedings in Schenectady Supreme Court that he hopes will prove the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) acted unlawfully last month when it rejected an appeal hearing officer's recommendation that his case be dismissed without penalization.

Noda's legal filing is known as an Article 78 review, which pertains to a New York state law by which a petitioner can ask a court to review a decision or action of a state official or administrative agency.

Article 78 filings have a reputation for being costly to litigate and very time consuming, sometimes dragging on for months or even several years in the court system.

Although the two cases are not related, Noda's penalty got handed down during the same Dec. 12 NYSGC meeting as a ruling imposed upon Richie Gazer, the longtime New York Racing Association head clocker who was suspended 30 days and fined $2,500 for “altering a published work of a horse to make the horse eligible to race.”

But taken together, those two same-day adjudications share a commonality in that both decisions by the NYSGC represented a forceful rejection of each hearing officer's months of work in conducting the appeals and writing up the reports.

In both instances, the commissioners voted unanimously to impose the original penalties that had been handed down by Braulio Baeza, Jr., the NYSGC state steward at the three NYRA tracks.

Although such outright rejections are unusual, most racing commissions nationwide are not bound to accept the opinions of hearing officers, who are often attorneys, that they hire to hear appeals.

In both Noda's and Gazer's cases, their respective attorneys had asked the commission for a stay of their penalties pending Article 78 filings. Both were denied last month by the NYSGC.

“I asked the commission for a stay as a courtesy,” Drew Mollica, Noda's attorney, told TDN. “I was denied on Dec. 20. I was in court Dec. 28, and the judge issued a stay. He can continue training. We have filed our Article 78 and we are pursuing a full and fair review of this unjust decision. In this case, the record is clear: There never was, and there is not now, any evidence that Mr. Noda did what they accused him of, and the hearing officer knew that.”

The hearing officer who oversaw Noda's appeal, S. David Devaprasad, wrote in his Nov. 1 report that, “The regulations Respondent is alleged to have violated…are impermissibly vague and [there are no written] standards as to what constitutes the proper or improper use of a crop or whip while training a horse.”

The report continued: “The testimony at the Hearing of the Commission's single eyewitness of the alleged incident was simply not sufficient (nor any more credible than Respondent's testimony in defense) to establish that Respondent engaged in any action detrimental to the best interest of racing generally or was guilty of any improper, corrupt, or fraudulent act or practice…”

Back on Dec. 12 NYSGC chairman Brian O'Dwyer disagreed. In reading Noda's decision into the record, he said that, “The commission duly deliberated and considered this matter, and determined by a 6-0 vote to reject the hearing officer's report and recommendations. In doing that, commissioners reviewed the entire record, and established by a preponderance of evidence that Noda's conduct was improper and detrimental to the best interest of racing, and determined that the appropriate penalty was that which was given by the stewards.”

Along with O'Dwyer, NYSGC commissioners John Crotty, Peter Moschetti, Jr., Christopher Riano, Marissa Shorenstein and Jerry Skurnik all voted in favor of rejecting the hearing officers' recommendations in the two cases.

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Letter to the Editor: Jingle Bells Ring for the Backstretch Families!

The Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA) annually hosts a Holiday Shopping Day for all of the families of backstretch workers at Belmont Park and Aqueduct Race Track. This year, BCCA held its event on Saturday, Dec. 3 in the clubhouse at Belmont Park. The Belmont Cafe was transformed into a Winter Wonderland which included a Sugar Plum Cafe and Holiday Shop. Thanks to the New York Racing Association (NYRA), BCCA was provided with a beautiful venue to host its event and NYRA's facilities and security departments provided much needed support on all levels.

This year, 500 children were escorted by elves who assisted them as they chose presents for themselves and for everyone in their families. Over 100 volunteers assisted the children while they shopped. Other elves helped to select merchandise for the Holiday Shop and personally baked treats for the Sugar Plum Cafe. Our children met elves at the wrapping station where they watched while their gifts were prepared.

The shopping experience was complete when they stopped to visit Santa in the Reindeer Court. Santa was assisted by elves as the children received candy canes, took photos, and told Santa what was on their wish list. The day was filled with smiling faces as the children and elves sang along with the carols playing in the lobby and in the shop.

This event day was made possible thanks to the incredibly generosity of donors who participated in BCCA's call-to-action at its annual Racing for the Children dinner and auction, held each year in Saratoga Springs in late August. The funds raised that evening were used to purchase new coats, vests, sweaters, robes, kitchen appliances, beauty accessories, and tool boxes, to name a few. BCCA received donations of new toys thanks to a new partnership with Jazwares Inc. through their philanthropic arm, Jazwares Cares, in addition to donations from the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Foundation with whom BCCA has shared a long-lasting partnership.

BCCA's volunteers are essential to the success of the event beginning with the planning stage, set-up day, day of event operations, and clean up and break down. BCCA recognizes all its volunteers from the Thoroughbred racing industry and its bountiful group of volunteers from the National Charity League, New York Chapter of Garden City.

This year, as BCCA celebrates 20 years of providing an early childhood education and development program for children year-round at Anna House and during the summer race meet at Faith's House at Saratoga Race Course, BCCA is grateful to our donors for their incredible support of our most important programs. The generosity of our donors allows us to fulfill our commitment to the families of the backstretch workers with the knowledge that their children will receive a great start toward a better future. You really can't put a price on giving a child a great start in life and a gift of any size matters.

We invite you to Think BIG for BCCA because when we come together, we can make a great impact on the lives of our children and their families. To join our year-end appeal, please visit us at www.belmontchildcare.org.

The mission of the Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA) is to provide a safe, supportive, and academically inspiring environment for the children of parents working in the Thoroughbred racing backstretch area located at New York's historic Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Saratoga Race Course. We are committed to promoting early childhood education, molding young minds, and encouraging the fulfillment of dreams.

Joanne K. Adams is the Executive Director of the Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA), a 501 c 3 organization.

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