NY tracks start at 20% capacity April 23rd
 

New York racetracks can begin to welcome back fans at 20% capacity, Governor Cuomo announced Wednesday. According to a release from NYRA, they will begin to allow spectators, starting with the upcoming Belmont spring meet.

DAVE O'ROURKE: “The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) looks forward to welcoming fans back to Belmont Park this spring and to Saratoga Race Course this summer. We thank Governor Cuomo for the opportunity to host fans at our historic tracks for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

“We will announce ticketing options for fans once we further review the guidelines and protocols set forth for thoroughbred tracks in New York state.

“NYRA has dearly missed the passion and excitement that fans bring to the sport of thoroughbred racing. Today’s announcement by the Governor is one more indication that we are collectively moving toward a return to normalcy.”

The Buffalo Bills, as well as the Buffalo Sabers, announced today that they will allow FULL capacity for the entire upcoming season. All they require is the Excelsior Pass proof of vaccination. Does this mean Saratoga might allow full capacity? That would remove the problem of how to distribute tickets. If it does stay at 20%, how can they allocate seats to season ticketholders? Seniority? Lottery. Either way there’s going to be a lot of angry season ticket patrons. Let’s hope they can have full capacity.

NYRA’s Pat McKenna on ATR at 10:30 to address all of the above. He thinks utilizing Excelsior has great potential to widen admission. They haven’t received guidelines from the state yet, so the exact parameters won’t be immediately set.

Ah, the good people and the bad people... and so it begins

According to Pat McKenna, capacity at Belmont is considered to be7,000 ( the number of seats) which means 1400 fans, and even less, I assume for Saratoga. That is one paltry amount of tickets. I really hope they can expand that number by July.

No, according to Pat, 7K is 20% of capacity

I really hope you’re right about 7,00 being the allowable number of fans, but I could have sworn Pat said that capacity was based on the number of seats which was 7,000 at Belmont. Your number makes a lot more sense.

I talk to Pat all the time. I am right.

NYRA FACILITY DETAILS

3,000 + 32,941 = 35,941 x 20% = 7,188

Thanks for the clarification. I didn’t realize benches and picnic tables were included. 7,000 per day is a very doable number.

We get that many very few days. The good news is that according to the internet, we should have about 25K that want to go to Belmont every day now.

Outdoors is the safest place to be! The state of New Hampshire has ended the mask mandate as of today for indoors and outdoors. I am looking forward to SPAC and the Saratoga track for fresh air. Freddy, I am all out of my Da Ali G and Sopranos hats and shirts you sent me 10 or 15 years ago (lol) I hope to meet some of you this summer at Saratoga

Only if you have a vaccination card Sorry Mike I believe science is real LOL

Get vaccinated

:tro: