Going to Saratoga for Travers weekend and I am trying to figure out if I need to go stopping. Is this similar to Derby weekend? I will be up in the club house so I know no jeans but how fancy is it? My guess right now is summer dress with hat optional but since I am a guest I don’t really want to embarrass my hosts.
I think that should be fine for Saratoga. Not as dressy as Derby, but you should look nice for the clubhouse.
A summer dress and hat would be great, also, comfortable shoes (trust me on this one)!
Ahhhhhh
Hi Smilton,
Bacchus and Acertainsmile have steered you very correctly on this. Comfy yet elegant shoes are a must, and a pretty dress is mandatory. Remember, this is the Summer Derby!
I’m going to suggest two more items - a pin of some kind. It doesn’t have to be gold or dripping with diamonds, but it should be fun. Remember a few years ago everyone was wearing those cardboard decorated with glitter small horses? That sort of pin.
Another nice thing to do is to decorate your hat with live flowers, or use ribbons the silks color of last year’s winning horse. You’ll stand out in a good way.
No matter what you wear or do, we want to hear all about it! I never go Travers weekend anymore (the 1980s did me in) but I do get out my Travers glasses, make a Shirley Temple, and enjoy the TV broadcast.
Regards,
Hallie
I promise to take lots of pictures too. This has been a pretty amazing year for me to see some big races and some amazing farms. (Keeneland, Oaks, KY Derby, Travers, Breeders Cup, Calumet, Three Chimneys, Lanes End, Winstar, Cobra) This is my first trip to New York. Hopefully I get to go play in the barns in the morning (with some of the owners) and will get some barn pictures too. I’m staying through Sunday evening to see Rachel run then fly home and back to work.
Lucky you!
Concur with the others. Travers Weekend is “an event” and, in my opinion, it’s worth getting the special duds out. I think a very pretty, comfortable dress is fun and appropriate and many, many people do dress with a nod to the gentility and elegance of the place, whether or not it’s Travers day. Comfortable shoes are imperative unless you park you butt at a table (and I hope you don’t…wander the grounds and explore every nook and cranny. I’ve watched my share of Travers from the upper grandstand, cheek to jowl with a good many happy revelers. There is something about the place that invites camaraderie and good spirited bantering. (And then there was the Travers day when we got to the track in the wee-hours, staked out a bench near the paddock and claimed it and some late-comers tried to horn in on our one puny bench…grrrrr…but that was the only time anything of the sort has happened to me!)
Be prepared for huge crowds and long lines at the windows. My favorite way to enjoy the weekend is to find a spot just about anywhere (although I like the paddock area, along with thousands of others), create a “spot” (a blanket seems to indicate to others that the spot is “yours”), pack a cooler with libations and decadent delicacies and just go with the flow. I like to alternate watching races from “the spot” (monitors in trees and 360 degree pods), the grandstand tarmac and the upper grandstand.
I may be there Travers day if a local filly runs (Lisa’s Booby Trap). Actually, I WILL be there if she runs!
Have a fabulous time, Smilton, and please do post a report with pics!
When at Saratoga does anyone know if its possible to actually walk through the barns/see horses?
The website said that there are tours, but not on that day.
I appreciate this thread,now I know I won’t embarrass myself when I go. Thank you!
I went to the barns this morning and took a few pics of Rachel. However, I have a media pass – although nobody looked at it or asked. I was dressed nicely and looked as if I knew what I was doing – that might have helped;)
I’ll be with some of the owners that have horses with some of the big trainers. I was told we would be touring the barns in the mornings. At previous tracks with this group I have been able to go to morning works and the barns without issue.
Just be aware that the Oklahoma training track is harrowed/watered from 7 to 9 a.m., so get there early or later (opens at 5:30, closes at 10:30). They are working on the main track then, though.
I’m so excited. Thank you for all the advice. I packed twice as many outfits as needed so hopefully I have something that will work for each day. I’ll post pictures when I get back. Thank you again.
