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NYRA

New Backstretch Housing Planned For Saratoga, Belmont

September 21, 2023 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

Photo of members of the backstrech workers' community by Walter Wlodarczyk, provided by NYRA.The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has committed to constructing new residential buildings at Belmont Park in Hempstead, Nassau County, and Saratoga Race Course designed to provide additional housing options for the backstretch workers’ community.

These projects are part of NYRA’s multi-year, $40 million campaign to modernize and improve backstretch housing and facilities at Belmont and Saratoga. [Read more…] about New Backstretch Housing Planned For Saratoga, Belmont

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, New York City Tagged With: Belmont Park, Housing, Immigration, Labor History, NYRA, Saratoga Race Course

Labor History: Saratoga, Belmont, Aqueduct & the 1961 Track Workers Strike

July 23, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Horse Transports at the Saratoga Race Course in 2019 (Matt Bonk photo)There were only 14 horses at Saratoga Race Course in late July of 1961. By that time, it was expected that at least 200 would have arrived for the racing season. Strikes led by Jimmy Hoffa and a branch of the Teamsters Union, Local 917, halted the transportation of horses from New York City to Saratoga Springs. [Read more…] about Labor History: Saratoga, Belmont, Aqueduct & the 1961 Track Workers Strike

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History, New York City Tagged With: Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, Black History, Delaware & Hudson Railroad, Hispanic History, Horses, Labor History, Long Island, New York City, NYRA, Queens, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, Teamsters, Transportation History

A Remarkable Saratoga Race Track Souvenir

July 13, 2023 by Bill Orzell 3 Comments

Photogravure reproduction of the William Dowling painting produced by the FA Ringler Company for the Saratoga Association in 1928 (Author’s collection)The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has four “giveaway” days planned for the 2023 Saratoga Racing season, which kicked-off today. This tradition, while the supply lasts, has been a standard at the Spa for decades. This year’s red and white swag includes a cooler jug, a T-shirt, a bucket hat and a tote bag.

Souvenirs date back to the earliest visitors at Saratoga Springs, wanting to return home with a tangible memento of their visit to the Spa, in the foothills of the Adirondacks. The Saratoga Association for the Improvement of the Breed of Horses early on recognized this desire of visitors, and devised of a plan for a valuable keepsake early in the twentieth century. [Read more…] about A Remarkable Saratoga Race Track Souvenir

Filed Under: Arts, Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Gambling, Horses, illustrators, Material Culture, NYRA, painting, Saratoga County, Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, Social History, Sports History, Vice

Horse Racing Hall of Fame Names 2023 Inductees

May 2, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

national museum of racingEight new members have been elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. The class of 2023 is comprised of jockey Corey Nakatani and the racehorses Arrogate (KY), California Chrome (CA), and Songbird (KY) in the contemporary category; jockey Fernando Toro via the Historic Review Committee; and Pillars of the Turf selections John W. Hanes II, Leonard W. Jerome, and Stella F. Thayer. Arrogate, California Chrome, and Songbird were all elected in their first year of eligibility. [Read more…] about Horse Racing Hall of Fame Names 2023 Inductees

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, Events, History Tagged With: Horses, Leonard Jerome, National Museum of Racing, NYRA

Saratoga Historic Preservation Award Winners Recognized

October 7, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Stone Abbey at 125 Circular Street by Gail SteinEach year in September the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation recognizes those who have preserved the architectural heritage of Saratoga Springs.

Award recipients were recently honored during the Foundation’s Annual Meeting at Music Hall at City Hall, 474 Broadway. Categories for this year’s awards included Adaptive Reuse, Rehabilitation Initiative, Rehabilitation, Restoration, Landscape Initiative, New Contextual Design, Porch Restoration, and Window Initiative. [Read more…] about Saratoga Historic Preservation Award Winners Recognized

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Architecture, Historic Preservation, NYRA, Saratoga County, Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation

Saratoga Race Track’s Wilson Chute is Returning; Here’s Some History

January 25, 2022 by Bill Orzell Leave a Comment

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 1 (May 1954) showing the Saratoga Racing Association grounds (the Wilson Chute is marked with an arrow)The New York Racing Association has recently announced a revised configuration for the historic Saratoga Race Course for the 2022 race meet. A chute, or straight-away will return, allowing for a start directly into the clubhouse turn for races of one mile in distance. Known as the Wilson Chute, it had been a regular feature of the track until 1972, when the area was converted to additional parking.

The Wilson Chute is named in honor of Richard T. Wilson, Jr. who had been the President of the Saratoga Racing Association beginning in 1909. As an executive and an investor, he was integral in saving racing at the Spa and then developing the sport and the racing plant that so many are familiar with today. [Read more…] about Saratoga Race Track’s Wilson Chute is Returning; Here’s Some History

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Gambling, Historic Racetracks Series, history, Horses, NYRA, Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, Sports History, Vice

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