One of North America’s most important and prestigious thoroughbred racing meets, Saratoga, is under way in upstate New York.
Featuring live racing six days a week until September 3, Saratoga represents an opportunity for racetracks, bet shops and online wagering providers from around the world to generate significant handle and to build excitement for US racing.
With purses bolstered for the first time by casino revenues, more elite thoroughbreds, jockeys and trainers have descended on Saratoga Springs than ever before.
A staple on the North American racing calendar since 1863, Saratoga has remained popular in the US and around the world by leveraging its heritage and tradition, as well as continually cultivating a strong local fan-base and attracting the best of equine superstars. Almost 900,000 patrons will attend the races during the 40-day meet.
The annual highlight of the meet is the Grade 1, US$1m Travers Stakes, which will be contested on August 25. The 10-furlong (2,000m) race, nicknamed the Midsummer Derby, is limited to starters that are three years old and is often an important precursor as to which colts and geldings will excel in the important fall races, culminating in the Breeders’ Cup. Fifteen other Grade 1 races will be contested at Saratoga this summer, including the Whitney Handicap and Woodward Stakes for the nation’s best older horses, as well the Sword Dancer Invitational for premier turf horses and the Alabama and Personal Ensign for fillies and mares. A total of 35 graded stakes races will be contested during this year’s meet.
Saratoga proves particularly attractive to bettors for a number of reasons, highlighted by the amount of money that is generated through the pari-mutuel pools each race day. Total wagers made on any given weekend card at Saratoga can exceed $20m. In addition to its large pools, Saratoga has proven to be a very successful international meet due to the attractive post time.
