NYRA

The renovation of the Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga Race Course has been completed, according to a press release from the New York Racing Association, Inc. Horses and riders, who were welcomed to jog and gallop over the surface beginning Wednesday morning, were met with a completely reconstructed Oklahoma track featuring a limestone base, renovated surface layer and modernized drainage systems. The training track has been widened by 10-to-14 feet in most areas to address the increasing population of horses training over the Oklahoma annually from April to October. Additionally,...

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a major capacity increase at the state's racetracks and other outdoor large-scale sports and entertainment facilities Wednesday. The new order, which takes effect May 19, permits venue capacity to as much space as needed to meet the six-feet apart social distancing mandate. Another key part of the mandate is that fully vaccinated fans can be spaced next to one another, rather than six-feet apart, in areas that are separate from non-vaccinated patrons. "NYRA joins sports and entertainment venues throughout the state in thanking Governor...

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced Tuesday that a limited number of tickets for the 2021 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will go on sale to the public on Thursday, May 6 starting at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster.com. The three-day festival kicks off Thursday, June 3 and is headlined, of course, by the GI Belmont S. June 5. NYRA will offer advance pre-sale opportunities to 2020 Belmont Stakes ticket buyers, along with NYRA Bets Elite, Preferred and Bronze members, beginning on Wednesday, May 5. Eligible groups will be notified...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced Friday that it is collaborating with Quest Diagnostics to provide COVID-19 testing this Saturday and Sunday at Belmont Park, where a limited number of spectators will return to the track for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Quest Diagnostics Mobile Testing Unit will offer COVID-19 antigen tests, which return a result within 30 minutes. On both Saturday and Sunday, tests will be offered to spectators for $30. The Quest Diagnostics Mobile Testing Unit will be located near...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced that NYRA Bets Gift Cards will be available for purchase for the 2021 Triple Crown beginning Apr. 25, at more than 150 Stewart's Shops across the Capital Region. NYRA Bets Gift Cards will be available at Stewart's Shops through the conclusion of the Saratoga meet. For a complete list of participating Stewart's Shops locations, click here. "We were overwhelmed by the response of fans to the introduction of our gift cards last summer and are excited to make them available earlier than...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced COVID-19 health and safety protocols for jockeys competing at the 48-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet. The meet runs Thursday, Apr. 22 through Sunday, July 11. As has been the case at NYRA since Apr. 1, all jockeys who have been fully vaccinated will not be required to undergo COVID-19 testing in order to compete at Belmont. Vaccinated jockeys traveling to ride at Belmont, as well as members of the NYRA jockey colony who travel outside of New York State, will continue to...

The boutique 11-day Aqueduct spring meet generated all-sources handle of $85,419,050, a 2.2% increase over the 2019 Aqueduct spring meet, the New York Racing Association, Inc. announced Tuesday. Average daily handle over the 11 days of live racing was $7,765,368, an 11.5% increase over 2019, when average daily handle over the 12 days of live racing was $6,964,947. The 2020 spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack was canceled in its entirety due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In accordance with New York State guidelines instituted to mitigate the spread...

America's Day at the Races, produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will present live racing throughout the 48-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet that will run from Thursday, Apr. 22 through Sunday, July 11. The network will also feature live racing from the 38-day Churchill Downs spring meet that runs Apr. 24 to June 26, as well as continued coverage of the 57-day Oaklawn Park which runs through May 1. Each live racing day at Belmont Park will feature coverage on FS2, which...

With live racing transitioning from New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) 's Aqueduct Racetrack to Belmont Park for the start of the spring/summer meet Apr. 22, Aqueduct will continue to serve as mass COVID-19 vaccination center. The New York State vaccination distribution center opened Jan. 18 and has provided more than 180,000 doses. Operating seven days a week, the Aqueduct site is now providing as many as 4,000 doses per day. "This facility has vaccinated more than 180,000 individuals since January thanks to the teamwork displayed by employees from the...

In a surprising development, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that fans may return to the state's racetracks starting Apr. 22. Attendance will be capped at 20% capacity. A few hours after Cuomo's announcement, NYRA officials were still considering their options and would not commit to allowing fans to attend as soon as Apr. 22. "The New York Racing Association, Inc. looks forward to welcoming fans back to Belmont Park this spring and to Saratoga Race Course this summer," NYRA President and CEO Dave O'Rourke. "We thank Governor Cuomo...

Saratoga Race Course will open for spring training at 6 a.m. Saturday, Apr. 17, the New York Racing Association announced Friday. The barn area at the Oklahoma Training Track will open to horsemen  Thursday, Apr. 15. To accommodate the completion of a major renovation of the Oklahoma Training Track facility, training will begin on the main track at Saratoga Race Course. When training resumes at the Oklahoma in early May, horses and riders will be met with a completely reconstructed track featuring a limestone base, renovated surface layer and modernized...

Saturday's Wood Memorial Challenge is the second-of-six $3,000 NYRA Bets live-money handicapping challenges offered in 2021.The Wood Memorial challenge, featuring a $3,000 buy-in, offers an array of prizes including a cash prize pool, one seeded $10,000 Belmont Stakes Contest Seat, and two 2022 National Handicapping Championship [NHC] seats. NYRA Handicapping Challenge entrants will be able to register and compete online in all contests via NYRA Bets. The leaderboard for all of these contests will be posted throughout the day on America's Day at the Races, produced by NYRA in partnership...