A day before the gates on Union Avenue open to the crowds of opening day at Saratoga Race Course, local business owners and public officials gathered for a Chamber of Commerce breakfast in Saratoga Springs.
New York Racing Association Board Member Georgie Nugent Lussier expressed the emotion of many in the room.
“To me it’s more exciting than waking up on Christmas morning. I’m completely looking forward to this and I plan on being there at least five days out of the week, every week this meet,” said Lussier.
During the morning event hosted by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, NYRA CEO Chris Kay outlined a list of capital projects completed at the track during the offseason. He also believes the momentum from last year’s banner year charged by American Pharoah’s Triple Crown will continue into this year.
Kay said race fans will be treated to a hotly anticipated run by a champion 3-year-old this Sunday in the Grade I Coaching Club American Oaks.
“This is by far the best racing in the world and this weekend we’re bringing Songbird to compete. Now, Songbird was a juvenile champion, won an Eclipse Award, and she is four for four this year. So we think it will be a fantastic race and many people think Songbird is the best horse in America this year,” said Kay.
Todd Shimkus, Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, said hotel reservation numbers for the racing season are looking strong, though not all rooms are booked up yet.
“But there are some days that are sold out in different places around town, so that’s good. We feel pretty optimistic this year. The one thing that we can’t control that will probably decide everything is the weather,” said Shimkus.
After the breakfast, members of Friends of Saratoga Racing were passing out their signature “Woah, Cuomo” buttons — a push during the pre-meet excitement to call on Governor Andrew Cuomo to swiftly place NYRA back under private control.
In June, lawmakers and the governor’s office could not come to an agreement on re-privatizing the organization that has been under state control for the last several years.
Saratoga area lawmakers Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner and Senator Kathy Marchione were in attendance also pushing for reprivatization.
Senator Marchione…
“We really just believe that’s where we need to go. We need to make sure that they can have the best opportunity to succeed. And at this point, staying on as a public corporation really is not the best,” said Marchione.
And as the city of Saratoga Springs prepares for its yearly influx of visitors through Labor Day, Public Safety Commissioner Chris Mathisen said his department is ready for opening day.
“The Public Safety Department is very good at getting people in and out of the city, so I don’t think we’ll have any problems with that whatsoever,” said Mathiesen.
But it probably wouldn’t hurt to arrive a little early.
