saratoga | Horse Racing Free Tips

Saratoga Season Passes on Sale at Stewart’s

Grandstand season passes for the 2022 Saratoga meet will be available for purchase at nearly 180 Stewart's Shops throughout the greater Capital Region beginning June 6. The passes are $60.

The passes will be available at Stewart's Shops in Fulton and Montgomery counties for the first time. The passes will return to shops in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady and Warren counties.

Clubhouse season passes are $85 and may be purchased exclusively at NYRA.com/Saratoga. Grandstand passes are also available for purchase directly online from NYRA. Daily grandstand admission to Saratoga is $7 and daily clubhouse admission is $10.

In addition to season passes, Stewart's Shops is the exclusive retailer of NYRA Bets Gift Cards. They are available in $50 denominations and can be used to deposit funds automatically into a NYRA Bets account.

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Kentucky Derby Winner Rich Strike Arrives at Belmont

GI Kentucky Derby upsetter Rich Strike (Keen Ice) arrived in New York by van from Kentucky at 1 a.m. Wednesday to prepare for the GI Belmont S. June 11.

With exercise rider Gabriel Lagunes up, Rich Strike visited Belmont's dirt training track at 9:30 a.m. with the accompaniment of outrider Juan Galvez and his pony Stormy, making two laps the wrong way round.

“He settled down a lot the second time round. A lot of that was trying to get him used to the pony. You could see the farther he went the better he accepted the pony,” trainer Eric Reed said. “I think by the end of the week they'll be good buddies and on race day he needs a buddy. He'll sleep the rest of the day. I know he's tired, he just doesn't show it.”

Going forward Rich Strike will school in the paddock in the morning before training on the main track.

“He's so routine oriented. We're in a new place, so we can set his routine here and in two days, he'll be fine,” Reed said.

Reed said if Rich Strike continues to move forward their long-term target would be the GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 27 at Saratoga.

“The owners always wanted to run him in the Travers and I think it's a good spot for him,” Reed said. “If all the horses are freshened and ready that could be a heck of a field in the Travers with Epicenter, Zandon, Early Voting and whoever comes out of this race. It could be a great, great race.”

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NYRA Assistant Starters Threaten to Strike on Belmont Day

At an impasse with NYRA over health insurance benefits, the union representing assistant starters at Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga has informed the racing organization that it will wage a strike starting on the day of the GI Belmont S. if its demands are not met.

With recent discussions between NYRA and Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers failing to produce a solution, the union served NYRA with a Notice of Intent to Strike.

The union is asking for NYRA to pick up the health coverage from the time an assistant starter retires until they are eligible for medicare. When reached by the TDN, union representative Robert Olenick refused to comment.

“NYRA has negotiated in good faith throughout this process,” said NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna. “The same cannot be said for Local 3 IBEW, who have now resorted to threats and intimidation tactics to extricate themselves from a contract agreed to by both parties that has been in place for more than a decade. NYRA is committed to achieving an equitable solution, but it is unfortunate and counterproductive for the union to threaten to intentionally disrupt the Belmont Stakes.”

McKenna added that NYRA believes a strike will not cause a major disruption to the Belmont card.

“The reality is that NYRA has contingencies in place to ensure there would be absolutely no impact to the event no matter the action taken by Local 3 IBEW,” he said.

Contingency plans include bringing in non-union starters to man the gate on Belmont Day.

This is not the first time the union has threatened to strike on Belmont Day. Prior to the 2012 Belmont, the assistant starters threatened to strike, but the two sides reached an agreement in the days leading up to the race. The core issue in 2012 was a dispute about how overtime pay would be awarded.

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NYRA Introduces Spa Breakfast & Breeding Farm Tour

The New York Racing Association, Inc. kicks off the first-ever Breakfast and Breeding Farm tour package at Saratoga Race Course July 15. The Saratoga Breakfast and Breeding Farm tour, presented by the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA), will be offered every Friday and will accommodate up to 40 guests.

The all-inclusive fan experience package features:

Buffet breakfast at Saratoga Race Course
Attend morning training
Round-trip, open-air trolley ride from Saratoga to Old Tavern Farm
90-minute guided walking tour of an active Thoroughbred breeding farm
Admission to Saratoga Race Course

The Saratoga Breakfast and Breeding Farm package is available for $55 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis for each weekly Friday tour, beginning July 15. Tickets may be purchased at www.NYRA.com.

The package begins with Breakfast at Saratoga, featuring a buffet breakfast at Saratoga between 7:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. with a backdrop of morning training. Guests may arrive at any time for breakfast during these hours. Following the conclusion of breakfast, fans will board an open-air trolley, courtesy of CDTA, at the clubhouse entrance and embark on a 15-minute ride along picturesque Saratoga Lake to Old Tavern Farm for a 90-minute experiential and educational walking tour of one of the region's breeding farms. Fans will arrive back at Saratoga at approximately 11:45 a.m., in advance of post time for the start of racing at approximately 1 p.m.

For more information about Saratoga Race Course visit www.NYRA.com/Saratoga.

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