Continued On

7.8. In 2021, 416 races were conducted, including 242 on dirt and 174 on the turf. Forty-fi ve races were taken off the turf. Average fi eld size was 7.7.

Among the highlights of the 2022 Saratoga meet: • Klaravich Stables was the meet’s leading owner; Chad Brown claimed the H. Allen Jerkens training title; and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. captured the Angel Cordero Jr. riding title. • Runhappy Travers Day generated recordsetting all-sources handle of $55,559,315 as 49,762 paying customers watched Epicenter win the 153rd running of Saratoga’s signature race. • Fans tuned in to Saratoga Live in record numbers as NYRA’s fl agship television program posted its highest ratings ever. Broadcast on the FOX Sports family of networks for the seventh consecutive year and presented by America’s Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, Saratoga Live featured more than 225 hours of coverage and analysis from Saratoga Race Course.

Th is year included the debut of the Jim Dandy on FOX, which also carried the Runhappy Travers for the fourth year in a row. • Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez secured his record-extending 1,000th career win at Saratoga Race Course when he guided Precursory to victory for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott on Aug. 25. • Jockey Joel Rosario set a Saratoga record for most graded stakes victories in a single meet with 12, including his win aboard Epicenter in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers. • Jackie’s Warrior became the fi rst horse to win a Grade 1 stakes three years in a row at Saratoga with his victory in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap on July 30. Th e trifecta included wins in the 2021 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial and 2020 Runhappy Hopeful. • Th e Wilson Chute made its return to Saratoga Race Course aft er being dismantled 50 years ago. NYRA reconstructed the historic chute to allow for one-mile races to be contested on the main track.

NYRA continued to make capital investments in Saratoga with the debut of the Paddock Suite, a climate-controlled hospitality area with sweeping views of the Saratoga paddock, located above the newly renovated Post Bar.

In partnership with CDTA and Old Tavern Farm, NYRA launched the Saratoga Breakfast and Breeding Farm Tour, which sold out prior to the start of the season. Each Friday, guests enjoyed breakfast at Saratoga Race Course followed by a trolley ride to nearby Old Tavern Farm, where they embarked on a 90-minute guided walking tour of an active thoroughbred breeding farm.

Saratoga Race Course hosted the Budweiser Clydesdales for the fi rst time in more than 15 years. Th ousands of fans turned out in mid-August to enjoy photo opportunities with the Clydesdales and to witness them parade on the main track in front of the grandstand.

Th e Taste NY Pavilion at Saratoga Race Course featured a wide selection of New York craft beers, hard cider, wines and spirits from Brooklyn to the Adirondacks and Saratoga to Cooperstown as a showcase of the state’s robust food and beverage industry.

For more information, visit NYRA.com.

NYRA holds the exclusive franchise to conduct thoroughbred racing at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. NYRA tracks are the cornerstone of New York state’s horse racing industry, which is responsible for 19,000 jobs and more than $3 billion in annual economic impact.