my uncle and godfather is treating me to a trip to Saratoga at the end of July-beginning of August! It is Whitney weekend, and all I have to pay for is my betting money. I’m so excited. I haven’t had a vacation in years. Anyhow, how do I make the most of my visit? Are there days you can watch the morning workouts? How would you get access to these? I know you can take a tour of the backside, but is there a way to just wall around the backside? How I’d love meet Michael Martz again if he’s there. (I met him at Devon years ago when I worked for Practical Horseman.)
Where are the best places to eat? Best breakfast? Best margarita? LOL
Best places to shop? To park? Best places to rub elbows with the beautiful people? Can you meet jockeys? Is Edgar Prado still riding?
Lucky you! I like to stay within walking distance of the track and town. Parking is crazy - you have to really watch the signs, because the side of the street on which you can park changes daily. We usually do a B&B or Airbnb, but you better hurry because places book fast. We stay on Caroline Street, but the place we booked is not available that weekend.
The track is open for breakfast and you can watch training while you eat. It’s pretty cool.
The food is great everywhere - we always do reservations because it’s hard to get a table and there are frequently long waits. Brunch at Hatties!! Town is small enough you can check out every single shop. There is also mini golf and a community pool if you’ve had enough of horses and shopping. And check out the concerts at SPAC - but buy seats since the lawn doesn’t have much of a view. It’s really fun.
You can have breakfast and watch works any morning. Although now that they are changing the schedule (no more Mondays except Labor Day) I wonder.
Backstretch tour only way to get there - no wandering unless you have a NYRA owner’s card…
And there’s also across the street at the Oklahoma track to watch works.
What a great time you’re going to have! Definitely go to the Oklahoma track in the morning to watch the horses work over there. It’s just sublime. The National Racing Hall of Fame is also very cool and worth a few hours, if you enjoy racing history.
Some favorite spots to eat:
Breakfast: Country Corner Cafe and Sweet Mimi’s
The bar to go to to see and be seen: Siro’s (always crowded during the meet! Fun if you like crowds)
Dinner spots:
Salt & Char (swanky)
Hattie’s (casual and yummy!)
Forno Bistro (good Italian) & Pennell’s
The Wishing Well (very traditional and lovely, I’ve never been in there when there wasn’t at least one or two famous trainers there also)
Thanks everyone for the advice. My uncle goes every year, so he knows to book rooms way ahead of time. (Already done.) I hope to make it to the Hall of Fame, and I will take note of the restaurants.
How I wish it were possible to wander around the backstretch! I understand why not, of course, but I’d love to meet Michael Matz again. I met him at Devon in 1994 when I worked for Practical Horseman (a short-lived, but enjoyable experience). Does he have any graded stakes-type horses this year? Do you think he’ll be in Saratoga? What about Graham Motion? (My two favorite trainers.)
It sounds like I’ll be off my diet for a few days!
Hope you really enjoy your visit. I spent a few hours there last year. Fortunately my SO has a NYS license so we visited the backstretch at the Standardbred track across the road where he had spent some time years back. Then went to wander the Thoroughbred backstretch and watched a few races before heading back to Vernon Downs to race our horse. Long day but so worth it. There’s a good sized tack shop by the Standardbred track you might enjoy a wander through. We managed to leave with only a great straw broom.
Breakfast- the bread basket, country corner, triangle diner (so good), common grounds (the closest thing to a true Ny bagel and great coffee)
Lunch- Hattie’s
Dinner- 15 Church (get reservations, there is the inside restaurant and the patio, different menus, love the patio), Osteria Danny, and karavelli or little India for indian if you like it, best Mexican is actually outside of town (don’t believe the hype about Mexican connection, though convenient). Leon’s is by far the best Mexican food (and margaritas). Sperry’s or Prime is where you will run into a lot of jocks and trainers. The best sushi/hibachi is at Duo.
If you cant tell, I’ve spent a lot of time there 😂 This will be my first summer in many years not going for the meet (I was an assistant trainer but just had a baby)
you probably wont see Matz in Saratoga unless he happens to have a Stakes horse there that weekend. Graham does have a small strong there for a meet and he comes up a few days a week. Edgar Prada is still riding, but mainly in Maryland and Florida. He comes up for the occasional race.
The breakfast at the track is great. And definitely take one of the tours. If I were there I would try to help you see more. A couple days a week they breeze on the turf on the Oklahoma track, very cool to see. If you want non-horse things there are lots of museums and two lakes nearby!
Michael Matz and Graham Motion sometimes ship/stable horses together, even running under the same assistant trainer at times. Unless they have a “big” horse running that day (which it’s too early to tell), you probably won’t see either of them there. Graham usually has more horses at Saratoga, so it’s a lot more likely you’ll see him. Watch the entries when it gets closer to the date. If you do see them, they are both extremely approachable and good-natured. Obviously they are going to be focused on their horses, so you need to respect that. But I would not be afraid to go up to either of them and quickly introduce yourself at an appropriate moment. If they are there, you’ll likely see them around.
There’s a chance Edgar Prado may be riding that day, too. He’s also quite nice. If he’s there, he’ll be hustling back and forth between the jock’s room and the paddock, but if you politely flag him down at the rail, I’m sure he’ll pause for a picture if he can.
In addition to Breakfast at the Track, watching works at the Oklahoma track, and the Hall of Fame, Old Friends at Cabin Creek is a short drive away. Zippy Chippy is a hoot and worth the trip! What a character!
Its actually really easy to wander around parts of it because its all open with no barriers and right alongside the parking areas. Obviously you arent supposed to, but my friends and I have done so countless times throughout the years after the races and have never goten booted out. We’ve gotten some really cool photos with stakes horses including some from Todd Pletchers, D Wayne Lukas, and Nick Zito’s barns. I remember that Rail Trip and I Want Revenge were really sweet. The grooms and workers generally get a big kick out of it and someone always tries to convince us to come party with them, lol A few years ago we were in Nick Zito’s shedrow and found Frammento- my sister was fangirling and we were taking pictures when his groom came out and told us very sternly to leave (but did allow us to get pics).
In follow up to jvanrens post, the tack shop on the standardbred side is called Pacesetter, and is definitely worth a visit. They are really nice guys, and sell really nice triple stitched leather halters for a very good price. I usually buy several to have on hand every time I’m up there, because, well, I have two geldings in PA and therefore a lot of broken halters …
This is super random and hopefully doesn’t apply to you…but last time I went to Saratoga I was escorting an older disabled gentleman and there was not a single staff person who would/could help accommodate wheelchair access from parking to betting windows to watching the races to dining. It was incredibly bizarre and disappointing for this day and age. Just a heads up in case it does apply to you or those you are traveling with. Otherwise it is a lovely place to visit. I hope you have a great time!
Whitney Weekend is a lot of fun. It will be crazy crazy.
Keep in mind that Monday and Tuesday’s are “dark days” (meaning no racing) and the track and Oklahoma are both closed to the public. Security guards do watch all gates and they are serious. You can get brunch under the grandstands and watch training Wednesday-Sunday.
I work on the backside will not be at Saratoga this summer though
If you do find your self in the position to wander the backside, PLEASE!! do not wander into the shedrows (barns) and pet the horses or feed them. People are trying to work, not all horses are nice, some get sick easily, and its a huge liability but its perfectly fine to watch/take pictures from a safe distance. There is literally nothing more stressful then finding strangers in your barn.
Thank you for posting this. I was shocked at the previous poster talking about wandering along the shedrow at Saratoga, here on the same board where non-racing horse people complain about all the strangers who “visit” their horses over the pasture fence or wander right up the drive into their private barns.
Yeah, I knew it would get some people upset…but hey, its fun and Im not perfect…I dont actually consider myself a “non-racing person” - I did work at Belmont/Saratoga one season and I worked at my small local track for several years.
Yes, 1,000 times. (Not talking about people like Saratoga who have worked at tracks, obviously)
But its not a place to wander around. Not only for security reasons, but people and horses are working, you could be turning a corner and if you are not used to the backside envirionment, large (and sometimes mean) horses are coming around from the other side of a barn and you can easily get run over, bit, kicked, whatever.
Most backsides I’ve been to are heavily secured with gates, fences and security personnel—you don’t get in unless you have a reason to be there.
Perhaps Saratoga has one of those programs like Oaklawn does (Oaklawn at Dawn or something). You can go at 7am, watch the horses work on the track, free coffee and donuts and such breakfast things…
and then they interview a trainer…I went to the one with Wayne Lukas, cuz I figured I’d never get to see that again (last year). It was up close and personal, only about 100 people were there.
He is a hoot, tells great stories, and is very affable with the fans, he signed my Oaklawn at Dawn ticket on the back, and I don’t usually collect autographs (it’s my only one) but I like having it.
Afterwards, Oaklawn has small busses that you board and they drive you all around the backside for a tour. It’s very fun.
ALL FREE.
There were some children at one of the Dawn’s, one of the exercise riders after the work came up on the horse to the apron, the horse was very friendly (and gentle), he let the kids pet the horse a little bit. They were thrilled.
P.S. I really got the most out of last season because oaklawn has always been a friendly, close knit and rather “homey” track. It is not unusual to be standing at the apron, or in front of the TVs and Steve Asmussen is standing right next to you, or Jack van Berg (miss him!) is over by the paddock at the doors to the outside on his little handicap scooter. Ditto any other trainer who works there. Larry Jones (glad to have him back!) is always saddling his own horses in the paddock. Any of these guys will talk to you if you catch them in a down time moment. Ditto, pretty much any of the local jockeys.
parking is only $2, admission is free, and you can get their famous corned beef sandwich for what…about $7?
20+ years of that…but now, with the $100 million expansion, and a big hotel going up next year, I don’t know what it will be like. I know I will miss the “small town track” that I’ve been going to for 2-1/2 decades.
They’ve already completed the new sports betting lounge.
Anyway, sorry to butt into the SAR topic, but I think SAR has a breakfast program or something like that? MrsFitzDarcy&Feliks enjoy your trip. I’m sure you will be thrilled
