NYRA Refutes Report That Saratoga May Go to Five-Day Schedule

[Wandering Eyes]

The Albany television station WNYT reported Thursday that NYRA will, at a meeting of the Board of Directors, put forth a proposal to go to a five-day-a-week racing schedule at Saratoga with the track being closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. To continue to operate 40 days of racing at the upstate New York track, NYRA would begin the meet earlier than normal, on July 11. The traditional closing day, Labor Day, would still be in effect.

WNYT reporter Chris Onorato tweeted the following: “According to multiple sources, proposed expansion of Saratoga racing season will be key topic of NYRA board meeting this AM in NYC.”

There was at least one factual error in Onorato’s tweet as there was no NYRA Board meeting held Thursday. It is scheduled for next week.

Patrick McKenna, NYRA’s director of communications, dismissed the report in a statement.

“Any reporting to suggest that the NYRA Board of Directors met today to discuss the 2019 Saratoga season is absolutely incorrect,” the statement read. “While we appreciate the interest that surrounds the Saratoga racing calendar, we will formally release the dates for the 2019 season at the appropriate time. This is and has been our standard practice in notifying the public.”

NYRA has not yet released stakes or racing schedules for any of its three tracks for 2019.

 

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