Adam Shinder
August 28, 2026
SARATOGA SPRINGS — If it feels like it’s already been a long summer at Saratoga Race Course even before the meet reaches its biggest day, that’s only because it’s true.
“It’s literally and figuratively the longest summer up here,” New York Racing Association President and CEO David O’Rourke said in an interview ahead of Saturday’s Travers Stakes, “but it’s been a great one in my opinion.”
The supersized summer meet hits its crescendo Saturday with the 157th running of the Travers Stakes. The $1.25 million race, which features the return of Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Golden Tempo, is set for a 6:35 p.m. post time and will highlight a blockbuster day of racing that includes six graded stakes.
A variety of factors have led to this being the longest summer in Saratoga’s venerable history.
This is the third and final year of extra racing days being moved to the Spa due to the $455 million reconstruction of Belmont Park, which is set to reopen next month. In addition to Saratoga hosting its third Belmont Stakes back in June, it’s also the second straight year that July racing at Saratoga started over Independence Day weekend. This year, the July 4 Racing Festival was considered the official start to the meet, resulting in a planned 46-day racing calendar spread out over 10 weeks due to a late Labor Day — the meet’s traditional closing day — on Sept. 7.
Only the decision to reduce racing from five to four days a week during most of July kept the summer schedule from getting even more inflated. The shorter weeks were received so well that even though NYRA is committed to returning Saratoga to a 40-day racing schedule next year, the standard in recent years, O’Rourke said NYRA could explore using shorter weeks to draw those 40 days out over a longer timeframe.
“Is that something we’ll bounce around over the winter? Maybe for some time in the future,” O’Rourke said Friday. “But, we’ve been so focused on getting Belmont (ready), it really hasn’t been, like, top of the mind in planning.
“When I’m looking at drafts for next year’s calendar, there’s not a version of that at this point — but I think it will come up in discussion.”
O’Rourke said the Thursday-to-Sunday racing schedule had “a lot of the locals out in force” and brought “a little more energy” to the Spa’s July activities.
That energy led to a meet that’s been in line with recent years in terms of both attendance and wagering handle.
Through Thursday, the total paid attendance for the summer meet was 817,565 fans. Add in the 103,674 fans who attended the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival in June, and more than 921,000 fans have come through the Saratoga turnstiles this year.
With more than 40,000 expected for the Travers card and six more racing days during closing week, the Saratoga summer meet is expected to surpass one million in paid attendance for the 11th consecutive season in which fans were admitted to the track.
Wagering has also been strong, with an all-sources handle of $692,036,762 for the summer meet.
The extra racing days could lead to an overall gross increase in both attendance and handle, and the expected large crowd and heavy wagering on Travers Day should leave per-day averages in line with where they were in 2025.
O’Rourke was especially pleased with the wagering figures. Last year, an average of $19,778,236 was wagered per day. This year, that number sat at $19,223,243 through Thursday despite NYRA implementing rules earlier this year to limit computer-assisted wagering, which uses advanced algorithms and automated software to help place large bets very quickly before wagering closes.
“Really, you’re coming into the meet with a 10% handle headwind and we’re effectively flat, which is incredible,” O’Rourke said. “It just shows the power of Saratoga and the power of the retail player.”
With Belmont Park set to reopen Sept. 18, the close of this year’s Saratoga meet on Sept. 7 will mark the end of a unique three-year chapter in the Spa’s history that brought Triple Crown racing to the Union Avenue landmark for the first time.
While O’Rourke is understandably excited for the opportunities that Belmont Park will provide following its facelift, he’s grateful for the way Saratoga — both the track and its surrounding community — stepped up to carry a heavier burden.
“It’s a credit to the community, the fans,” he said. “Everyone supported us through this. Saratoga was the ultimate relief valve as we rebuilt Belmont, and with that project coming to fruition, it’s kind of an incredible time in New York racing.”
